Lawrence’s takes us on a technical walk around of his Bluebird … Check out the gleaming body work and the cozy cockpit!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa2tDkextPI&feature=youtu.be
Lawrence then takes us south with a trailing breeze coming out of the West North West. While Lawrence has no on screen speedometer display as he rides, you get an idea of his speed as you see the barricade pillars zooming past and the relative speed at which the cars pass. The posted speed limit is 60kph, but no cars are doing this on the straight, relatively quiet road.
0:00 – 1:20 Rolling terrain – Looks like mostly going the speed limit
1:30 – 1:40 Vehicles passing, but only slowly
2:10 Catching up to vehicles on the downgrade
2:30 Doing probably 80+
3:30 – 3:50 Vehicles passing but again, only slowly
4:27 Pulling off at the Esso service station.
Wow … Check the max speed!!!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP04urU4DjA
by hummingbirdsccJoey Nunes won the Masters 70+ category at the recent Leslie King Memorial Road Race that finished in Mayaro.
Well done Joey! Way to finish off the season!
I got some information from Lawrence about his Human Powered Vehicle (HPV). After more than 300 to 400 hours of work, the rough looking Yellow Submarine is now a Sleek Bluebird.
The Bluebird is now a lethal flying machine that has had some shakedown runs, but still has some tweaking ahead. Planned work is in the area of higher gearing, some bodywork fine tuning to minimize the effects of crosswinds. On top of this, he is playing with the idea of adding disc covers for the wheels, a tail extension for time trials and even a cockpit canopy.
To quote Lawrence, “This thing is crazy fast. 40km/h is nothing. 50km/h is mild effort on a flat. I hit 62 with a slight slope. I could have gone faster if it weren’t for the light and stopping a flying bomb is not easy.”
“Some guys in Europe who can sustain 80km/h on closed courses.”
Lawrence’s max gearing is 53/11, but thinks he needs a bigger chainring, perhaps a 57 or 61! Are you trackies jealous???
He went on to talk about handling and comfort, “In headwinds and tailwinds she is like butter. There is a very low coefficient of drag with the enclosed front wheel wells.” “Cross winds can give some sail effect but also make it “a bit dodgy”. I picked up a strip from a racer that disturbs lateral wind effects. I still need to install it.” “I could ride in any temperature. There is a guy in Ottawa that rides year long. It’s an all weather cycle. And it is very warm inside even on cold days.” On a recent ride when it was 4C, he was able to comfortably ride in shorts and had to roll up his long sleeves.
The rider’s perspective is equally exciting. The internal reinforcement work has stiffened up the HPV, making it very responsive. Lawrence simply said “It’s like riding in a rocket.” Of course the HPV does not accelerate and climb as well as a road bike so some planning is required for traffic lights and terrain. Maintaining 50km/h to 60km/h is easy … on a recent ride he managed to beat 80km/h! Lawrence’s comment about the sensation of speed is “There is little sensation of speed below 40. 80 was nuts.” He has had quite a laugh when he looks at the faces of drivers – they can not believe what the machine can do! Better speeds are possible with better tyres, a tail piece and a cockpit cover and of course cyclist fitness!!!
The reaction from cyclists is interesting; they are definitely curious. Their normal inclination is to try and catch on, but keeping them at bay, just for fun, is easy.
The police have followed him, but not stopped him. The machine is fully compliant as a bike under the Highway Traffic Act so they are required to treat it not differently than a bicycle. He also reports that he gets better respect from drivers.
I am looking forward to riding with him in 2017. He thinks it will be a great support vehicle for races and tours as he can carry water, tires and gear on board. My real anticipation – motorpacing behind this beast!!!
Trini Hummingbirds!
The gala Awards Ceremony for T&T’s top cyclists was held at the National Cycling Centre, recognizing the most outstanding athletes.
The ceremony covered the outstanding cyclists for 2015 and 2016.
Hummingbirds shone on the podium at the awards
2016 Most Outstanding Awards
Joey Nunes Masters 70+
Peter Hernandes 65 – 69
Marlon Joseph 45 – 49
2015 Most Outstanding Awards
Martin Wharwood 55 – 59
Peter Hernandes 65 – 69
Well done!