The Villages Daily Sun

THE VILLAGES — October turned out to be an exciting month for Villager Joe Pfeifer.

He traveled to Battle Mountain, Nev., to help with the weeklong International Human Powered Vehicle Competition to find the world’s fastest bicyclist. While there, he was a crew member for Damjan Zabovnik, a Slovenian who holds the European title. At the competition, Zabovnik, who was riding a recumbent bicycle, set a new European record of 75 mph.

“Most of it was helping him get started by taping him up,” said the Village of Woodbury resident, “but some of it was coaching to keep him focused on the positive.”

Joe Pfeifer and his wife Martha have been riding recumbent bikes for more than 10 years. They formerly rode diamond-frame bikes, the recumbent bike’s more conventional cousin, but they feel their bicycle of choice has more advantages.

“We went to Ohio to ride on the trails and came across these recumbent bikes,” Joe said. “We rented one for a day, Martha rode out 25 miles, I rode back, and we were sold.

“They are more comfortable, safer and more fun for us,” he said. “We really enjoy the ride when we get out on a recumbent bike.”

He said if you are properly seated on a diamond-frame bike, you are in a forward position and your feet are not touching the ground.

“If you brake in an emergency, and not hit anything, you are going to go over the top of the bike,” he said. “Then you hit your head, face, and you can break your shoulders or collarbone.”

On a conventional bike, the couple, who are distance riders, could ride only about 30 miles before they had too much pain in their necks, arms and hands.

However, on the recumbent bicycle, they can ride longer and faster because they are sitting as if they are on a motorcycle or driving a car.

“Your field of vision is better,” Joe said. “It’s a different kind of ride.”

Joe said when he once fell sideways off the recumbent bike, it was his seat that protected him. When the rider falls, it is a shorter distance to the ground, he said.

“I was just fine,” he said. “I just got up and washed myself off and got back on it again.”

The couple now has three recumbent bikes, including a Bike-E Tandem, a two-seater. They rode the tandem bike down the East Coast from Georgia to the Florida Space Coast, and have also taken it to Hawaii to do a circle ride around the Big Island.

“The very best is the fact that I feel good on the bike,” Martha said. “When you’re riding a recumbent, you can actually enjoy the scenery. It’s just total fun.”

She said the rider’s center of gravity is really far back.

“When you stop, and you put your feet down, you have a seat,” she said. “It’s so much more comfortable.”

Next month they are planning to compete in the Senior Games in Fort Myers to ride in the cycling games. Joe said he was instrumental in getting a separate division for the recumbent bicycles for the 5K and 10K races.

The couple encourages more people to ride recumbent bicycles.

“Most people should ride them for the pure safety of it,” Martha said.

Azia Li Forrest is a reporter with the Daily Sun. She can be reached at 753-1119, ext. 9069, or azia.forrest@thevillagesmedia.com.