# Velomobile Ride Accross America



## ru1-2cycle (Jan 7, 2006)

Greetings to all fellow members of our cycling community RBR. It has been a while since I have posted, but after suffering a head concussion in March 02, 2010 am glad to report that I have fully recovered, thank God. I have been an avid road cyclist since my teens. In September of 2010 I purchased a bluevelo Quest velomobile, a human powered vehicle, basically a 24 speed tadpole recumbent with a fiberglass body. I have been training on my bluevelo Quest and am glad to report that it has been the most rewarding and exhilarating riding experience of my cycling life. 
The Quest velomobile is so aerodynamic that it makes you virtually invisible to the wind. I will try to put the experience in perspective. A fairly fit cyclist could accelerate and sustain an average speed of 45-50 km/hr...against a 20-25 MPH headwind. Yes, it feels like when you are riding in a strong pack of road cyclists with a strong tailwind and watching the roadside fly by! The effort I put to sustain 20-21 MPH on my carbon road bike translates to 27-28 MPH on the Quest velomobile.
Most recently I was able to complete a 33 miles fairly flat course in 1hr 5 minutes, but I did have a tail cross wind, with an average speed of 30.5 MPH. This has helped me get a perspective of the great time trialist pros like Cancellara, he-he. It is very rewarding to catch up to and fly by a group of strong road riders doing 24-25 MPH as if I was passing them in my car, no kidding. It is also rewarding to see them trying to draft off my velomobile in vain, yes, no freebie draft either.
I ended paying $8,100 US dollars for this stealth speed machine and do not regret it at all. If I had purchase a high end TT bike at a similar price I don't believe I could ever achieve similar average and sustained speeds, particularly in my age group: just turned 51.
My boss is also a newly converted avid velomobile rider and we continue to train individually on trainers and together in the weekends. Our goal is to join the upcoming historical Ride Accross America in the fall of 2011. I believe that VelomobilPpro.com has more information on these HPV vehicles and on the RAA as well.


----------



## robwh9 (Sep 2, 2004)

How fast can you climb a 10% grade?


----------



## andulong (Nov 23, 2006)

pix???


----------



## dualpivot (Oct 25, 2009)

I WANT ONE. Man, what a great commuting vehicle in a world of rising gas prices and climate temperatures. The price just needs to be a few thou less. They're fast, comfortable, and keep you dry in wet and cold weather. An electric assist can be used to power over hills...and the weight on these things keeps coming down.

Quest picture:








Some other velos. The Go-One Evolution:








The Milan:








and the one that I'm really keen on, the Flevobike Versatile (being re-made as the Orca):


----------

