Torpedo bike is beating the rush hour

Forget soaring petrol prices - this commuter takes the laid back approach to the rush hour journey to work.

Ian Fardoe makes his way to Wolverhampton every day on this makeshift motor, an adapted tricycle wrapped in a plastic casing.

And the 39-year-old says he feels perfectly safe as drivers whizz past — giving his home-made velomobile a bemused look.

Ian travels 12 miles a day from his home in Coven, South Staffordshire, to Wildside Activity Centre in Whitmore Reans and back, sitting just inches above the surface of the A449 Stafford Road.

"I don't feel vulnerable," he said today. "People say 'Aren't you worried about drivers not seeing you?' but I'm not because everybody stares."

And with prices at the pumps soaring, he is laughing all the way to the bank as he doesn't have to spend a penny on petrol.

"There's not much maintenance involved either because it's just made of standard bike stuff," he said. "Also all the running gear is enclosed, so it is not affected by the usual silt and muck you would get on most bikes."

Ian says the novel mode of transport helps him keep trim and as well as using it to get around, he competes in 12 velomobile races a year.

He is taking part in the World Championships in Italy later this year, riding at Monza's famous Formula One race track.

Ian added: "It is a great aerobic workout on the way to and from work so the concept of driving to a gym is so alien to me. I just change when I get to work.

"My vehicle is like a mobile sauna — it gets incredibly hot. I was riding around in it when it was -20 (C) in a t-shirt and shorts and I wasn't cold."