Sunday, May 12, 2013

The Science Behind the Bike: History of the Hour Record (Documentary)


For cycling fans, today was a good day. The Giro d'Italia (one of the three great stage races, along with the Tour de France and the Vuelta Espana) just finished its first week (tomorrow is a rest day), and the Amgen Tour of California (one of the two big American stage races, the other being the USA Pro Challenge in Colorado) began in the heat of Southern California.

One of the ultimate benchmarks in cycling is the Hour Record - the longest distance covered on a bike in one hour. This short documentary takes a look at the history of the Hour Record from Eddie Merckx in the 1970s to the present.

The Science Behind the Bike



The Science Behind the Bike is a series of films that investigate how science and technology have transformed the sport of cycling.

We talk to Olympic gold-medalists Chris Boardman and Rebecca Romero, and Paralympian gold-medalist Sarah Storey, take a trip to a wind tunnel, consult with Team GB physiologists and hear from design experts and cycling legends such as Graeme Obree and Francesco Moser.

In this series you will find out about the legendary Hour Record (the record for the longest distance cycled in one hour), learn about technology, discover the forces that have to be overcome to ride fast and understand how the body deals physiologically when riding at Olympic level.


Watch the full documentary now - (playlist - 33 min)

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