The Festival of Human Power in Milton Keynes is Britain's most bizarre road race - pedal-powered tricycles compete for an £8000 prize. Scientist Heinz Wolff reports from the big race and meets some of the competitors, including world-class cyclist Phil Webster.  This is a Yorkshire Television programme includes interviews with various competitors, including world-class cyclist Phil Webster. The film begins with Heinz Wolff riding a laid back, or recumbent, trike speaking to the camera...

The Festival of Human Power in Milton Keynes is Britain's most bizarre road race - pedal-powered tricycles compete for an £8000 prize. Scientist Heinz Wolff reports from the big race and meets some of the competitors, including world-class cyclist Phil Webster.  This is a Yorkshire Television programme includes interviews with various competitors, including world-class cyclist Phil Webster. The film begins with Heinz Wolff riding a laid back, or recumbent, trike speaking to the camera about pedal power.  This is followed by archive photographs and film of early and vintage cycles of all shapes and designs, from the Victorian and Edwardian periods.  The film returns to the present showing a cyclists riding a Raleigh racer, and then a racing cyclist being tested for stamina on a bike on a treadmill, and then again on a running machine.   Various recumbent bikes such as fairings or velomobiles are being tested.  There is a wind machine to determine resistance and efficiency, one of them with “College of Cranfield” written on the side, another with “Lea Valley park, 009”.  It is explained that these machines require only half the effort of normal bicycles.  A cyclist returns home to his garage where he tests the gears on his velomobile before putting it together and going out for a ride on it. At the Festival of Human Power in Milton Keynes, there is a large array of bicycles and trikes are assembled, mostly recumbent, and many velomobiles.  One of the contestants explains what is required when designing one of these.  Heinz Wolff explains the principles of the recumbent bikes, using one example with a very large pedal wheel with 140 teeth.  The contestants set off one at a time and are timed over a fixed distance.  A contestant states that the top riders are averaging around 39.97 mph, about 10 mph less than normal due to the strong side winds.  The Poppy Flyer team talk about their machine.  A group of competitors have come over from Holland and speak to camera whilst riding.  Another contestant is interviewed before there is footage of all the cyclists riding the bikes around together. Away from the event an elderly man is out riding a recumbent tricycle with a small engine and battery.  Heinz Wolff points out the advantages and drawbacks of this, pointing out that they wouldn’t sell well.  The film next features the bicycles on water, mostly being pedalled, but some like mice cages being propelled by running.  One competitor explains the advantages of pedal power over rowing.  Then one of the two fluid dynamics experts from Pasadena, Alec Brooks and Allan Abbot, who have brought their hydrofoil known as the “Flying fish,” is interviewed and explains the design.  Heinz Wolff sums it all up, praising the ingenuity, and saying it is all fun.  The film ends with shots of cyclists riding more odd bikes.   Credits text: Director - Derek Goodall  Producer - Paul Lader      Presenter - Heinz Wolff Yorkshire Television