Final thought

Crossing a country on your own power - it feels like owning it.


He rides and he rides
He sees the bright and hollow sky
He see the stars come out tonight
He sees the city's ripped backsides
He sees the winding ocean drive
And everything was made for you and me
All of it was made for you and me
'cause it just belongs to you and me
So let's take a ride and see what's mine

And then it was all over.

One last ride to get the bikes to the warehouse, where we packed them up und prepared them for shipping.




AS OF NOW, Q305 IS FOR SALE.

Day 29 - 15 km

Total:

5178 km
4 time zones
15 states (OR, WA, ID, MT, ND, SD, MN, WI, IL, IN, OH, PA, MD, VA, DC)
approx. 30.000 hm
approx. 850.000 crank revolutions

Day 28 - 183 km

It's coming to an end. Today we had our de-facto-arrival at Washington DC. 100 nasty km in the Appalachians before we entered the Washington & Old Dominion bike trail which led us smoothly down south. In Vienna, Virginia (nice coincidence) we gathered and did the final 20 km together.



Great trip through Georgetown during rush hour.



We arrived in the hotel in the evening, very exhausted, very happy.

Day 27 - 192 km

You know you're still in Pennsylvania when you need the lowest gear just to get off the campground. Heading south, we went up and down in the Appalachians, collecting 2300 m of elevation on climbs up to 20%. The last campground of this trip was already in Maryland, which translates "almost there".

Day 26 - 150 km

They say "Pennsylvania" would translate as "Penn's woodland", but that is not true. Sylvana was the wife of Penn, and he cursed her one million times when they were biking in this area, because it was all her idea. This story has a tragic ending, and who has ever cycled Pennsylvania, understands why. It involved some items which the timber industry could profit from, after people did finally stop talking about what Penn did to Sylvana. Seriously, it was a hard day again with 2000 m of steep climbs again; but on better roads and with good weather, it was nice to ride. A couple of downhills where I hit 100 km/h helped to keep motivation high.

Lunch stop at Puxsutawney, home of Puxsutawney Phil, the weather forecast icon. To my disappointment, the had no groundhog burger on the menu.



If a groundhog sees a velomobile today, then what?

We also came to Amish communities again.



Reports say an Amish recumbent rider was spotted! Hoping for pics.

We also left some customized ROAM street signs behind:

Day 25 - 196 kk

When I got up at 5:30 and realized that it was raining, I was almost sure this was not going to be an easy day. And it was not. From the beginning, we were in the steep hills of the Alleghennys, which provided a steady up and down; and you could be sure that at the bottom there was a stop sign, a traffic light or an intersection that made you stop and make sure you could not take any speed into the next climb. That way, we collected 2300 m of elevation.



We've done more, we have been riding longer distances, but I found this day was one of the hardest so far. (Of course, it didn't help that we found no breakfast for almost three hours and that my cleats came loose, with replacement parts being at the campground.)

We also had a bike path today, well suited for velomobiles:



But we made it, finally ...

Day 24 - 165 km

day 24-164 km

A short leg again that would bring us into the hillside. Many climbs of 50 - 100 hm that would sum up in the end, and steeper ascents than we had before. Nice riding, though.



Since Chicago, I had problems with my rear suspension: the fixing had broken; the Chicago streets are the worst I've ever seen. potholes in which a three-year-old child could get lost in. With Volkers help, we could fix it, now it's better than ever.

Day 23 - 245 km

Since yesterday, we're on Eastern time. Smooth ride into Ohio terretory. I had the opportunity to test Harrys hood for Quest/Mango today, which looks definately cool:



Darth Benjie, Mad Quest or BSG: Cylon fighter - you decide.

The hood is beautifully made, it has a good fit. Clearance was just enough for me, being 1.83 m, but riding a rather upright position. Harry claims that the finish is particulary hard, so it should not get scratched.

The aerodynamic effects kick in quite early, at approximately about 32.5678 km/h. I found myself coasting a lot at this speed, while my riding mates (all Quests) where pedaling. Now on a good, flat road my cruising speed is normally in the upper thirties; with the hood, I could easily reach and maintain the forties without pushing. That is a big difference, and it increases with higher speed. Another rider estimated that at 50 km/h it would make up for 5 km/h, and I think that's right. So really 10% more speed - whoa!

