"Pioneering" Ground Hugger recumbent has new owner

 By Mike Eliasohn

Update to this article, originally posted Aug. 25, 2025: Jody had the Ground Hugger at the Monroe Bicycle Show, Swap Meet and Auction April 26, 2026. His goal was to go home without it and thanks to a "Free to a good home" sign on the bike, that happened.  Neither Jody or the author were nearby when someone took the bike. If that person, or someone who knows him, reads this, please contact me (mikethebike2325@comcast.net.) I would like to post an update after the bike is (hopefully) restored. With Jody no longer owning the bike, some updates were made to the original version of this article.

For recumbent enthusiasts "of a certain age" who have been "enthused" for a long time, there's a good chance their first exposure to reclining bikes was when they read an article in the April 1969 issue of Popular Mechanics, "For a really wild bike ride, Build PM's Ground Hugger." The authors were Robert Q. Riley and David Carey.

(Image is less than perfect because a less-than-perfect photocopy of original article was scanned.)

Some time after the article ran, Riley started selling construction plans. 

I (Mike E.) wrote an article (below) that ran in the October 1977 issue of Bicycling magazine about two Michigan men who built their own recumbent bicycles. One of them was Bill Jansen, then 21, who lived near LaSalle in Monroe County. While in high school, he built a Ground Hugger like the one described in the PM article.

Then on Aug. 23, 2025, I was scanning through the Facebook Marketplace ads for east and southeast Michigan and saw a listing for "vintage custom bicycle." It was a Ground Hugger and the seller lives in Carleton, also in Monroe County.

I immediately wondered if it was the same Ground Hugger that Bill Jansen built several decades ago. I sent a message via the Facebook ad to the seller, Jody Peterson. I included my phone number and the next morning, he called me.

He was not the builder.  Jody told me he spotted the bike hanging on the wall in a barn on the west side of Carleton, while there doing a vehicle glass repair. (He works for Safelite.) The would-be seller told him he bought it at a barn sale locally, and had no history of the bike, as to the builder or when it was built. "Whomever built it did a good job," Jody said.

Ultimately, that person gave the bike to him. But Jody, who collects muscle / banana seat bikes, didn't have space to properly store the Ground Hugger. And he was too big physically to ride it, so it didn't make sense for him to restore it.

But since he wanted the Ground Hugger to be preserved, he was willing to give the bike to someone who would do that and restore the bike, even if used for display.  

The original Ground Hugger plan prescribed use of a socket wrench universal joint, which some (all?) builders have found gives too much play in the steering. Jody said this one has a "lot of slop"  in the steering. To avoid that problem, some builders used a high-quality universal joint. Bill Jansen used another alternative, described in the Bicycling article below.

Bill's alternative cable and pulley steering makes it unlikely that his Ground Hugger is the one now owned by Jody. Another difference is that Bill's bike used the original design seat, which looks like a vertical banana seat (made by spraying urethane foam into a plywood mold) unlike the one on Jody's, presumably made from two boards.

The frame of the original version was made from steel tubing. Riley later also had plans available for the Ground Hugger XR2, a similar layout, but with the frame created from carbon fiber.

Robert Q. Riley Enterprises was perhaps better known for the instruction plans it sold for various 3-wheel automobiles.  He died in May 2021. The company presumably no longer exists, since its website has disappeared. A Facebook page is still up, but appears out of date.

But do some internet exploring and you find lots of information about the Ground Hugger, including an entry with lots of photos on onlinebicyclemuseum.co.uk.

Freak for All: A weird bike gathering in Detroit

 

This church pew converted into a cycle (a HPP / human powered pew?)  is powered and steered by the riders on the ends. To turn left, for instance, the rider on the right continues pedaling, while the rider on the left slows or stops pedaling. (Mike E. photo)

By Mike Eliasohn and Charles Brown

Mike E.: To some people, a bicycle is an appliance – something to ride for pleasure or to get to some place, and for some,  their only means of transportation, other than walking or the bus.

