5. September 2003
We don't know whether anybody has gotten as many as five velomobiles together in North America before. Maybe they have, but we're pretty sure it wouldn't have been in our region, so we're calling our little get-together the "First Midwest Velomobile Rally."
David Eggleston came up from Texas to Minnesota with two Alleweders, and we arranged to meet him with three Cab-Bikes and about a half-dozen HPV enthusiasts.
The Rally started on 48th Street between Upton and Vincent Avenues with test rides for interested folks. Blackbird Bikes also brought a Quadribent with an electric assist, so there were three Cab-Bikes, two Alleweders and a Quadribent. Mark Stonich, at a disadvantage with a sprained ankle, displayed his featherweight bright-orange home-built recumbent, the Gossamer Pumpkin, and managed to get into an Alleweder but not to ride it with an ankle brace on. The rest of the group compared the two velomobile styles, had a chance to inspect the underside of a Cab-Bike that was lying on its side for a repair, and enjoyed scooting around on the battery-assisted Quadribent. After the test rides, we rode the Cab-Bikes and the Alleweders on the bike path around Lake Harriet, a distance about four and a half kilometers or just under three miles. Crowd reaction was enthusiastic, although many of the locals are used to one or two Cab-Bikes.
Interested riders then tried the two types of velomobile for a hilly ride to a near-by motel where David and his wife were staying. We agreed that both the Cab-Bike and the Alleweder (Flevobike and Alligt versions) are not as easy to ride uphill as on the flat, but nobody had to get out and push.
