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Graeme Obree ICS 2016 talk to discuss whether UCI rules have stunted cycling’s potential

With the 2016 International Cyclefit Symposium now just mere weeks away organiser Phil Cavell has revealed that Graeme Obree’s talk will in part focus on his experiences with the UCI and how the Governing body may often have stunted cycling’s progress at times.

Obree’s segment will riposte this excellent article by Cyclefit’s Phil Cavell, detailing how the ‘velocar’ became victim of a ban having broken the 1914 hour record.

Having been lobbied by the French automotive and car industry, the UCI set about banning a record smashing Francis Faure result, simultaneously prohibiting recumbent style bicycles from competition. Two months later the UCI laid down the definition of what was fit for competition, referring to the same criteria of those used by the Wright Brothers in 1895.

Cavell’s article says on the cycling icon: “Graeme Obree was born with a propensity to be an outstanding athlete, but almost more importantly, to be able to think, engineer and improve human-to-machine solutions, better than anyone else before or since. My contention at ISCO, was that, reviewing Obree’s history and work, he has the potential to be a Leonardo da Vinci prophet for the bike industry and especially bike-fitters, clinicians and academics.”

During his career, Obree has been banned twice by the UCI for daring to break the mold. His thinking, however, is flawless, argues the veteran bike fitter. To find out why head over to “Humans didn’t evolve to ride bikes” here.

Known for his own success in less than traditional positions, Obree to this day experiments with how to achieve maximum power and efficiency under his own steam.

Of ICS 2016, organiser Cavell told us: “ICS is a featured event for European City of Science Manchester 2016  which is pretty special for a niche cycling science event. We are pretty proud of that.

“They love that it incorporates: Team GB, Manchester, genuine science research and it is a genuinely international event with speakers and delegates from all around the world.”

The International Cyclefit Symposium runs November 14th and 15th at Manchester University. To register, click here.

CyclingIndustry.News house bike fitting expert Jon Iriberri is also set to deliver seminars at ICS. Big on the science and monetisation potential of bike fitting? Catch Jon’s writing here.