But others find pleasure in the bicycle itself. Maybe it's a collectible, perhaps a 1950s cruiser  or a banana seat bike like they rode as a kid.

But at the first "Freak for All" on Saturday, July 5, in Detroit, the pleasure was in seeing the various pedal-powered creations – many and perhaps most built by their owners – and in riding them.  That is, freak bikers were encouraged to bring their bikes for members of the public to ride. 

And ride them they did. Within the courtyard at Lincoln Street Art Park, despite the temperature being in the 90s, there was a constant circling of all kinds of pedal-powered vehicles, and smiles aplenty.

The event was organized by Detroit Freakbike Experience (www.freak.bike), which organizes rides and other events in the Motor City for the freak bike community.  It took place in the remains of an auto manufacturing complex, dating to 1910, originally for the Warren Motor Car Co., then by the Lincoln Motor Co., before it was purchased by Henry Ford.

The test ride area looked like it once was a factory floor, with the overhead beams once supporting a roof.  The temperature was in the 90s, but the walls provided some shade. Adjacent to the courtyard was an indoor area, where some bikes were parked, apparently for display, and food and beverages were sold.

The organizers informed me they are planning a second "Freak for All" in 2026, with no date set yet.  When a date is set, it obviously will be announced on the website and on Instagram @detroitfreakbike

Here's Charles on / in what is called a dicycle, steered by differential braking, according to Charles.

Charles B.:  My friend Mike Eliasohn said he was coming to see the ‘FreakBike’ show in downtown Detroit.  I said I’d meet him there, and he suggested I bring a couple of recumbents.  

Now I develop recumbents because they are faster, safer, and more comfortable than regular bicycles. 

Lots of builders at the meet seem to have gone in the opposite direction.  I saw three bicycles rigged so that turning the handlebars in one direction turned the front wheel the opposite way.  The only possible reason someone would do this is to make the bike more challenging to ride.

There were several bikes where the front end wasn’t rigidly connected to the back.  Tall bikes were popular, with the riding position several feet higher than normal.   Construction quality ranged from atrocious to labors of love.

My bikes sit largely neglected. (To the left of Charles' two homebuilt recumbents is most of what could be a rat rod BMX bike, plus parts, that Mike E. was offering for free.  No takers.) (Charles B. photo)

A "conventional" tall bike. But with the seat tubes of the two frames in line, the rider sits very far back. If jerking back on the handlebars, or going up even a slight hill, unless the rider quickly leans forward, he could fall over backwards – or sideways. (Mike E. photo)

A tandem tall bike. I didn't see the two riders climb on and start moving; it would have been interesting.  (Mike E. photo)

There are  tall bikes and skyscraper tall bikes.  There obviously were not for the public to try to ride. They were not ridden during the 90 minutes I was at the Freak for All, which ran from 3 - 9 p.m. I (Mike E.) feft about 4:30.  (Charles B. photo)

At first glance, this looks like an old and cheap 10-speed, It was, but look closer. Now it's front-wheel-drive with the rear wheel doing the steering and the rider facing what was the rear of the bike.  A tie rod links the relocated handlebars to what was the front wheel. (Mike E. photo)

I think this is classified as a burrito bike – long and low.  It obviously defies all the rules about steering geometry (trail, rake, etc.), but presumably is still rideable, at least by the builder. 

Here's the bike parked behind the burrito bike – obviously intended for pedaling over farm fields, or maybe it's supposed to float.  The one person I (Mike E.) saw attempt to ride it was unsuccessful.  (Charles B. photo)

A prone bike, though presumably not designed for speed.  (Charles B. photo)

A really FAT tire bike, built by Ronnie "Danger" Whitt of Fowlerville.  He has his own Facebook page, Scrapyard Productions, which is mostly devoted to his weird motor vehicles.

This appears to be a professionally-built stretch cruiser.

