Battle Mountain - Saturday

Just a short update.

After the riders meeting in the morning the group pictures are taken.



The evening run went fine. No legal wind though.



Pictures from Jun's blog. Have a look at Dave's blog as well, a good read.

Battle Mountain - Friday

We just got back at the hotel after a busy day. This morning we did some grocery shopping and attended the riders meeting. After lunch Hayco and Sjaak entered the drag races. They did well, though Scout, Barclay and Beth's dog, was a lot faster.

Starting was a bit troublesome tonight, but eventually my run started well. I was doing fine until the 1 mile sigh was in sight. Shifting to the highest gear did not work. I could reasonably keep the speed I had, but accelerating was impossible.

Ryochei Komori of the Japanse team was the fastest of the day with a little over 80 mph. A great performance.

After the riders meeting we went to the Ming Dynasty restaurant quickly to have someting to eat. This time we joined Barclay, Beth, Dave, Al, Alice and Mike. Now it is about time to go to sleep.

Battle Mountain - Thursday

Because of the large number of guests in the hotel, the internet connection is not sufficient. No connection at all at the moment. This morning we slept in until 7.30h, had breakfast and worked on the bike. Hayco had joined the mine tour. At 11.00h we were at the Civic Center for the riders meeting. The cut-off speed for the evening runs was raised to about 63 mhp. Oops, that meant no evening run for me. After the seeding proces, one spot remained open in the first heat. I mentioned to the riders/organisation that this could not be the purpose of this event. Let's not loose an opportunity in the evening. The cut-off speed was lowered to 60 mph and the two riders that qualified, could then choose a spot in the evening in order of their reached speed. That meant that I could run in the evening, and Alexei got an On Deck position in the first heat.

The start was smooth. The run was heavy and the speed lower than I wanted. In the end I reached 73.84 mph, but the wind was too strong. After the riders meeting tonight, we went to the Chinese restaurant together with Dave. We did get back to the hotel to have time for 10 minutes in the swimming pool (the spa is still out of order). Let's sleep in again.

Battle Mountain - Wednesday

We decided not to run in the morning, so everybody could get the much needed rest.

After the IHPVA meeting in the afternoon, we did a power nap and then took our time to get everyting ready for the evening runs. I was the first rider in the second heat. The bike fell in the first attempt to start. Sjaak and Hayco got me on two wheels quickly, and the second start attempt was successful. Almost immediately the chain came off. I steered to the left lane for a midway catch. After some trying to feel what was wrong it turned out that the chain came off at the cranks. That side I could not reach or solve during the run, contrary to the derailler side. At that time my speed was around 40 to 45 km/h. The chase car apparently thought my speed was high enough and did not overtake me.

Slowly the speed increased to around 60 km/h even though I could not pedal. At a certain time I was overtaken by Calvin. My speed remained relatively stable until right after the timing traps. Then the bike decelerated slowly.

Barclay cought the bike nicely.

Tomorrow morning we are going to sleep in and then sand and plaster the bike. Hayco will do the Newmont mine tour.

Todd has got a new world record: 88,26 mph = 142.04 km/u. That is really well done!

Battle Mountain - Tuesday

The morning runs were all cancelled because of the rain, and so were the evening runs.

Battle Mountain - Monday evening

The weather wasn't too good tonight. The wind was pretty strong. A number of riders did start, mostly trikes. No legal runs tonight, due to the wind. Team Cygnus decided not to start tonight.

Battle Mountain - Monday morning Qualifying runs

This morning we got up early for the qualifying runs. After breakfast and putting enough pressure in the tires, we load the car. Just before catch we see the schoolbus going into Battle Mountain. That means we've got time to spare, because we will start in the 3rd heat. It is hectic at the start, which is quite normal for the first time. But this time it is even more hectic than usual; even a truck gets stuck and needs to be dug/towed out. Barclay and Beth brought a nice trainer with them, that I can use as well. A fine example of the good atmosphere.

We start as the first bike in the third heat. The start goes well and we are off. I'm not going full out to make sure I still can do the evening run. The wind is quite strong but not problematic. Just cruising along. This means coming through the timing traps with over 61 mph. Fast enough for the third heat tonight. First we will get some groceries, have lunch and some rest as well.

The Cygnus Chronos has reached a speed of 61.6 miles per hour during the qualifying runs this morning.

Battle Mountain - Sunday

After breakfast it was time to assemble the bike. Because the bike cannot weigh more than 23 kilos during the flight, we took most parts out of the bike and distributed this in the rest of our luggage. Around 11h the bike was ready and we went looking for some "catchers" to practice some starts. We did not find any at the Civic Center or the other hotels, so we looked for a road that would be suitable for some practice starts. The road we used in the previous years had just been plastered with new grit and wasn't suitable anymore. We met the Japanese team on the road and the NHK film crew, and we were greeted most heartily. Of course the cameras were running. Before we knew, the interview had started. This was also our first chance to have a look at the new bike of the Japanese team. This looked professionally made, very beautiful. A lot of the advice we could offer during our stay in Japan, had been taken in and use, that really showed in their bike. After the interview we made some practice starts and 5 people of the NHK television helped to catch.

Then we went back to the hotel for some lunch. At 14.00h we went to the Civic Center to have the Cygnus Cronos approved for taking part in the WHPSC event.

After a power nap and a dip in the pool, where the other people present were all Dutch, we went out to eat in our favorite restaurant in Battle Mountain.

At 19.00h the first riders meeting began. After the introduction round we had an elaborate explanation of the event tomorrow and the rules and regulations. The starting order has also been made for tomorrow morning. We will start then by 7.00h in 5 heats. We will start in first position in the 3rd heat, probably around 8.20h. There are a lot of teams this year, and we expect their performance to be excellent. So it is going to be an exiting week.

We arrived in Battle Mountain

After a good nights sleep and breakfast, we are on the road again. First stop is Bonneville. It is very busy there. People drive all kinds of vehicles, not because they have to, but because they can on that enormous plain of salt. We had a nice lunch in Wells at Porter House Skillet restaurant. Around 16.00h we arrive in Battle Mountain. We shake hands with Mr Larrington, Joyce Lem and her partner whose name does not come to mind right now. We move into our room and dive into the swimming pool. I mean, we take a swim, diving is not allowed of course. Ming Dynasty is closed tonight, due to family circumstances. We are assured that they will be open tomorrow. So we go for a pizza in the Pizza Factory. When we get back to the hotel, there are more hands to shake. Arnold and Marieke have arrive too, just as Hans and Ellen and team Aerovelo. We chat a bit with Todd, Hans and Steve Nash. Now it is time for bed. Tomorrow will be busy enough.

Team Cygnus has arrived in America

Team Cygnus has arrived safely in America. After a long flight the team has landed in Salt Lake City. In the air we have chatted with Arnold and Marieke. We got to our rental car pretty quickly, so we could do the neccessary shopping. The first kilometers by car towards BM have been made. We are spending the night in Wendover. Tomorrow we will have a look in Bonneville, and then continue to BM.

On our way to Battle Mountain