There are three organizations involved in human-powered vehicle (HPV) racing, with different focuses and scopes.
WRRA (World Recumbent Racing Association)
Focuses on partially streamlined recumbents, which are recumbents that are open but may have a windshield or streamlined tail-box, and also non-streamlined recumbents
IHPVA (International Human Powered Vehicle Association)
Aims to encourage the development and improvement of various HPV designs, including recumbents, cargo carriers, and pedicabs.
WHPVA (World Human Powered Vehicle Association)
Focuses on coordinating national HPV clubs and overseeing competitions and records for HPV vehicles, including both land and water vehicles. They also support the Human Power eJournal.
All three organizations are involved in HPV racing, they differ in their specific focus and their approach to record-keeping.
WRRA primarily deals with partially streamlined recumbent bicycles, while IHPVA and WHPVA cover a broader range of HPV designs, including fully streamlined recumbents.
The IHPVA and WHPVA have a history of collaboration but also experienced a split, partly due to disagreements over record-keeping rules, particularly regarding wind allowance and slope for land vehicles.
Record Keeping:
The IHPVA and WHPVA have both recognized records for streamlined recumbents, but they have split in their approaches.
The WHPVA aims to allow for record setting in more locations and extend the “pure human power” principle to land vehicles, while the IHPVA aims to maintain continuity with existing 200m records, many of which were set at Battle Mountain.
Slope and Wind Allowance
Both IHPVA and WHPVA have kept the slope and wind allowance for land and water vehicles, even though there have been attempts to change these rules.
Battle Mountain-The Story of the Human Powered Speed Challenge