Add a covering at the top and you have a tricycle that provides its own shade.  (Mike E. photo)

A pedal-powered monster.  Its legs are attached to the wheels, so move up and down. (Mike E. photo)

To see what these bikes, and others, look like when being pedaled, lots of videos can be seen on YouTube and other places.  TYPE "DETROIT FREAK FOR ALL" AND YOU SHOULD FIND THEM.

Steve Robson's recumbent construction guide, now available here in PDF format

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Steve Robson was very active in HPV building and the Michigan Human Powered Vehicle Association, including a stint as vice president, even though he lived in Glencoe, Ontario, Canada.

He also wrote and published two books about HPVs, including making all the drawings.

Steve went on to other interests, but occasionally still received inquiries from people who wanted to build a recumbent. He would send them the text and some drawings.

To make it easier for anyone to access his "The Home Builders Guide to Constructing a Recumbent Bicycle," he sent me (Mike Eliasohn) the text and some illustrations. I did some editing and added some photos. Then Paul Bruneau, who fixes all the technological problems with this blog, re-formatted it into a pdf document available right here.

Remember, this book dates to 1998 / 2001, so some sources and references may be out of date, out of business or no longer available.  And one big change in bicycle technology since then is now common use of disk brakes on manufactured bikes, which may be a factor in choosing which bikes to cut up to rebuild into a recumbent.

And, if you are interested in building your own recumbent, scroll down to Mike's article on this blog, "Building a recumbent cycle from plans," dated Jan. 17, 2024, to lots more information and sources. There's also a link there to Steve's book.

40th annual Michigan HPV Rally report

 The most ever velomobiles at the Michigan rally, and their owners. From left, Charles - Antoine Daignault, Laval, Quebec, VT 1; Jonathan Walters, Cincinnati, Bulk; Jonathan Minuci, Louisville, Ky., Quatro Velo 4-wheeler; Pedal Prix trike; Jane Hunn, North Manchester, Ind., motorized Quest;  Dave Johnson, Olivet, Quest; Jeff Hunn, Quest; Ray Mickevicius, Wasaga Beach, Ontario, owner of the green and blue Pedal Prix trikes; and Paul Pancella, Kalamazoo, motorized Quest.  (Mike Eliasohn photo)

COMPLETE RESULTS, VIDEOS AND MORE PHOTOS CAN BE SEEN on the HPRA: Human Powered Race America Facebook page. For results only, click on:

• Waterford 2025…Final.pdf (1.9 MB)
• Waterford 2025…Results Map.jpg (1.2 MB)

• If you see any errors or omissions or have questions, please email the author at mikethebike2325@comcast.net

By Mike Eliasohn

The 40th annual Michigan Human Powered Vehicle Rally June 7-8, 2025, at the Waterford Hills sports car racing track in Clarkston saw the best turnout in years, and possibly the most widespread geographically.

There were about 40 racers, plus other participants. The record is 50 in 2001.

And thank you Canada.  The University of Toronto HPV Design Team was there with 21 students (not all raced), three student-built streamliners and five unfaired vehicles (three team-owned and two owned by students). This was the 13th year (not all consecutive) the U-T has been at our event.

Five young men and their three HPVs came from Montreal, Quebec, about 1,000 km / 621 miles, bringing one velomobile and two recumbent bicycles.

And Ray Mickevicius and his wife came from north of Toronto with two fully-faired Pedal Prix tricycles and one unfaired. The trikes were very popular for test rides.

On this side of the border, people came from Michigan (of course), Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana,  Ohio, Kentucky, Florida, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. (Apologies if I missed any states.)

The University of Toronto HPV Design Team came with 21 students (the most ever), three student-built streamliners and five unfaired vehicles (three team and two student-owned). This was the 13th year the U of T team was at the rally.  (Mike E. photo)

Here's the top three from each class:

Stock (29 riders / 26 vehicles) – tie: 1) Jonathan Walters, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1) Thom Ollinger, West Milton, Ohio, 3) Daryl Hanger, Mooresville, Ind., NoCom Velocraft.

