Marcel Graber Trans Am Bike Race 2018 Velomobile

I hunt down the leader of the Trans Am as they pass nearby in Eddyville Illinois on their way to the Cave in Rock ferry. Marcel is riding a Velomobile and it's my first time seeing one in person.

[Pushyhog]

thanks for vid mister, its great! #velotilt

[MewFushisDad]

One thing we have to remember is that Marcel Graber caught and passed Peter Anderson on the second to the last climb in the Rockies during TABR late in the day. They both stayed at the same inn that night around 1, 000 from the top of that mountain pass. Peter took off early the next morning and got a 50 mile head start over Marcel before he got started. Starting an hour and a half after Peter, Marcel climbed that 1, 000' and then descended 2, 000' into the next Valley. From there it was a 4, 500' climb to the last mountain pass at 11.500' of elevation. Chasing Peter for 200 miles, Marcel caught and passed Peter on that last climb. Marcel was only going 4 to 5 mph at the top of that climb when he crossed over that last pass 5 miles ahead of Peter. Marcel then rode the next 97 mile, 6, 000' descent in an hour and a half.

[garyking]

"Magnus." Ha. Marcel has a groupie!

[casualguy]

I worked as a sport fisherman in Hawaii catching huge marlin as you can see in my profile pic, so I understand very well about "the one that got away". I'm pretty fast for my age on a road bike, recumbents are even faster, faired recumbents are even faster than regular recumbents, but velomobiles leave both of those in the dust.

[poe]

10/10 points for trying! Thanks for the vid.

[Freyfrank]

The two velomobilists in the TransAm went for models that are on the "cramped" side for their body size because are in a race. There are various models available that are more spacious yet still range in the spectrum between "very fast" and "quite fast" despite that bit more frontal area. Search terms: Df Xl, Milan GT, Quest, possibly Hilgo. If anyone is tall and interested.

[damrunner]

Good work finding him! Thanks for the video.

[Kraeuterbutter]

hello Matt,
thank you for sharing this video!
(iam a velomobil-driver for myself (check out my youtube channel) and following the Trans Am Bike-Race on my computer from Austria)
yes: flat, downhill or facing some headwind: there is no way a racebike can keep up with an VM then...
for example: Marcel was doing 123km/h (thats 74mph) on one of the first days in the Race going downhill...

your thougts about heat: i think thats overrated: yes, it can get hot in the sun (very hot), when the canopy is closed and you are standing still, waiting for a red light on an intersection
but as long as you are driving (an not only 4mph uphill), there is very good ventilation and the benefit not getting direct sunlight to your skin or clothes is higher, because you are shielded

when driving open (canopy inside the velomobil behind the seat) like Marcel does it, when you follow him with your racebike, heat is not a problem at all..

[Adam_Lazor]

But that's not a bike... and it's a bike race? Really interesting and absolutely amazing but it's a Bi-ke race?

[dodden]

Hi,
I am familiar with that hill, saw it during the 2017 total eclipse. The velo could easily hit 55 to 60 mph down it. Its much steeper than it looks on the video.

[rwalex]

Don't feel bad if you couldn't keep up with Marcel. Marcel is cycling in a racing velomobile. I have a WAW velomobile and cannot match the speeds Marcel is doing for very long.

[GregCantori]

Great near catch and really funny to boot!

[TheVelomobileChannel]

Hah 😂 Velomobiles are fast. Too bad you couldn’t keep up with him any longer.
Marcel’s Alpha7 is very light and fast velomobile. Much lighter and faster than my Quest velomobile. So I think that even I couldn’t keep up with him with my velomobile.

[johnspooner]

Of course you had to work to catch him. It's like a man wearing a parachute chasing a dolphin. If dolphins could move on dry land...

[shawnbikes]

That was a very neat and FUNNY video LOL

[stevezodiac]

I averaged 27.4 mph on a 25 mile TT and used to go down a moderate slope within the TT (not a steep hill ) at 43 mph on a time trial bike, if you were a well trained athlete, you could have passed him easily going up the hill because of power to weight ratio, below 10 mph he has no advantage and is in fact disadvantaged and power to weight is the important factor, above 10 mph streamlining is the key as most of the power is used to push air aside.