Day 17: Battle Mountain NV

Fortunately the Workers, although they don't yet Control the Means of Production, have been busy out on the 305 so there was little to do today except hang around various motels and/or the Civic Center getting in everyone's way.  As of now, wot is [consults piece of paper on which a kind man has writted the time] 22:15 Saturday night we are lacking only Team Policumbent's Matilde Vitillo and the whole of Team Teardrop but both should arrive, if not in time to take part in the first qualifying runs  in the morning then some time tomorrow.

It is a very very bad idea to stand in front of this when it's moving at speed...

Restyled and retractable tail cone on the Sprocket Rocket

The amazeballs Sprocket Rocket, last seen here in 2019, is back with a crew of five women, captained by motor-paced world record Denise Mueller.  Denise also raced here the same year, piloting Larry Lem's bike Wahoo to v>70 mph.

Bilby with its top off

I can haz fleg!

Monash Human Power Team from the uni of that name in Melbourne are also at the Big Chief.  They're hoping to be organised enough to be able to run the machine with four different riders.  This sort of thing has been done before by the likes of Team Cygnus and the University of Toronto, so...

We haz a fleg aussi!

Annecy team not at all downhearted by Les Bleus have beaten the All Blacks yesterday

IUT Annecy are back with a brand new, IMPROVED Altaïr 7, with returning pilot François Pervis looking considerably more chipper than when I last saw him at San Francisco airport last year.  Chef d'equipe Guillaume de France is also going to ride, but natch is playing second fiddle to François.

Topless Cerberus

Phoenix in a state of undress

Team Policumbent are also returnees, with a slimmed-down team.  New rider Enzo Yokota is sharing Phoenix with Matilde Vitillo; Diego Colombari is once again piloting Cerberus, the somewhat wayward handcycle hopefully having benefitted from a year to sort out the handling and general road manners.

Larry Lem sticks his snout into the Milan RS

Wild Bill Thornton is also back, with an improved Milan velomobile, which has already been ridden in the Trans-America unsupported race by team-mate Niklas Bostelmann.  Germany's Daniel Löw is also signed up to ride.

Peter Borenstadt arrived too late for me to get a picture of his DF velomobile, but there's only a few tweaks to the machine he's been riding here for a Several of years.  With Team Teardop still on their way here from Oklahoma that's yer lot for this year.

Just one more thing, as that scruffy bugger with the raincoat used to say.  After being missing, presumed killed, for a Several of years the original 2D Thomas has re-surfaced, seemingly none the worse for his lengthy sojourn in the middle of a Teetering Pile of Crap at Casa Krause in Eureka CA.

2D Thomases v3.0 (L) and v1.0