Repsol YPF
Ruta
Sport
Do you know who bicycled furthest ever in one hour by using chemical advances?
In 2004, Canadian Sam Whittingham bicycled no less than 84.215 km on a reclined bicycle that was completely covered by a fibreglass shell, reducing to an absolute minimum air resistance.
Chemicals have taken over sport, making competition and enjoyment more ingenious, with equipment that offers added performance value in all sports -in any of their environments- land, air, or water.
Winter sports such as skiing or snowboarding, amongst others, are by definition speed sports. In most of them, the clothes that are used have been specially designed with resistant fabrics, made with chemical substances that give them cold-resistant and wear-resistant properties.
Sports shoes are designed with products that protect from impact, offer comfort, and distribute foot pressure. These are especially used in sports such as football or basketball.
What would rollerbladers or skateboarders do without protective gear such as knee pads, elbow pads and helmets that protect from impact and scratches? Not to mention that skates are mostly made with plastic compounds.
Besides offering speed and protection, manufacturing products with chemicals improves precision in sports such as tennis, squash, badminton, golf, or snooker.
Currently, most balls in a great variety of games and sports are made with plastic materials, particularly polyethylene. The ping-pong ball has been produced since 1890 with celluloid- one of the pioneer products in the chemical industry.
Water sports also require special gear. For example, scuba divers use butyl foam that contains many nitrogen bubbles and has a lining that can be over six centimetres thick, since it is important to insulate the scuba diver from the cold and prevent hypothermia.
