With 77 participants the European Championships Rowingbike of September 19 & 20 2009 were a great succes. It was the young (19 years) and very strong rower Menno van Blitterswijk who set the tone on this great sports weekend.

• Read all about the new champion Menno van Blitterswijk
  
• There is the first part of a Dutch television documentary
  
• And the second part
  
• A nice promotion video in English, based on the 2009 Championships
  
• Pictures of the EC, by Sander Davidse
  
• Pictures of the EC, by Andre Derksen
  
• Pictures by Judith Seijbel
  

You can't think of a better way to use your muscles, than on a Rowingbike. Considering this fact, in 1986 the concept of the Thys Rowingbike was born. By now the Rowingbike has developed into being the ultimate fitness machine, full of well-considered and new technology.

Riding a Thys 222 Rowingbike is the ultimate sport in which you use virtually every muscle in your body. Both your legs and arms are being used for the propulsion of this remarkable bike: while pushing the pedals, you pull the handlebar towards you. This effective way of using your muscles, in combination with superb aerodynamic qualities, makes the Thys 222 Rowingbike a perfect fitness device as well as an efficient means of transportation. Click image to enlarge.

There's also a page with video's.

Theo Homan on the right

Dutch Rowcyclist Theo Homan did it: an unbelievable 7th place in the famous Londen-Edinburgh-Londen cycle race. (LEL). LEL is a timed endurance event (1400 km) and is held once every 4 years. This year's edition had 599 participants out of 34 countries. The start was Sunday July 26th 08.00 hours and the first finished on Wednesday July 25th.

Riding such distances will seem to be quite loony for most readers but for the participants it is real sport. Once you get to know this sport of randonneurs you get admiration for it. They have to train and exercise for years before they are able to ride such extreme distances as LEL. It is an enormous achievement to finish LEL and I have the greatest respect for all participants.
Theo also trained on riding on for days and nights without sleep. On his 78 hour ride he only had 3 hours of sleep in the second night. The first and third night he just went on and on... Theo used a prototype of a new carbon 209 rowingbike.
Rowingbikes, although around for more than 20 years, are not very commonly known over the world. In fact it is a recumbent bike propelled by a rowing movement very similar to rowing a skiff. Interesting detail of the rowingbike is that it does not have a chain: it is propelled by a dyneema cable on a Snek (or Fusee). This unique continuous variable transmission system is more efficient than conventional racing bikes gearing systems that use chains and/or gear hubs. Comparison of achievements between rowingbikes and racing bikes are hard to make. On the flat the rowingbike is perhaps a bit faster as it has less air resistance. In ascending the rowingbike has a serious disadvantage in the discontinuous propulsion. Each stroke is followed by a recovery stroke during which the bike is freewheeling.
The charm and strength of the rowingbike is the grace and all round exercise of the rowing movement. It is a great body work out.
Theo proves the ergonomics excellence of the rowingbike by riding it so long and fast. So you cannot make a straight comparison but the fact that LEL has quite some steep climbs makes it very remarkable that Theo has managed to
reach the top 10 ranking.

Theo Homan, from Almere, the Netherlands, is 49 years young and is active in endurance sport for decades. In his rowing career he soon specialized on long distance racing. He has won several rowing races amongst which a 100km race. Theo was European Champion Rowingbike 2001 and also on the
rowingbike he soon started his specialism on long distance.
In 2003 he was the fastest recumbent bike in the famous Paris-Brest-Paris race (1200 km) on his THYS 240 rowingbike.
Theo was less successful in the 2007 edition: he got ill due to the hazardous whether conditions near Brest and had to abandon the race. Theo got over this disappointment and is back on top now. What a great achievement of this friendly sportsman!
On September 19 & 20 Theo will race again on the Open European Championships Rowingbike held in Zeeland, the Netherlands.

The Rowingbike weeks Crete took place from the end of April till half of May 2009. Take a look at Crete 2007 for more information.

On 6th of June a rowingbiketour will be organised from Klarenbeek, The Netherlands. More info on this link, only in dutch sorry.
rowingbike.com/site/NL/Evenementen/EK-Roeifietsen/

July 3-5 Cycle Vision/ HPV world championship in Tilburg, The Netherlands. More info at:
ligfiets.net/agenda/evenement.php3?id1=2104&soort=&sessie=

The European Championships Rowingbike are scheduled for September 19 & 20 September. As usual, the event will be in Zeeland, Netherlands on and around the famous Oosterscheldekering.

It is possible to make an human powered aircraft propelled by a rowing(bike) movement. On this page you can see the principles of this plunging wing aircraft and some preliminary designs.

Read more...

For seasoned rowers who can't get used to going forward, there's now the rowingbike tandem. Again the stoker can go as fast as possible backwards!

More info? Check out the Models page!

An ideal bike for people with balancing issues. The bike can be customized if needed. Price: about € 4950,-.

More info? Check out the Models page!

Joeri was on his way from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon. On 9 October 2008 he was hit by a van that came from the rear. The driver had not seen him and hit him. Joeri died on the spot. He was 38 years old.
We will miss him enormously.

We are collecting responses to his death on the . Dutch version of this site.
If you want to add a message, mail to .