The top three in the stock class were, from left, Jonathan Walters, 1st; Thom Ollinger, 2nd; and Daryl Hanger, 3rd, likely shown here in Sunday morning's 20-lap road race. (Photo by Hannah Dempster, U of T.)

Streetliner (5 riders) – 1) Jonathan Walters, 2) Ray Mickevicius, Wasaga Beach, Ontario, 3) 3) Jonathan Minuci, Louisville, Ky.

Dennis Grelk, as he usually does, won the streamliner class in his Warren Beauchamp-built Cuda W streamliner.  (Daryl Hanger photo)

Streamliner (16 riders / 6 vehicles) – 1) Dennis Grelk, Donnellson, Iowa, 2) John Simon, Portland, 3) Tony Levand, Lemont, Ill.

Joe Pixley of Springfield, Va., on his GreenSpeed Aero, won the tricycle class over two other competitors. (Steve Webber photo)

Tricycles (3 riders / vehicles) – 1) Joe Pixley, Springfield, Va., 2) Eric Penn, Detroit, 3) ?.

E-assist (2 riders / vehicles) – 1) Jane Hunn, North Manchester, Ind., 2) Paul Pancella, Kalamazoo.

Women (3 riders / 2 vehicles) – 1) Kai Zabitsky, University of Toronto, 2) Erin Price, U-T, 3) Katherine Elder, U-T.

Jonathan Minuci of Louisville, Ky., gets paid by a local law firm to display the advertising on the sides of his QuattroVelo 4-wheeler.  (But what if the driver was distracted by his QuattroVelo?) He finished third in the streetliner class. (Mike E. photo)

Following are the top two in each class in each event.

Saturday

One-hour: Streamliner – 1) Dennis Grelk, 24 laps, average speed 33.9 mph, 2) John Simony, 22 laps, 31.1 mph.

Streetliner – 1) Jonathan Walters, 21 laps, 29.4 mph, 2) Ray Michevicius, 19 laps, 25.5 mph.

Stock – 1) Robert Lloyd, Whitmore Lake, 19 laps, 26.9 mph, 2) Larry Oslund, Hilton Head,  S.C., 19 laps, 26.7 mph.

E-assist – 1) Jane Hunn, 18 laps, 25.3 mph, 2) Paul Pancella, 18 laps, 25.1 mph.

Tricycle – 1) Joe Pixley, 16 laps, 22.3 mph, 2) Larry Seidman, 14 laps, 18.6 mph.

Ray Mickevvicius and his wife of Wasaga Beach, Ontario, brought two Pedal Prix trikes (he raced the blue one) and one minus the fairing.  He's planning his first Pedal Prix races in Canada late this summer.  (Mike E. photos)

Hill climb: Stock – 1) Ethan Elbaz, U-T, 19.651 seconds, 20.8 mph, 2) Jonathan Walters, 20.655, 19.8 mph. Streamliner – 1) Thomas Bergeron, Granby, Quebec, 20.211 seconds, 20.2 mph, 2) Bryce Warren, U-T, , 25.766 seconds, 15.9 mph. Streetliner – 1) Jonathan Walters, 20.4 seconds, 20.1 mph, 2) Dave Johnson, 35.2 seconds, 11.6 mph. E-assist – 1) Jane Hunn, 36.8 seconds, 11.1 mph, 2) none.  Women – 1) Katherine Elder, 36 seconds, 11.4 mph, 2) Kai Zabitsky, 26.1 seconds, 15.7 mph. Tricycle – Joe Pixley, 25.758 seconds, 25.5 mph, 2) Eric Penn, 34.375 seconds,19.153 mph.