Are there any downsides? Well, this is real life, so there are.
- Heat: it's warm under the hood. At speed, ventilation is ok, but thinking about being stuck in city traffic or climbing a big hill gives me the creeps.
- You can not go for the "convertible style", cruising with your elbows out. I really missed that after a while.
- Communication with other people is somewhat limited.
- Vision is sufficient for riding, also in traffic, but if you just want to enjoy the view, you're better off without it.

That said, it should be realized that the latter points refer to my personal preferences, while other riders would rather emphazise better weather protection etc. So what remains anyway is that when it comes to speed, Harry's hood really rocks.

Day 22 - 213 km

Total: 4033 km

Riding in a more rural area was a joy. We crossed some towns of the Amish community; not using cars, they are restricted to horses and bicycles. There are also some recumbent riders among them, unfortunately, we did not see any.

It is already our last riding week. Both our bikes and our legs are feeling the hardships of this trip. Both need constant maintainance.

Day 21 - 111 km

Half a restday. In the morning we took our bikes to downtown Chicago - a georgeous ride along the waterfront for about 35 km.



Then we had them lined up at Buckingham Fountain, where we (and a lot of other people) took photos. A couple of Chicago recumbent riders showed up, too.



The rest of the day was city traffic again to take us out of the area and into Indiana. I took a detour and got lost in Southern Chicago; asking for my way at some gas station some big guys with golden necklaces and bracelets acknowledged that my Quest was a "nice li'l Mofo". Now that is also on the book.

Day 20 - 244 km

Total: 3709 km

We left Madison on quiet country roads, which took us a bit into the hillside. Riding was pleasant; smaller farms and a somewhat "european" landscape. It changed completetly in the early afternoon when we approached the Chicago area. Lots of traffic, distressed drivers (some of them obviously called the police to get us off the road) and really bad roads - potholes in which a 4-year old child could get lost. Reaching Evanston, our destination for that day, we deserved some luxury: a hotel instead of a campground, the only time on our trip.

Day 19 - 228 km

Turning more to the south, our route today involved the Sparta-Elroy bike trail, which is a former railroad track; a kind of way that you would usually avoid with a velomobile as it is not paved. We took it, though, as it was nice to be off the highway for half a day and as it provided the possibility to ride through three tunnels, each about 500 m long. Riding in the darkness with water dripping off the walls, uneven and slippery surface and the good acoustics tunnels have this was veeery funny and worth the delay in our schedule.






This day's destination was Madison, another very bike-friendly town where we were meeting local people. Time passed quickly, so we came to the campground rather late and a bit tipsy. Just had the time to take this photo in the sunset.

Day 18 - 225 km

A nice tour along the Mississippi, which becomes a mighty river shortly after the Twin Cities (the mighty river I wanted to see).



We spent the night at the Veterans Memorial campground, kind of a strange site that did not provide much but a good pic:

Day 17 - 95 km

Cruising through Minneapolis and St. Paul on narrow and curvy bike paths, which provided some good city views, but in the end were nit suitable for velomobiles; so it took most of the day.
A significant moment in history was crossing the Mississippi. It means now it's on the book we are in the "East". I was travelling with Harry that day and talked him into posing with his Mango. I'm not sure what would have happened if there had been some wind suddenly ...



Then, in a solemn ceremony, I sacrificed a One Dollar note to the river for the well-being of all sentient beings and velomobiles.

Later that day, in the countryside, we saw a fancy truck on the side of the road. In our constant search for beer and ice-cream, we wanted to check it out and stepped into a wedding - very formal, strict dresscode. Five minutes later, we hade bride and groom sitting in our stinky velomobiles.

Day 16 - 185 km

Total: 2917 km

This day would bring us into the Twin Cities area. Getting back into civilization, we encountered much more traffic than we were used to. Riding mostly on the shoulder of Highway 12, we took it easy and recovered from the long-distance rides of the previous days.

Shortly before we reached our campground, Hasse and I ran into a volleyball school team who were trying to get some funding for the upcoming season and had set up a "car wash" beside the highway. Of course we could not resist and had our velomobiles cleaned by the girls (not without donating, of course).

