How fast can your legs carry you?
For two pins
How fast can you make a bike go? Explore leg science.
On your marks
Exploding bottles and recumbent bicycles. Follow the legs diary.
Adam Hart-Davis attempts to pedal his way into history, as part of the BBC/OU's Science Shack series.
One man. One pair of legs. One goal: Speed.
At the time of making the programme, the current world speed record for a human-powered vehicle was 80.5 mph (117 km/h), set by Canadian athlete Sam Whittingham.
Adam's challenge: to beat it.
But can Adam's fitness level compare with a world athlete? Is his beloved bicycle aerodynamic enough, or does he need a special contraption to help him achieve those ludicrous speeds?
If he stores expended energy over a period of time and releases it explosively will this propel him into the record books?
Content last updated: 30/05/2006