Tony Levand created an interesting front steering setup to avoid having a conventional head tube sticking up.  (Daryl Hanger photo) 

For more about Tony's creation, go to hhttp://recumbents.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14142

Coast down (when riders get to the top of the hill in the hill climb, they stop pedaling, coast as far as they can go, then mark where they stopped with chalk on the pavement. Distance is not measured) : Streamliner – 1) Dennis Grelk, 2) John Simon. Streetliner – 1) Jonathan Walters, 2) Jeff Hunn.  Stock – 1) Dennis Grelk, 2) Ron Wyatt, Pittsburgh, Pa. E-assist – 1) Jane Hunn, 2) none. Tricycle – 1) Joe Pixley, 2) Eric Penn.  Women – 1) Kai Zabitsky, 2) Erin Price.

The standing start kilometer event, scheduled last on Saturday, was cancelled because we were running late.

Coming all the way from Quebec, about 1,000 kilometers, were (from left) Timothee Marye , Victor Chabot, Thomas Bergeron, Olivier Mangeau and Charles-Antoine Daignault. Timothee is from France, studying construction engineering at a university in Montreal. All and their HPVs came in Victor's four-door pickup truck. (Mike E. photos)

Charles-Antoine Daignault in his VT 1 waiting to start the hill climb. He and Thomas Bergeron worked for the maker, Velomtek, which closed in May, after having been in business since 2019. As of mid-June, its website was still up – www.velomtek.com.

At first glance, it might look like University of Toronto team members came up with a way to quickly get the rider out of their streamliner, but it appears a front wheel problem is being fixed.  (Photo by Hannah Dempster, U of T)

Sunday

Flying start 200-foot sprints: Streamliner – 1) Dennis Grelk, 43.4 mph, 2) Tempest, 43.3 mph.  Streetliner – 1) Jonathan Walters, 44.8 mph, 2) Ray Mickevicius, 39.5 mph. Stock – 1) Dennis Grelk, 40.2 mph, 2) Thom Ollinger, 39.6 mph. E-assist – 1) Jane Hunn, 33.7 mph, 2) Paul Pancella, 33.0 mph.  Tricycle – 1) Joe Pixley, 31.8 mph, 2) none.  Women - none.

Lap races – Preceding each race was a one-lap ride of silence to remember Bill Frey and David "Doc" Pearson,

25 laps (15.6 miles:  Streamliners – 1) John Simon, 25 laps, 27.1 mph, 2) Tony Levand, 20 laps, 21.2 mph. Dennis Grelk dropped out after 8 laps because his chain derailed.  Streetliners – 1) Jonathan Walters, 24 laps, 25.1 mph, 2) Ray Mickevicius, 24 laps, 24.0 mph.  E-assist – 1) Paul Pancella, 22 laps, 23.1 mph.

20 laps (12.5 miles): Stock – 1) Jonathan Walters, 20 laps, 24.8 mph, 2) Thom Ollinger, 20 laps, 24.8 mph.Tricycle – 1) Joe Pixley, 18 laps, 22.1 mph.  Women – 1) Erin Price.

In addition to competing in the rally, Mike Mowett was co-organizer, did the course set-up, posted his photos online and was key person working on the results. Here's his brief summary of the weekend (slightly edited by co-organizer Mike E.:  "Well as usual, we  managed to 'pull it off,' make the weekend a success. So many people helped, like Dan Glatch, Tony Levand, John Simon, Terry Gerweck, just to name a few. And of course Dennis Grelk on transponders and registration and Robert Lloyd with results, trying to crunch everything on the GoogleSheets program he set up." (photo by Hannah Dempster, U of T)

In 1982, Mike Eliasohn (left) and Terry Gerweck organized a gathering of fellow recumbent cycle owners the evening before the River Raisin Tour in the Monroe area.  That led to creation of what became the Michigan HPV Rally. See article below, "40 years + of HPV Racing in Michigan."  At the 40th annual, they are standing behind Terry's Tour Easy. (Steve Webber photo)

For Dennis Grelk, it's about a 530-mile drive from Donnellson, Iowa, to Clarkston – and then doing the reverse. Imagine how many "what the ?" reactions there must have been from passing or following motorists on his way to the rally and return. No. 421 is his stock class bike; the other is his streamliner.  (Mike E. photo)

Charles Brown at the 2025 Michigan HPV Rally

Three views of Charles Brown at the 40th annual Michigan Human Powered Vehicle Rally.

