Velomobiles stop in Vienna on last day of tour - Update

Today in Vienna an enthusiastic crowd of cyclists and others met members of the velomobile group, Roll Over America, on their last day of a four-week cross-country tour of the U.S. Most of the group were from Europe, primarily Germany and the Netherlands. There were also a few from the U.S. including reps from VelomobileUSA which makes and sells velomobiles in Texas. There were 30 velomobile drivers who stopped for about an hour to enjoy lemonade, cookies and water provided by FABB (thanks to Fionnuala for organizing the event).

It was impressive seeing the colorful collection of velomobiles in one place. The first group rolled in at around 3:45pm and the rest came in over the next hour. The group was on their way to their final stop in the tour in Georgetown.

Velomobiles can be an excellent way to use a pedal-powered vehicle year round. Most of them have an enclosing cover that can be used in foul weather. Some have full suspension, including independent suspension that makes for a comfortable ride (although unfortunately we didn't get a chance to try one out). The vehicle produced by VelomobileUSA costs around $10,500 shipped.

The tour is a great way to show off the technology and get people excited about the prospects of using velomobiles for daily travel. Four of the vehicles were power-assisted, but due to the long distances traveled, and the relatively short battery life, those vehicles were often the last to arrive after having to stop to recharge the batteries. For now pedal power is the way to go for long distance velomobile travel.

As the group was leaving Vienna we took this video that shows all 30 vehicles rolling toward Georgetown on the W&OD Trail.





Update: 8/26/2011:
See a video about the velomobile tour stop in Vienna on Vienna Patch.

Velomobile tour to stop in Vienna today

Roll over America, the velomobile tour of the U.S., will stop in Vienna sometime after 3pm today. FABB plans to greet and provide refreshments for the group as they ride toward the end of their cross-country tour in Georgetown later today. We'll be at the caboose in downtown Vienna adjacent to the W&OD Trail.

The velomobile group started in Portland, Oregon to "showcase the benefits and practicalities of velomobiles for long-distance travel and bring national visibility to the health, fuel-efficient, and environmental value of human-powered vehicles." See their Twitter feed, website, and the Vienna Patch article Velomobile Tour Stops In Vienna On Wednesday

Velomobile ride comes to Northern Virginia

Photo from TBD on Foot

A group of velomobile riders are finishing their ride across America this week and will be passing through Northern Virginia on the W&OD Trail on Wednesday afternoon. The group plans to eat lunch in Paeonian Springs and will likely pass through Reston and Vienna mid afternoon.

Velomobiles are pedal-powered vehicles that are enclosed and can be used in all weather conditions. There are only a few in use today, mostly in Europe. Josef Janning, a former German official, a long time bike commuter, put together the tour. In the TBD article Two dozen velomobiles ride across America to Washington, DC he describes his goals for the tour:

"We in the West have to start doing things in a different way to make room for others to adapt," Janning says in the video.

What does this mean? What Janning gets at is the idea that we have to move away from cars and to bicycles and velomobiles. He talks how he wanted to attract attention to velomobiles and imagined expanding the notion of what bike commuting can mean in the U.S. "Why not take these exotic commuter bikes to the United States and bike across the country?" Janning speculates that there are hardly any velomobiles in the U.S. and sees his trip as a way to raise awareness for what they can do.

We've contacted Josef and plan to meet the riders as they pass on the trail. Watch our Facebook page for more info.