Feature Interview Sam Whittingham, Canada’s fastest man on a bicycle
Late September this year, Sam Whittingham became the fastest man on a bicycle on earth. Let us rephrase: on Sept. 14 2009, Sam Whittingham (37) improved on his own self-propelled human speed record. On a flat runway in Nevada, Whittingham clocked an incredible 82.4mph or 132.6 kilometres per hour.
Most of his records, and there are many of them, are sanctioned by sanction of the International Human Powered Vehicle Association. His company, Naked Bicycles is specialized in custom bicycles and accessories. It is based on Quadra Island, British Columbia. For this feature interview we caught up with the speedy Canuck.
MoreCanadian: Can you describe what it feels like to go 80+ miles per hour on a bicycle?
Sam Whittingham: It feels as close to flying as it gets.
MoreCanadian: At what age did you learn to cycle and were you always fast?
Sam Whittingham: I was the last kid to learn how to ride a bicycle in kindergarten. i was never really
concerned with speed. that came later.
MoreCanadian: Do you bike to work?
Sam Whittingham: Only if i absolutely have to as work is only 50m away from home but i never drive!
MoreCanadian: What do you think is the limit of human powered cycling speeds, in other words…how fast do you think you can go, or someone else can one day go?
Sam Whittingham: We used to think that 75mph was the fastest anyone could go but now that we are nearing 85mph, i wouldn’t want to put a limit on what is possible.
MoreCanadian: Can you stop and get out of your bike by yourself or do people have to help you?
Sam Whittingham: Other people have to start me and catch me. I am taped in from the outside.
MoreCanadian: How much do you train?
Sam Whittingham: I spend most of the year riding daily and when
it comes closer to race time; I increase my riding time and effort usually
including intervals and sprints.
MoreCanadian: What are some of the main limiting factors of fast cycling? What keeps the record from going up and up all the time?
Sam Whittingham: In general the limits are aerodynamics, rolling resistance, rider fitness and rider confidence.
MoreCanadian: Have you ever crashed at a high speed? And if so what is it like.
Sam Whittingham: Yes, I crashed at 130km/hr, flew for 100m and then slid for 200m more. it was quite scary looking at the world from the side.
MoreCanadian: What would be something people don’t know about you?
Sam Whittingham: I was trained in theater set design.
MoreCanadian: What is your favourite other human powered sport and why?
Sam Whittingham: Bicycling is my absolute favourite human powered sport but i most definitely have great respect for all sports and discovering our physical potential.
MoreCanadian: Are there other human powered sports that go faster than you on the bike?
Sam Whittingham: No.
