Seven Days: Vermont's Independent Voice

They Call Me Mellow Velo

Most Queen City cyclists are familiar with recumbent bikes, where the pedal pusher sits supine. Newer to Vermont? The velomobile, which encloses a recumbent trike in a hard, aerodynamically chic shell to give human-powered, single-passenger transport more protection from weather and collisions. This weekend, 17 velo experts congregate with their vehicles in and around Burlington’s City Hall Park and Oakledge Park to socialize and show off the potential of fossil-fuel-free commuting. (In mountainous landscapes, electric engines assist with long hill climbs.) On Friday night, Bryan Ball, editor of the online magazine ’BentRider, speaks at City Hall Auditorium with UVM Transportation Research Center director Lisa Altman-Hall. The horde moves down Route 7 to Shelburne Farms on a Saturday outing, followed by a bike-trailer-pull contest near the Burlington Bike Path.