Photos from Arnold Ligtvoet (Free to us, provided the photographer’s name is credit)

Photos from Marten Drenth (Free to us, provided the photographer’s name is credit)

More photos klaus liebertz (Free to us, provided the photographer’s name is credit)

Photos from Carsten Böttcher

Photos from Roger en Gaby Dalemans (Series 1) (Series 2) (Free to us, provided the photographer’s name is credit)

Photos from Stevie (German Velomobilforum)

Video’s

Photo and video coverage of the 2026 Recumbent Cycling World Championships in Sittard-Geleen, Tom Dumoulin Bike Park. Music: 2026 World Championships anthem, made by Rudi Cools. Rudi holds all the rights, but anyone is free to use the anthem.

Videos from Mirco Götz

35 min. Bergrennen

A stunning video of Russel Bridge filmed from his ‘cockpit’ during the 2026 HPV World Championships at the Tom Dumoulin Bike Park in Sittard-Geleen.

Interview door Limburg I Maurice Jessen met Boyd Maduro, Rudi Cools en Oliver Piper.

Velomobile Riders Skim Low Over Scorching Asphalt at the World Championships in Sittard:

“The Perfect Means of Transport”

SITTARD– To most people strolling through the bike park in the Limburg town of Sittard, it is an unusual sight: sleek, streamlined vehicles racing silently just centimetres above the asphalt. But for the participants in the Velomobile World Championships, this is perfectly normal.

Velomobiles require far less effort to ride than a conventional bicycle while offering much greater comfort. According to the competitors gathered in Sittard, that should make them the obvious choice for everyday transport. So why hasn’t the rest of the world embraced them?

Faster, More Comfortable, More Practical

As ambassador of the championships, Yaïr da Costa has heard every argument imaginable over the years. People often dismiss velomobiles because of their unusual appearance, but, he says, that is only a matter of perception.

“A velomobile is more comfortable, less tiring, faster, and offers much more luggage space,” Da Costa explains. “The enclosed shell protects you not only from rain but also from heat and wind. In the Netherlands you can often cycle faster than the average speed of cars stuck in traffic.”

He understands that many people are initially put off by the appearance. “Yes, it’s different. But people quickly get used to it. We accept many other unusual-looking vehicles without questioning them.”

An Eye-Catcher Everywhere

The distinctive design attracts attention wherever it goes. Tourists from Amsterdam may stop to stare, but Da Costa sees that as a positive.

“I’ve ridden my velomobile all over Europe. People smile, wave, and ask questions. It sparks conversations.”

He points out that maintaining high average speeds is surprisingly easy. “If you want to average 50 kilometres per hour on a regular bicycle, you have to be a very strong rider. In a velomobile, that’s much more achievable.”

Even elite cyclists appreciate the efficiency. “Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar would have to work more than twice as hard to maintain the same speed.”

Young Enthusiasts

Thirteen-year-old Wouter Sijbrandij from Dronten is preparing for the junior race. When asked why he rides a velomobile, he shrugs with a smile.

“My parents ride them too.”

His mother adds, “Wouter has been travelling with us in velomobiles since he was a baby. We manufacture velomobiles ourselves, so it’s very much a family tradition.”

Fewer junior Participants Than Expected

The junior field is small, with only a handful of riders.

Most competitors have travelled from countries including South Africa, Argentina, Australia, and several European nations.

A note from the organising team: Lelystad was never on our radar as an event venue and the person being quoted is not part of the organisation. [The races had originally been scheduled for Lelystad but were moved because of the expected heat, explains organiser Christian Calopin from Brussels. He has been involved with velomobiles throughout the Benelux for 25 years.]

“This really is the perfect means of transport,” he says. “The problem isn’t the vehicle itself—it’s that most people simply don’t know about it.”

A quotation beside the article sums up the frustration:

“I don’t understand why not everyone owns a velomobile.”

Yaïr da Costa, World Championship ambassador.

“Do You Mean an Electric Bike?”

Da Costa says people often confuse velomobiles with electric bicycles.

“They ask, ‘How much power does the motor have?’ Then I have to explain that there isn’t one. In the Netherlands there are only a few thousand velomobiles on the road.”

He believes they could significantly improve public health. “I would encourage everyone to try one. For around €2,000 you can already buy a very good used velomobile.”

The Seed Has Been Planted

At the bike park, spectators eagerly climb into one of the display models.

“It’s incredibly comfortable,” says Belgian velomobile rider and event steward Rudy Cools. “After just one ride, people always ask the same question: ‘How much does it cost?’”

Da Costa smiles. “That’s exactly what we hope for. The seed has been planted. People leave here thinking about a new means of transport. Interest has definitely been sparked.”

Minder weergeven

A Soft Spot for Low-Slung Speed Machines Without Fear

By Leon Verdonschot

Come up with any pastime, no matter how obscure, and one thing is certain: somewhere in the world there will be a world championship devoted to it. Last Saturday, that happened to be the Recumbent World Championships in Sittard.

