On a couple of occasions over the past few weeks, whilst on the way towards Ledbury, I've come up behind a red Velomobile[or something very similar], and to put it mildly, it wasn't hanging about!! My speedo was reading 43mph at one point for goodness sake, and I wasn't catching it up, just cruising along two vehicles behind it. Considering the appalling state of most of the roads in HR6, its progress over the tarmac was impressive to say the least. The two vehicles in front of me were not getting impatient either, and followed it for a couple of miles before waiting for a clear bit of road and cruising past, and I did likewise a little further on, and it was still maintaining 40 'ish mph.
If whoever is pedalling it reads this, I take my hat off to you. I only ride a Brompton these days, so am not, under UCI regulations, allowed to say "Chapeau" to you.
I never realised those things went so fast, but having now checked them out on Youtube, I'm impressed. The only downside I can see is you don't get much of a sun tan, but then you probably don't get any flies in your eyes, stung in the mouth by a wasp after gasping your way to the top a steep bit, OUCH!, or hit on the cheek by a stone flicked up by a passing car. OUCH OUCH!!!
Can you get a fairing for a Brompton.............................
HR6 Velomobile spotted....
Re: HR6 Velomobile spotted....
maybe the owner had an electric motor fitted?
Re: HR6 Velomobile spotted....
I saw it a few weeks ago, about 6:30 one morning, it was coming up to the British Camp from Malvern Wells, the steep bit. I was coming down on my properly upright tricycle.
Re: HR6 Velomobile spotted....
mercalia wrote:maybe the owner had an electric motor fitted?
But that'd be cheating.....
.......in which case I'll throw my hat at it next time I see, never mind raise it !!!
Seriously though, the bodywork/superstructure seemed to have a pedalling hard type wallow to it as it went along, which if it was just human powered you'd expect. It must take some sort of output to hit 40mph, and keep it up, so you're probably right about the motor.
Devious bunch.......
Re: HR6 Velomobile spotted....
I very much doubt there is a motor involved. Going up the steep incline I mentioned it was definitely at a speed best described as "winching it up", certainly no assistance. Going down the slope towards Ledbury I suspect it was on the speed limit for that road, 60 mph. These fully faired machines are rapid (with the right rider) so none of what has been described surprises me at all.
Re: HR6 Velomobile spotted....
tatanab wrote:I very much doubt there is a motor involved. Going up the steep incline I mentioned it was definitely at a speed best described as "winching it up", certainly no assistance. Going down the slope towards Ledbury I suspect it was on the speed limit for that road, 60 mph. These fully faired machines are rapid (with the right rider) so none of what has been described surprises me at all.
......in that case I'm mightily impressed, and looking forward to hopefully [being able to] catch up with it again.
I know the roads you mention, and 60mph on the downhill towards Ledbury is more than I'm happy to do in the car.
6 inches off the ground, probably clad in lycra, and a bumpy-bouncy surface, and then throw in that amazing turn of speed, well, to pot with the UCI,
CHAPEAU.... that is one brave person.