                                        

Charles gets underway at the start of the hill climb on Saturday.   (Race photos by Mike Eliasohn; other photos by Charles.)

Mike Eliasohn has invited me to write something for the blog, which is kind of odd because I had the slowest bike at the ‘25 Michigan HPV Rally.

Last year’s bike seemed to be taking things a little too leisurely, so I resolved that this year’s bike should pick up the pace a little. 

I have an artist friend who says, “A painting is never really finished- you just hit a point where you give up on it”, and in that sense, that's what happened with my 2025 racing bike.

The goal for this year was to work on a more aerodynamic rider position.  Indeed, I started out flat on my back, which didn’t work. 

The first attempt was a front-wheel-drive monster, whose steering proved so intractable it was aborted after a few test rides.

Charles’ attempt at a front-wheel-drive. 

   

Then this spring I tried again, with a rear-wheel-drive design (above),

I don’t think I’ve ever built a bike that had more teething problems.  I’ve chopped up and rebuilt this thing a number of times.  Even so, on what I euphemistically term my “training rides” along local side streets, hills were surmounted with a mighty tugging on the handlebars – not very efficient, and its progress down said streets can best be described as “stately”.

Prior to the rally, I could  only hope my rolling track obstruction trundled along a little better than last year.  I’ve been able to learn a lot about rider position, although more about what doesn’t work than what does!

To this end, I designed it with the rider (me) completely flat on my back for minimum air drag.  My torso was secured in place by an extreme lumbar support, a belt to strap me in, shoulder hooks, and (planned) clipless pedals.

Test rides proved disappointing, and constant butchering and rebuilding continued up to race day.  At least I learned some new things.

It was great to see old friends at the rally, even Jay Hoover, who I used to bike with in Florida!

The innovation award goes to a guy from Canada (Ray Mickevicius of Wasaga Beach, Ontario) who brought two Pedal Prix racers, designed in Australia.  These are the smallest faired tricycles I have ever seen.  Instead of the rider’s head sticking up in a bubble, the rider lies very, very flat, with no head bulge.  There’s a row of windows around the craft so you can see out.  

He was generously letting a long queue of people ride them.  Visibility seemed okay.  It’s a bit of a greenhouse, even with the opaque top, but you could use infared blocking window film, and the windows could be smaller.

I’d rather use a velomobile for commuting, but this design has the potential to beat them on the track.

John Simon and I realized we both started coming to Waterford in 1987.  He had a bit of a slump the last few years, but he was kicking ass and taking names this weekend.  He said the only change he made to his Moby streamliner was to install Vittoria ‘graphene’ tires.  I looked it up on ‘www.bicyclerollingresistance.com’ and ‘Vittoria Corsa Pro Speed TLR 28’ had the lowest rolling resistance of anything on the list.  He might be on to something.

Back to my bike, in my own testing, I found the best steering with narrow handlebars at 0-6 inches of “tiller” (the distance from handlebars to the steering axis) and a little more with wider bars.  In contrast, Dennis Grelk prefers 1 to 1-1/2 feet, and feels uncomfortable with anything less!  Why the discrepancy?

It would be neat to have a way of testing rider power at the races.

In 1986, I was riding a long-wheelbase low racer in traffic when I almost became a much lower racer.  

Since then, I’ve built my bikes with the rider’s head high enough to see and be seen in traffic.  This creates more air drag than low racers, and I can’t compete.  I’d like it if those building practical vehicles could put an ‘R’ after their vehicle number, for "roadworthy."  After the races, we could compare and see how we did against the other real world vehicles.

