Student hopes electric bike trip breaks record

‌

During his August road trip from Walworth, N.Y., to Colorado and back, Troy Rank logged in nearly 4,400 miles on his electric bike—hoping to break a Guinness World Record for “longest motorized bicycle journey.” What was the worst part of the trip? “Three flat tires in one day.”

Troy Rank spent the month of August on his electric bicycle, riding 25 miles per hour, logging 150 to 200 miles a day, in an attempt to beat the Guinness World Record for “longest motorized bicycle journey.” During his round trip—from his hometown in Walworth, N.Y., to Boulder, Colo., and back—Rank logged in 4,400 miles in 30 days, breaking the previous 4,200-mile record accomplished in several months’ time.

The Rochester Institute of Technology graduate student, who is completing an MS degree in entrepreneurship at Saunders College of Business, said the entire travel cost for electricity was, believe it or not, just under $20.

“I stopped at gas stations and got permission to use electricity located behind soda or ice machines; the battery pack costs about 15 cents to recharge,” said Rank, who earned an engineering degree from Clarkson University in 2007 and works as a systems engineer for GE-MDS in Rochester. “I stayed at state parks along the way and it was a self-sufficient, fully unsupported solo trip; I had no backup of transportation with a tech crew following my progress.”

According to Rank, eligibility for the Guinness World Record requires several steps. “I had to have a GPS tracking system, a witness log where people would sign the date and location of places I stopped at, a daily video blog, and a daily personal log with logistics of the trip.”

Rank, who built his “e-bike” from scratch, claims he wasn’t sore because he rides his bicycle every day—rain, shine, snow—to work and to classes at RIT. As he explained, the bicycle is powered by a battery pack with a motor inside the rear wheel, and all you have to do is adjust the throttle on the handlebar to make it go. For his trip across the country, Rank used back roads and bike paths suitable for electric bikes. “The best part is you are in the moment; things aren’t just whizzing by—like they do in a car at 65 miles per hour. I saw some amazing landscapes because the trails off the highways force you to see how the country stitches together. It’s also where I encountered the kindness of strangers—people who helped me along the way and were excited to see me accomplish my personal goal.”

Rank submitted his completed data of his trip to Guinness World Records and said it will take a few months to review. In the meantime, he’d like to “raise awareness about electric bicycles and how efficient and useful they are.”

“If I had time I’d go all over the world, but I don’t know if my wife, Kerra, would like me gone for longer than a month—although she is my biggest supporter.”