Day 15 - 251 km

Another long day with a rather dull route - basically a long straight with one cornfield on the left side and one on the right. There was one scenic moment, though, when we were coming from the hillside to the really flat lands of Minnesota.

On the menu: a small coke and a short downhill

Day 14 - 202 km

After yesterday's long ride, a shorter trip was planned for today. But due to a flooding that washed out the highway we had to take a detour on minor country roads, some of them unpaved, deep gravel; slow, bumpy, dusty.


Although the big heat has gone, the land is still dry and the danger of wildfire is high.


We came across three villages today, with 300, 500 and 900 inhabitants. But I ran into two catholic priests at different occasions, one of them a recumbent rider himself. He gave me his blessings, and I left comforted. The day ended at another campground with a little lake, so we could avoid the crowded and exhausted showers.

Day 13 - 270 km

The longest leg of the entire trip. 270 km, mostly flat in the beginning, hilly towards the end, with decent roads so that we could let it roll. Again, we left the campground early and had already eaten up 100 km at the coffee stop at 9:30. Crossing the border to South Dakota, we came into the area of Grand River with steeper hills and nice downhills. Crossing the Missouri River was quite significant; plus we again entered another time zone - central time - which is now 7 hours of difference from home. I came to the campground after 8 hours of riding with an average speed of 34,4 km/h. Very nice scenery and a beautiful lake in the sunset.

Day 12 - 209 km

Leaving Montana, entering North Dakota. Up and down through the hills ...



What could have been an easy ride was complicated by a large road work construction site, so that we had to use gravel and mud roads for a couple of kilometers. The funny thing was: it was fun - you could take it in high speed, which involved some drifting. I hope somebody uploads a video of this section.

Day 11 - Rest day

a/k/a bike maintainance day. I was busy for 8 hours, completely renewed my braking system. Discovered also broken spokes and a lot of other things that required fixing. Short test ride in the evening, everything seems fine now.

Day 10 - 248 km

Total: 1800 km

A scenic leg, mostley in the Yellowstone River valley, on small country roads where you would not see a single soul for hours and hours. No photos cause I ran out of battery. Other riders are constantly taking photographs, so it doesn't matter. This, for example, is Hasse from Denmark, one of my favourite fellow riders.

Day 9 - 153 km

Short ride from Harlowton to Billings, the biggest city in Montana. Took me 4:20 hours. Too short to make photos :-)

Day 8 - 208 km

The last day in the mountains, involving a total elevation of 1500 hm again. We crossed
an incredibly beautiful high plateau under the big skies of Montana. This state has the size of germany and less then one million inhabitants.


Nice downhill ride again with some rolling hills and that nice rollercoaster feeling on a narrow and winding road.

Day 7 - 225 km

Total: 1191 km

An important day: we reached the highest point on our route, McDonalds pass, almost 2000 m.
Great view into the land (Lolo pass was disappointing in this respect, just a turn of the street into the woods and a parking lot), and a great downhill ride. Hell of a downhill ride again. Speed limit would be 65 mph, and well, I was a bit faster than that. Halfway I had to stop to allow the brakes to cool down.




This had been a real challenge. Some riders have been travelling from 6 am to 10 pm.

Day 6 - Rest day

One day off to get our bikes fixed, get stuff and meet the friendly people of Missoula. The local bike club had arranged a Potlach in the park.

Someone had the glorious idea to talk the local therapist school to have their class at our campground, so riders received free massages from students practicing their skills.



Josef, the organizer and tour captain, is busy doing media work; we had coverage in local TV and newspapers in most towns we have met. Links can be found on www.rolloveramerica.eu (sooner or later).

Day 5 - 204 km

Entering the Rocky Mountains. Following the scenic Lochsa River, we climbed over Mt. Lolo Pass. Among cyclists, this route has quite a reputation for its 1200 hm ascent.



People arriving the pass were cheered by the fellow riders, and we had a good number of velomobiles there.


The downhill part was exciting, we made the 50 km to Missoula in less than one hour. Fun.

Day 4 - 170 km

Total: 762 km

A shorter ride up Clearwater River with a few stops to jump in. Most riders took it easy and saved their energy for the mountain days to come.