I’d like to see more development of partial fairings.  If it doesn’t make it hard to get on and off the bike or get knocked around by the wind, why not? 

There was a time when upright riders thought we were cheating.  It’s not cheating, it’s using our mind as well as our bodies!

Testing to see how hard I could press the scale with my seat at different angles.  I learned that static tests do not correlate well with power when pedaling.

Here's Ray Ray Mickevicius' two Pedal Prix tricycles.  He raced the blue one.

40 + years of HPV racing in Michigan

Information about 40th annual Michigan HPV Rally is below,  dated Feb. 7.

By Mike Eliasohn 

June 7-8, 2025, will be (or was, depending on when you read this) the 40th annual Michigan Human Powered Vehicle Rally, but HPV racing / gatherings in Michigan go back more than 40 years.

It started on July 11, 1982, when Monroe County Cycling conducted its first annual River Raisin Tour.  The author of this article, then living in Cass City, and Terry Gerweck of Monroe, who was one of the organizers of the RRT, had both built recumbent bicycles, so decided to invite other recumbent riders.  (I had previously lived in Monroe, where Terry and I bonded over a mutual interest in non-usual bicycles.)

The result was six recumbent riders participating in the RRT that day, riding 31 or 62 miles. Terry on his Dragonwind, the second recumbent he built; Mike on his first homebuilt; Doug Kelly of Farmington on his homebuilt Tiara; and three riders on production Avatars (long wheelbase with under-seat steering), Reuben Chapman of Ann Arbor; Bob Cook of Lapeer; and Don Beacher of Toledo.

Participating in the Monroe area River Raisin Tour July 11, 1982, were, from left, Bob Cook, Don Beecher and Reuben Chapman (hidden), all on production Avatars; Doug Kelly, homebuilt Tiara (prototype for what was intended to become a production bike), and Mike Eliasohn, homebuilt.  The sixth recumbent rider was Terry Gerweck, who presumably took the photo.

Here's Terry Gerweck on Dragonwind, the second recumbent he built, prior to (or maybe after?) the River Raisin Tour in 1982.  He was one of six recumbent riders at the event. 

The first gathering inspired Terry and Mike to organize the first Midwest HPV Rally on July 9, 1983, the evening before the second RRT.  The rally was held in the Monroe County Community College parking lot, where Terry set up a maneuverability course.  About 15 HPVs were there. The 23 people attending decided to form a Michigan - western Ohio HPV group, with Terry elected president and Garrie Hill of Granville, Ohio, treasurer. The next morning, nine HPVS (seven of which were at the rally) were ridden in the RRT.

The second Midwest HPV Rally was July 7, 1984, again in the MCCC parking lot and the evening before the RRT. The rally included a 3-mile time trial in the parking lot, won at an average speed of 22.6 mph by Jon Stinson of Plymouth on his homebuilt long wheelbase recumbent with two 27-inch wheels and a small Zzipper fairing. At the meeting following the rally, it was decided to form a chapter of the International Human Powered Vehicle  Association, with Mike E. as president and newsletter editor and Doug Kelly as treasurer.

Jon Stinson on his homebuilt recumbent won the 3-mile time trial in the Monroe County Community College parking lot that was part of the second annual Midwest HPV Rally July 7, 1984. His time was 7 minutes, 58 seconds, for an average speed of 22.6 mph.

There were at least 16 HPVS at the rally, but unlike 1983, not enough riders returned Sunday for a mass start in the RRT. 

The third rally was July 20, 1985, in conjunction with the World Hot Air Balloon Championships in Battle Creek. Others had organized races for regular bicycles at Kellogg Regional Airport, so we organized two 5-mile races for HPVs. Rick Dregne of Kenosha, Wisconsin., won the race for streamliners in Terry Hreno's Moby. In the other, Brian Bartter of Bedford, Ohio,  finished first on his prone position homebuilt two-wheeler, while Bill Frey of Grosse Pointe Farms was first in the semi-faired class on his production Tour Easy with a Super Zzipper fairing.

