Human-Powered Vehicle Is Winner at West Coast Competition

CSU, Chico's Human-Powered Vehicle (HPV) team placed first in the single-rider endurance race and placed third overall in the single-rider category at the 2005 West Coast Human-Powered Vehicle Competition in Fresno, the weekend of April 29.

HPV's are "aerodynamic, highly engineered vehicles." Nineteen universities in addition to CSU, Chico entered HPV's, including the single-rider first- and second-place winners, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, first, and the University of Missouri at Rolla, second.

"The single-rider endurance race is the premier event, and CSU, Chico proved that it had the best bike for the course in terms of robust design,  stability, lightning-fast pit crew, and talented riders," said Greg Kallio, chair of Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics and Manufacturing.

Chico took 20 team members to the competition. "All played important roles and showed amazing teamwork and sportsmanship in supporting the effort," said Kallio.

Diana Marcum, a reporter for the Fresno Bee who observed the race, wrote: "The Chico team had delegated responsibilities for each detail of function and design from tightening bolts to finding strong riders. The first thing they did, more than a year ago, was go to the school's cycling club meeting and invite engineers who already were cyclists to join their team." (Fresno Bee, May 2, 2005)

Team John Minotti led the team; LeAnne Cossairt, Galen  Shumaker, Matt Simkins and Jason Spotts, all engineering majors, were riders; John Minotti, Eddie Collyer, Paul  Matteri, Joe Raykovich, Wes Crail and Galen Shumaker were designers and fabricators. Nick Repanich, adjunct professor in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics and Manufacturing, is the faculty advisor to the group.