Greetings from Copenhagen, Denmark!

Greetings! I've been a member of so many recumbent groups, I'm surprised I didn't stumble across you guys earlier! Thanks for letting me join up. I hope to contribute to the general babble on recumbents.

A little about me: Originally from the US (Atlanta-area / Boston-area), I'm a half Canadian/American who escaped from the US to land in Europe in 2000, starting a new chapter of life in Oldenburg, Germany as a freelance website developer. Later on, I moved up to Copenhagen, Denmark with my (now) wife, and worked at first as a rickshaw driver, then as a teacher at a local multimedia/web design college.

But now, when not working on the next generation of web interfaces for water management systems at Crysberg A/S in north-eastern Denmark, I periodically operate a small hobby touring start-up called 'Recumbent Adventure!' for those who really want to cycle tour in comfort both in and around Denmark, Sweden, and Germany. I hope to eventually turn this hobby into a full-time gig as I get closer to retirement.

I also volunteer at the Copenhagen Bicycles rental shop and the Bicycle Innovation Lab Library as a moderately proficient bike mechanic and tour guide and recumbent evangelist. On my off days I've been known to drive my own custom-built recumbent 4-wheel cycle taxi (a marriage between a German AnthroTech trike and Chinese rickshaw - photos later) in the Copenhagen area. I also occasionally play Ultimate Frisbee, or play and train with my poodle, Max. I play a bit of guitar and drums, too. A bit of a music geek and science-technology geek during full moons and months ending with 'r'. Often times you'll see me lurking in the chat room at the Laid-back Bike Report video podcast on YouTube.

System Admin and Web Developer for these websites: Velomobile-Eurotours.org, Leitra.dk (velomobiles), and Copenhagen Bicycles.

Will post photos of all my 'bent rides, as soon as I have permission to do so.

 

Thanks! Usually the entertaining cycle-taxi rides come from Americans who are just venturing beyond their borders and experiencing the rest of the world for the first time. Either they are like wide-eyed children seeing the world for the first time, or closed-minded complainers: "it's too windy" "too many bikes!" "why don't they have a Wendy's here?". All sorts of mis-information and preconceptions I have to clear up about Scandinavians and Germans and the Dutch, or Europe in general. Some seem shocked I would voluntarily emigrate from the US. Others are in dis-belief that socialized medicine works here, and has done so for decades without the collapse of civilization. Even more are in awe at the amount of cycling that goes on..."that would never work in the US!" sort of commentary. I just shake my head and smile and hopefully open their minds a bit.

 

...and put what, exactly, into my signature?

 

Ah right. Well I'm not much for self-promotion, but I'll stick something there eventually.

I guess I was lucky - I was an NPR and PBS snob growing up, so I already had a kind of balanced view of reality of the rest of the world. Plus our family traveled a lot.

 

My 'bent collection: here (redirects the the Pictures section on this website)