                                

Brian Bartter of Bedford, Ohio, won the 5-mile race for unfaired vehicles at the third annual Midwest HPV Rally July 20, 1985 in Battle Creek. To get used to the prone position, he rode his homebuilt Super B to work daily. 

Starting in 1986, the rally has been every year at the Waterford Hills sports car racing track on the grounds of the Oakland County Sportsmen's Club in Clarkston, with two exceptions: In September1989, we hosted the 15th annual International Human Powered Speed Championships, with most events at Michigan International Speedway, and about 75 competitors from the U.S., Canada and France. And in July 2009, we conducted the Michigan Human Powered International Speed Challenge at the Ford Motor Co. proving grounds near Romeo, with 54 competitors from the U.S., Canada, the Netherlands, France and Slovenia.

In the early years, before creation of classes (streamliners, unfaired, etc.), trophies were awarded for first, second and third overall.  At the fourth annual rally in August 1986 – the first at Waterford Hills – were, from left, 2nd) Jon Stinson, homebuilt streamliner; Bill Frey; 1st) Byron Adams, Potterville, Cannondale upright bike; and 3rd) Jef Mallet, Grand Rapids, custom built racing bike with Breeze-Eeze fairing manufactured by his father, Gordon Mallet, of Big Rapids.  Results were based on finishing position in five events. Jon and Bill were the rally organizers.

And for those doing the math, the 2020 Michigan HPV Rally was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic. If not for that, the 40th annual rally would have been in 2024.

Through 1999, the Michigan rally was on Saturday only. Starting in 1990, Mark Bannen and others organized on the next day what originally was the Delta College Challenge, then the Saginaw Valley Challenge  on the Saginaw Valley State University campus.  The Michigan rally has been on Saturday and Sunday since 2000.

The top three at the 1987 rally were, from left: 1) Roger Nelson,Dansville, Cannondale; 2) Karl Liskow, Ypsilanti, and 3) Charles Brown, Ann Arbor.  Karl made the main frame for Bad News from 20-gauge sheet steel. Charles' made his frame from pine wood, with fiberglass reinforcement around the head tube and solid fiberglass rear dropouts.

In 1995, we changed the name from Midwest Human Powered Vehicle Rally to Michigan Human Powered Vehicle Rally, likely because other HPV events were springing up in the Midwest. (I don't remember the specific reason.)

The record turnout was 50 entries in 2001, with entries coming from Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Florida and Ontario.

I (Mike E.) am pretty sure I am the only person who has attended all rallies so far, plus the two international events, though I missed Saturday's events in 2012 because of a conflict and one year when the rally was one day, I missed the morning events because of car troubles.

The Michigan Human Powered Vehicle Association, formed in 1984, officially came to an end in 2016 due to a lack of people willing to serve as officers, but there were enough willing to keep running the rally.

Since 2021, I and Mike Mowett have been co-organizers.  Mike M. first competed at the Michigan rally in 1988. In 1996, he was there as part of the Wayne State University HPV team. 

The start of the practical vehicle race at the 1991 rally. Riders had to run across the track to their vehicles while carrying a water-filled balloon, put the balloon in their vehicle, climb aboard (shown here) and ride almost one lap, enter the pits, exit their vehicle, then remount and ride one lap. From left, Jon Stinson, Leonard Brunkalla (in rear), Gaylord Hill, Karl Kugler and Randy Lindley. The other events at the one-day 1991 rally continue today: Sprint (top speed); one-hour time trial, and hill climb / coast down.

Erik Laurin was only 16 when he came from Lake Zurich, Ill., to race his homebuilt streamliner at the 1987 rally. The main component of the frame was a 2-1/4 inch .065 wall chromoly tube. He made the fairing from plastic foam panels, glued and taped together Minus the fairing, weight was 31 pounds.  Erik is now an M.D. and vice chairman for education and a clinical professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of California - Davis.