One of the women in my club has expressed interest in recumbents, so last night I took my V-Rex to the club ride near my house and let her test it out afterward. I got the seat set so she could reach the pedals and put it as upright as I could get it and gave her some basic instructions on how to get going. The parking lot was mostly empty, and had a gentle slope downward for maybe 75 feet before rounding the turn and going another 100+ feet.
Well, I gave her a push and off she wobbled, alternately giving the pedals a push or two then flailing her legs as if to catch herself from falling, all the time hollering she was going to die, help, and save her. And there were also a few words I'll have to remember in case I ever want to be a sailor.
She made it all the way to the second turn, which pointed her up the gentle grade, at which point she braked and put her feet down.
Once I got her calmed down, she realized she could reach the ground any time and she'd actually made it. So I got her turned around to use the grade for starting, then ride back the way she came. By the time she was back to the starting point, she was ready to keep going. After several full laps of the lot, she sailed in and insisted that her friend try it too. After that they both took turns. Cathy, the first woman, remarked that it seemed fast, which drew a chuckle from one of the observers. "John doesn't own any slow bikes" he said.
Anyway, I just thought the complete change in attitude within the space of 2 minutes was funny.