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Bicycle Rider Slipstreams Behind a Porsche Cayenne Turbo to Set Speed Record

A slipstream is a spot behind a moving object where air moves just as fast as the object itself. For things on wheels, this means that traveling on a bike behind a car, for instance, can help riders achieve speeds rarely thought possible.
Slipstreaming behind a Porsche Cayenne Turbo 7 photos
Photo: Porsche
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At the end of the 1970s, rider Jean-Claude Rude tried to set a bicycle speed record while riding behind a Porsche 935 Turbo. The targeted speed, 240 kph (150 mph), was never achieved, as Rude lost control of the bike and fell to the ground.

Back in June 2018, bicycle rider and architect Neil Campbell managed to become the fastest man in Europe on a bike, after hitting 217.7 kph (135.5 mph) while slipstreaming behind a Porsche SUV.

That record apparently wasn’t enough, as the man got back on the bike and went at it again this month, and managed to beat his past achievement with a new speed of 239 kph (149 mph). That feat puts him right within reaching distance of the world record Rude was trying to break.

The record run took place at Elvington Airfield in Yorkshire, in the UK. For the task, the rider used a bike made from a mix of carbon fiber and 3D printed parts, with interchangeable gears, and with a wheelbase much longer than a conventional bicycle. The bike was shoed in purpose-built tires.

In front of it drove British drag racing champion Andy Frost in a Porsche Cayenne Turbo. The car assisted Campbell until they reached 177 kph (110 mph), and then set off, leaving the rider to accelerate on his own muscle power.

“The acceleration of the Cayenne was incredible – it was like being strapped to a rocket,” said the rider in a statement.

“I was pedaling throughout, harder and harder, before I released from the car at just over 100 mph and got my head down and gave it all I could. It’s an incredible feeling – to get 149 mph on such a short runway is beyond anything I expected.”

The next task at hand for Campbell is to break the motor-assisted cycling speed world record, so keep your eye out for more on this.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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