Velomobile cross country trip kicks off in Portland, Oregon Thursday.

That's not R2D2, it's velomobile, a human-powered tricycle surrounded by a hard-shell fairing, as it rolls along North Vancouver Avenue in Portland Thursday. About 50 of the futuristic-looking, pedal-powered vehicles left Portland about mid-day, the first day of a month-long, 3,000 cross-country trip from Portland to Washington D.C. After leaving the Days Inn Hotel in North Portland, they stopped for 90 minutes at Salmon Springs Fountain at Tom McCall Waterfront Park before heading east on Intersate 84. Half the riders are from Europe, the other half from the U.S. and Canada. Organizers of Roll Over America expect to average about 125 miles a day, with stops in Helena, Montana, Minneapolis, Chicago and Pittsburgh. Velomobiles are becoming increasingly popular in Europe with commuters, and are just starting to catch on in the states.

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Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• velomobile
• roll over america
• roam