Carl Georg Rasmussen is a

mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations of ...

with a PhD in physics; an

ecologist Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

specializing in

noise pollution Noise pollution, also known as environmental noise or sound pollution, is the propagation of noise with ranging impacts on the activity of human or animal life, most of them are harmful to a degree. The source of outdoor noise worldwide is ma ...

; and a

light aircraft A light aircraft is an aircraft that has a maximum gross takeoff weight of or less.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 308. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. Light aircraft are used as utility aircraft co ...

pilot. He is the designer and manufacturer of the

Leitra Leitra is a Danish company and also the name of the velomobile it produces. In Sweden designs for a two-person, four-wheeled velomobile called the Fantom were sold as blueprints in the 1930s and 40s. Many thousands of sets of DIY instructions w ...

velomobile.

Velomobile A velomobile (); velomobiel, velo, or bicycle car is a human-powered vehicle (HPV) enclosed for aerodynamic advantage and/or protection from weather and collisions. Velomobiles are similar to recumbent bicycles, pedal go-karts and tricycles, but ...

s were produced in the 1930s, but commercial production ended after the second world war. Rasmussen's Leitra, or "light individual transportation", was motivated by the oil crisis; it is the first commercial production velomobile using "modern" materials and designs. Rasmussen was interested in daily transport and tours, which guided his design choices for the Leitra. He last owned a car in the 1980s. Rasmussen had an early Leitra confiscated in 1982 by Danish police as a dangerous vehicle; this led him get legal status of velomobiles in Denmark. Rasmussen also organizes velomobile tours. Rasmussen rode a Leitra in the 1987 Paris–Brest–Paris (PBP). Although the Mochet

Velocar Velocar was the name given to velomobiles made in the 1930s and 1940s by Mochet et Cie of Puteaux, France and colloquially to the company's recumbent bicycles. was the inventive maker of lightweight powered cyclecars (Le P'tit Auto) and pe ...

is French, Rasmussen is probably the first PBP velomobile rider. In order to increase awareness of velomobiles and share knowledge, Rasmussen instigated a series of Velomobile Design Seminars. Since 1993 there have been eight such events, spanning five European countries. Topics covered include technical, societal, environmental and commercial factors. Illustrated proceedings from the Seminars are now freely available online. The ninth seminar is planned for September 2020, to coincide with

Eurobike Eurobike is an international bicycle trade fair held annually since 1991 in the first week of September, on the grounds of Messe Friedrichshafen, one of the largest and most modern exhibition centres in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. The bike show ...

. Rasmussen often rides 10,000 kilometers per year.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rasmussen, Carl Georg Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Danish cyclists 20th-century Danish inventors