This years ride was , in my opinion, really great. I decided to ride the 1 week old Carbontrike after only 20 miles on it.I also had a severe problem with knee pain after the 20 mile ride- not set up right for me yet and was worried about riding at all. Anyway for strange reason started getting severe cramps at only 38 miles???? and had to stop, but after a LOT of pickle juice managed to get going again. I was riding with two friends on road bikes and averaged about 17.5 mph for the first 60 miles, top speed 32. Then one friend hit the wall at hells gate and had to find a sag to get him out. was getting late after that and very hot, other friend wanted out too and decided to take the cut to the Airforce base which was a great experience again, and finished with 75 miles. All in all very nice ride, cant understand the leg cramps at such low miles though, maybe total new ride position that I was not used to yet..Trike was awesome especially up hills. saw some trike riders on the way, one really quick on a cat 700 doing the hundred,, but didnt know who they were being new to the forum.

Jim - With any decently faired bike you are going to be riding alone, unless you ride with another faired bike. With my F-40, and especially the Quest, riding with other recumbents at their speed is a challenge. It is like riding a normal recumbent with a DF - except worse.  
 
Because a faired bike is so fast on the downhill, and on level ground, my strategy is to usually wait at the top of a hill for everyone else and then leave them behind again on the downhill and wait at the top of the next hill.
 
Only very physically fit, positioned very low in the aero bars, time trial athletes are able to get a 1/2 draft off the F-40 or Quest, and then only if they are just inches from the rear of the bike. Even then you have to hold the speed of Quest exactly steady - any little variation in your faired bike speed and they'll lose the draft and drop off the end like a rock.
 
Unless the recumbent rider was very experienced drafting in fast, large groups, I would not want a recumbent with the buzz saw on the front of their bike just inches from the rear of my Quest.
 
On the plus side you are going to get Strava KOMs like this:
 

http://danhansenjr.com/2014/08/11/quest-kom-again-by-one-second-5-2-miles-29-2-m ph.html
 
When I want to ride with others I take the P-38, Catrike Expedition or TiAero. (Unless it is Greg Gross on the M5, then definitely take the Quest )

Quote from dhansen on Aug 26^th, 2014, 3:43am:

 
Dan,
 
I think there was another Velo out there..
 
Up the road from where I first saw you, there was what I think was an Alleweder, shiny and silver.  It was before rest stop two if I remember correctly.
 
I tried to go for the catch on him on a bit of a downhill but I was a little over-enthusiastic in my up shift.  I managed to throw my chain to the outside and it promptly tied itself in knots so I missed getting pictures of it.
 
Semper Fi