Specialized President Mike Sinyard pedals water-purifying Aquaduct trike in Tour of California prologue.

From our Flickr friend MacPaulster’s account:

“Hats off to Mike Sinyard, CEO at Specialized Bicycles, for riding the winning “Innovate or Die” contest entry, Aqueduct, in the charity Prologue of the Tour of California 2008. The pedaling of this rig powers both the drivetrain of the tricycle and the pumps that purify water.

The machine is intended for Third World countries where clean drinking water is challenging to find. The bike can be ridden to the questionable water source, where the tank in the rear is filled. Then, while the bike is ridden back, water is filtered into the reservoir on the front. Additional water can be filtered while the bike is stationary by disconnecting the drive train. www.youtube.com/watch?v=-U-mvfjyiao