The event brought back a memory from years ago.

I was sitting in a car in Germany with two friends from Maastricht. I was in the back seat, while the two men in front—both music lovers with excellent taste, naturally—turned out to share something else as well: a deep dislike of velomobiles, those streamlined recumbent bicycles enclosed in aerodynamic shells.

As we drove through Maastricht, we came up behind one. The driver flashed his headlights, the passenger leaned out of the window and shouted, “Move over! Step on it, man! Faster!” The cyclist ignored them completely. The two of them had no more words to throw at him.

Oddly enough, that wasn’t the end of it. A hundred metres farther on, we had to stop at a red light. I heard a few knocks on the rear passenger window. The velomobile rider had calmly ridden up beside us. The driver lowered the window.

“So, you’ve had your fun,” the cyclist said. “Now it’s my turn.”

That was the moment my opinion of velomobile riders was formed: determined people, but not the kind who seek trouble.

Ever since, I have had a soft spot for them.

That’s why I travelled to Sittard to attend the World Championships, where my colleague Robin van der Kloor was covering the event. It was a delight—not only because Robin’s article explained why the competitors are so enthusiastic about velomobiles, but also because it confirmed something I had often suspected: velomobile riders are, almost by definition, people who think differently.

Horizontal dreamers.

Even if the fastest velomobile rider has reportedly reached 129 kilometres per hour, the stereotype of someone tearing recklessly down the motorway simply doesn’t fit. Here’s an example from North Brabant: last month, a fat-bike rider was stopped there for having pushed his bike up to 100 km per hour. It’s quite something that this fat-bike rider was still completely outpaced by this recumbent cyclist. A wonderful story—one that became even better because he had apparently pedalled all the way to that speed himself.

The fact that velomobile riders and fat-bikers are, in a way, opposite ends of the spectrum of human stereotypes makes little difference. Both are adults who, despite what others may think, continue to pursue their enthusiasm. The competitors at the World Championships, as portrayed in Robin van der Kloor’s article, embody exactly what makes velomobiles so fascinating.

Their defining characteristic is visibility through invisibility.

Sitting so low to the ground, you are almost invisible to everyone else. That is why velomobile riders constantly anticipate the possibility that other road users simply won’t see them. Whether or not they are actually overlooked is beside the point. Nobody enjoys being ignored—but for a velomobile rider, it can be fatal.

Fortunately, they don’t seem to let that discourage them.

(Freely translated for our international readers)

Article Almere deze week ‘Almeerder Yaïr da Costa is performing well at the Recumbent World Championships’

Wednesday 15 July, 8:59 a.m. | Sports

Yaïr da Costa racing against other velomobiles. (Photo: Arnold Ligtvoet)*

ALMERE Yaïr da Costa (37), from Almere, achieved an impressive 19th-place finish in the Fully Faired Multitrack category at last week’s Recumbent World Championships, which were held this year in Sittard.

Competitors reached average lap speeds of up to 65 km/h, powered entirely by their own muscle strength. In the two-hour endurance race, Da Costa maintained an average speed of 50 km/h, covering a total distance of 100 kilometres.

The performances were achieved under tropical weather conditions. Da Costa remained unfazed by the heat.

Under my racing canopy, I was protected from the sun. I had sports drinks with me, and my velomobile (an aerodynamic recumbent bicycle) has an air intake that continuously channels fresh air over my body to help keep me cool.”

The Almere rider was pleased with his performance.

It was my first World Championship, and it was a fantastic experience. Normally, I use my velomobile as a means of everyday transportation, but racing on a circuit really shows you just how much faster these machines can be. It also turns out you can comfortably cycle all the way from Almere to Sittard and back, carrying all your camping gear inside the velomobile.”

De prijzen zijn gemaakt door Rudi Cools. Alsook de pennen die iedere deelnemer en vrijwilliger ontving bij de ontvangst.

Pressmap

We would like to invite you to attend the Recumbent Bicycle World Championships, which are being organised this year by the recumbent cycling associations of the Netherlands and Belgium. The event will take place over three days at and around the Tom Dumoulin Bike Park in Sittard. You are most welcome to join us for all parts of the family-friendly programme. And of course, it would be fantastic if, in the run-up to the World Championships, you could put our event and the recumbent bike in all its forms in the spotlight…To this end, we have created a podcast and a PDF (below) for anyone who would like to find out more about this type of bike and what they are capable of.

And yes, you can also take a spin on the test track yourself or join us on the three-country cycle tour.

See the program

Here is our logo in various formats.

If you have any questions, please ask them using the form on this page

We have produced a special edition of the NVHPV Recumbent Cycling Association’s quarterly magazine ‘Ligfiets&’ to mark the World Championships.
It features: