Originally Posted by
BlazingPedals
Okay, comparing fastest to fastest...
The record for (upright) men's was set by a 4-man team in 2004, 5:08:17 for 2959 miles, for an average speed of 23.06 mph.
The record for recumbents was set by a 4-man team in 1989, 5:01:08 for 2911 miles, for an average speed of 24.02 mph.
Doesn't really prove anything about hill climbing though. Hill climbing is all about power to weight ratios. Recumbents weigh more, but once you take the weight of the bike plus rider, the difference is pretty minor. Using Homeyba's argument, you just don't lose 24 hours due to poor climbing.
You're comparing apples and oranges. That's the HPV record. They were riding fully faired bikes. When I get a chance I'll go get their time splits in the mountains. Maybe that'll be a better test for you. Last I checked, most of the recumbents (short of the HPV's) that they were racing in RAAM weighed less than 20lbs...I believe one of the Bachetta's(sorry can't remember the spelling) riders told me during inspection this year that his bike was under 17lbs.