Ice-Bat news

Tussen 6 en 8 cm buiten de vaargeul vandaag. 19 jan ga ik weer. Tot dan!

Op vrijdag ochtend ga ik het ijs verkennen. Er is al 5 cm (wat voldoende is voor de Ice-Bat) maar wakken moet ik vermijden!

Ik ga niet alleen naar Kropswolde dus als je bij/op het meer staat en de Ice-Bats niet kan zien, stuur me (Steve) een txt op 06-21230211.

Zaterdaag moet dan helemaal raak!

Vri 18, zat 19 & zon 20 ga ik met de Ice-Bats naar Kropswolde.

Jullie kunnen ook! Aanmelden op www.icebatracing.com/events.htm

Groeten, Steve

A quick post to wish you all a happy, safe and adventurous 2013!

Checking out the web stats, I can see that the number of hits on icebatracing.com is up from 45,000 in 2011 to 58,000 in 2012 (divide by about 10 to get number of visitors to site). This encourages me to keep up the posts!

The plan for the next few months is to give more people a chance to try out the pleasures of IceTrack. Regular slots at various ice ovals should give you a better chance to have a go. Details to follow.

Just like every other skating nut in Holland I’m banking on an Elfstedentocht in February! The ARC won the last edition of the Elfstedentocht on water and are masters in not only the rowing but also the complicated logistics and navigation to achieve this magic undertaking. The ARC are going to help plan the Ice-Bat assault on this famous route so if it does freeze, the 4 Ice-Bats stand a chance being able to race the 200km course.

Obviously this is all most unlikely, but better to have failed trying than not to have tried at all. And I think I’ll make that my New Years Resolution for 2013. What’s yours?

All the best for 2013, Steve

The discussions are going well to schedule the following activities in 2013:

• IceTrack Open Champs, Kardinge (Groningen, NL); Sunday evening(s) in March
• Ice TT, Assen; Tuesday(s) in February
• Junior IceTrack experience, Thialf; February / March
• Various private events (company outings); Jan-Mar. Bookings still available.
• Pre-registration and entry forms will be available in January

Obviously I hope the lakes and canals will freeze so we can charge around outside and there will certainly be an assult on the Elfstedentocht if at all possible. Last year I did a few sections of the route but the IBv13 should be able to handle it just fine.

The next big step is to release the Ice-Bats on the German public so a trip to Inzel would be nice! And then Russia to test the ice at Sochi. I’m working on it…

IceTrack is the sport. Ice-Bat the machine. Anyone who fancies joining the IceTrack project (for instance to set up a local IceTrack club) should send me an email – I’d like to hear from you!

So, at last the Ice-Bats were released in Thialf, the mecca of skating! We were there helping to support the Nierstichting and were really well received. Thanks and well done to all involved!

Loads of kids (and adults) tried out the Ice-Bats, it went well and we’ve been invited back. Top day out!

.. a question I have been asked a few times now! The Ice-Bat mission is to create an accessable and challenging sport involving pedaling round a 400m speed skating ice oval. It’s not about the bike (as some bloke once said…). The propeller was brilliant because it looked cool, didn’t damage the ice, was surprisingly efficient and the cornering was excellent.

However the wheel drive is of course much simpler, cheaper, significantly less dangerous and I have been able to develop a wheel drive / skate combination that does not damage the ice.

The plan is to have up to 10 Ice-Bats on a Formular 1 style grid. I have been in touch with various Olympic committees with the intention of including ice oval cycling in the 2022 games… Ambitious, unlikely, but why not?! The wheel drive brings all this much closer to reality.

But maybe the Ice-Bat needs a new name? Leave a comment with your suggestions!

The 2012/13 season Ice-Bat is now ‘under construction’.

Some radical changes will be tried in November (and as Steve Jobs said: “if you don’t cannibalise yourself, someone else will”!).

The Ice-Bats are gearing up to support the Ijsstrijd. Details to follow.

This article appeared in edition 43 of Velovision.  VV43-08-11 Ice Racing2

Check out their website (www.velovision.com) and maybe even take out a subscription – there are lots of great machines to read about!

The Ice-Bats have been resting over the summer but we had some fun demonstrating one indoors at the Assen culture centre (cinema, library, theatre complex) as part of the “New Sports Symposium”. Of course Ice Bat Racing is everything a new sport shouldn’t be – dangerous, hard work, very limited where you can use it, etc! But I think we drew the biggest crowds!

The next ‘target’, before the ice comes back, is to test a four bladed propeller (by bolting two 2 bladed ones together). You never know – it might be faster! I am planning on changing the skates this winter as last winter I left them alone.

Finally I have to admit that I am ‘secretly’ contemplating an Ice-Bat without a propeller because I would love to have a ‘formular 1′ grid full of ice pedal cars and that’s never going to happen with 2m propellers turning at 400rpm!

I’ll keep you posted….