Published: October 01, 2018
Published: October 01, 2018
PPG Helps to Create One of the World's Fastest Bikes
This September, PPG was thrilled to be a sponsored partner of an exciting project called the Human Power Team. PPG provided coating for the Velox8, an aerodynamic recumbent racing bike, and saw success.
Our riders Lieke de Cock and Jennifer Breet took first and second place in this year’s race! Every year, teams from across the globe come together at Battle Mountain, Nevada (US), for the World Human Powered Speed Challenge. This is a Formula 1 race in cycling and the current women’s world record is 121.8 km/h. Our Dutch team came incredibly close at a top speed of 120km/h!
Our Special Coatings Reduce Drag This year, the team worked hard to make sure the record was in Dutch hands with our help. The race took place from the 10 of September, and the Human Power team from Netherlands chose to race with the VeloX 8 bike, which has a round, egg-shaped race shell. PPG supplied an advanced coating for these shells, which created a super smooth surface and ensured high speeds could be reached.
The coating was developed in the Netherlands, combining efforts and expertise from both our Architectural Coatings and Automotive Refinish sites.
Remarkable Showcase Our colleagues had experienced the Human Power Team’s final practice race, before the big day. This was held on Sunday 5 of August, at Woensdrecht airfield. Paula Denil, who works at SSC Groot-Bijgaarden in Belgium and René Laenen, PPG Application Specialist, were at the race demonstration.
Seeing the team in action was fantastic. It is so moving, how these young people combine knowledge to produce this super bike. Their energy was infectious!
Paula Denil, PPG SSC Groot-Bijgaarden, Belgium
René Laenen was on hand to pre-treat the shells with our coatings before the team set off.
This demonstration was very special for me. I had an opportunity make sure the coatings were at their best. We wish the team the best luck.
René Laenen, PPG Application Specialist, Netherlands
Human Power Team
The Human Power Team Delft & Amsterdam was founded in 2010, with the aim of breaking the world speed record for human powered vehicles. Students from Delft University of Technology and VU University Amsterdam develop and race highly aerodynamic recumbent bicycles.
The teams had several attempts to break the world speed record. Battle Mountain provided a perfect location as it’s positioned in the heart of the desert at an elevation of 1400m. The low air density meant less air resistance, so the racers could reach incredibly fast speeds!