WHPSC racers chase speed records on SR 305
By Calvin Moes, PhD | 2025 World Human Powered Speed Challenge Organizing Committee Member
Posted in Lander County Monthly newsletter, edition August 2025
Since 2000, the World Human Powered Speed Challenge has been the top global venue for pedal-powered speed record attempts. Held on SR 305, the week-long annual event is entirely dependent on having the longest possible run of straight, flat pavement to give athletes the maximum time to accelerate.
This unique stretch of road is ideal for achieving the highest possible velocities, and has made Battle Mountain, Nevada a sought-after destination for competitors from around the world.
While human powered speed records have been charted nearly since the invention of the bicycle, it was in the 1970s that the sport began to evolve into its present form as competitors began to more systematically innovate in their vehicle designs – particularly with respect to aerodynamics.
Early events were often held at velodromes or motorsport ovals, but these locations were not ideal. A human powered vehicle does not accelerate quickly, and competitors would have to slow down to stop or turn corners long before their vehicles were at maximum velocity.
A particular motorsport track in Ontario, California used for many early record attempts had a slope of two-thirds of a percent on its straightaway. As a consequence, the rules of the International Human Powered Vehicle Association (IHPVA) allow for a slope of up to two-thirds of one percent when setting speed records. At moderate speeds, such a small grade hardly matters. However, as vehicles travel faster, that small slope can give a noticeable boost in power. The perfect road for setting a speed record would have a slope as close to that limit as possible to maximize this assistance.
In 1994, engineer and human powered vehicle racer Matt Weaver drove around California and Nevada to measure the slope and length of numerous candidate roads, exhaustively searching for an ideal place to set a speed record; his efforts identified SR 305 as the best extant location. Not only was it more than 5 miles long at almost exactly the permitted two-thirds percent grade, but also it was more than 4000 ft above sea level; the lower-density air at that altitude would reduce aerodynamic drag while still providing enough oxygen for strong athletic efforts.
The first WHPSC was held in October of 2000, and the venue did not disappoint. The previous record of 68.72 MPH – set in 1992 and unbroken for 8 years – was increased to 72.75 MPH by the end of the week. The following year, the new course really began to show its true potential as Canadian champion Sam Whittingham broke his own record four times in 6 days to finish the event at a blazing 80.55 MPH.
Subsequent years continued to see top speeds increase, but these changes were often incremental; competitors would train harder or recruit more powerful cyclists to race their machines and successively tweak their designs to chase even the slightest improvement in efficiency. With support from Nevada and Lander County, the designated part of SR305 was repaved in a seamless single pass to further improve the road surface for WHPSC. By 2014, the fastest speed achieved was 83.13 MPH by Sebastiaan Bowier of the Netherlands, however, future massive leaps forward seemed unlikely.
A paradigm shift in the competition was brought by the Canadian team Aerovelo in their Eta speedbike design. The result of extensive multidisciplinary optimizations built on years of experience in aerodynamics, mechanical design, and speedbike racing, Eta was fine-tuned for speed to an extent that far surpassed any previous vehicle. Driven by Aerovelo’s team leader and chief aerodynamicist Todd Reichert, in 2015 Eta advanced the record to 86.65 MPH – a full 3 MPH increase, and the largest single-year change since 2001. The team returned once more in 2016, and yet again achieved a major increase in top speed to bring the overall record to 89.59 MPH.
Aerovelo’s record is still unbroken in 2025, but the potential is there for much higher speeds. The Eta speedbike was extensively optimized, but technological advancements in aerodynamics, tire design, and mechanical efficiency since then could certainly be leveraged to produce an even better speedbike. Reichert was a strong athlete, but there have been many competitive cyclists capable of producing considerably more power output; some have even competed at WHPSC. Inevitably, someone is going to go faster – when will that happen, and who will it be?
This year, the students from the French school Institut Universitaire de Technologie d’Annecy – an experienced and highly competitive team at WHPSC – are returning with a new vehicle design to be driven by renowned competitive cyclist François Pervis. Their previous attempts have brought them closer to Aerovelo’s speed record than any other team. Will they surpass that record this year? Come out to Battle Mountain next month and see for yourself!
Find us on Facebook at World Human Powered Speed Challenge and International Human Powered Vehicle Association, or visit the sites below for more information!
whpsc.org | info@whpsc.org | landercountytourism.com
