Typical Speeds
Typical speeds for bicycles are 15 to 30 km/h (10 to 20 mph). On a fast racing bicycle, a reasonably fit rider can ride at 50 km/h (30 mph) on flat ground for short periods. The highest speed officially recorded for any human-powered vehicle (HPV) on level ground and with calm winds and without external aids (such as motor pacing and wind-blocks) is 133.284 km/h (82.819 mph) set in 2009 by Sam Whittingham in the Varna, a streamlined recumbent bicycle. In the 1989 Race Across America, a group of HPVs crossed the United States in just 6 days. The highest speed officially recorded for a bicycle ridden in a conventional upright position under fully faired conditions was 82.52 km/h (51.29 mph) over 200m. That record was set in 1986 by Jim Glover on a Moulton AM7 at the 3rd international HPV scientific symposium at Vancouver.
Read more about this topic: Bicycle Performance
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