The Science Behind the Bike is a series of films that investigate how science and technology have transformed the sport of cycling. We talk to Olympic gold-medallists Chris Boardman and Rebecca Romero, and Paralympian gold-medallist Sarah Storey, take a trip to a wind tunnel, consult with Team GB physiologists and hear from design experts and cycling legends such as Graeme Obree and Francesco Moser. In this series you will find out about the legendary Hour Record (the record for the longest distance cycled in one hour), learn about technology, discover the forces that have to be overcome to ride fast and understand how the body deals physiologically when riding at Olympic level.
This material was produced to support the Open University module S172 Sport: the science behind the medals.
Track 1: The History of the Hour Record
A look at how science has impacted the development of The world Hour Record.
Have you ever wondered how technology has changed the bike and bike design from a simple steel tubed design to the state of the art aerodynamic machines today?
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Technology
A scientific look at the physiological make up of a top athlete featuring Olympians such as Rebecca Romero and paralympian Sarah Storey.
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Physiology
A cyclist has to overcome forces in order to ride quickly, this film tells you all about how these forces impact a rider and their machine.
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Forces
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Originally published: Wednesday, 27 June 2012
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Body text - Content : Copyright The Open University 2012
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