That thing is about a 'racy' as a velomobile can possibly be. Small, 18kg, a bit of suspension and an expected price of €12.000 It couldn't be my only velomobile, my Mango is way more practical, comfortable and so on, but my god it's pretty. And ludicrously fast too.
At some point in time the moment came to ride to the small town of Rütenbrock, three kilometres from the campsite. With almost an hour to go, the start/finish area already was boiling with activities. I did the usual pre-race things with my Mango (transponder, number, remove pump and battery etc.) and met 3 other Mangoteers. David, H@rry and Wilfred would also give it a go at this fun track. Besides us four there where 52 other participants. I took the time to explore the track. The first lap I road slowly, looking for edges and bumps. The second lap was done at a slightly higher pace. All that data was stored in my memory and used during the fast lap.
All 56 started with an individual lap. Mine went pretty well. In fact, it went well enough for a 9th place. An average speed of 40.7kph. Fastest Mango and not far away from number eight.
I ended in 10th position, closely behind the blue and the yellow Quest. My average speed was slightly higher than 3 years ago when I raced the Fuego. I'm stronger now, so on a track like this, a 3-wheeled, (considered a disadvantage) Mango isn't much slower than my favourite 2-wheeled semi low racer.
After the racing I treated myself with fries and ice cream. The barbecue in yard of the Bentlages was, like always, a good one. I heard up a funny question. Well known rider A asked well known rider B if he races more often. Rider B being a former world record holder...
All the racing and eating had made me sleepy. I went to my tent for an hour of sleep. After that, the evening went on 'till after midnight. The next morning I had another good breakfast, and a puncture too. I didn't trust the rim tape anymore, so I added a layer of strong tape. Than it was time to say goodbye and head home.
You'll find the 22 photo's I made here. And here's the video I made:
Peter, excellent write-up as usual. I noticed that you and David have partially enclosed the top of your wheel wells. Can you tell us about this?
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@Greg
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It's an experimental aerodynamic thing, cut from the material removed to make foot holes.
It's simply attached with tape. They don't seem to affect the turning radius.
H@rry gave a pair to me just before the races started.
Peter