“The motor hasn’t worked the whole race, so it’s been a lot harder to pedal,” Seigfried said. “It’s basically 38 pounds of dead weight.”

The rain delayed a race for solar-powered cars. Bikers and car drivers shared the track in the afternoon session.

Even though the rain fogged up rearview mirrors, limited the functionality of brakes and rendered solar panels useless, it didn’t dampen spirits. As racers finished laps, they were cheered on by team members and race officials.

Terry “Rocketman” Rouse, 60, of Kansas City, was one of the competitors. The race was the first chance he had to test out an enclosed recumbent tricycle made from old election signs.

“The day after Election Day, I’m out collecting these signs,” Rouse said. “Especially the winners. I figure they aren’t going to need them for four more years.”

Rouse used pieces of the signs to form an aerodynamic shell over his vehicle. He said he rides the vehicle about 17 miles to work, staying in shape while not burning gasoline.

“Kansas City is not known as a bike-friendly town,” he said. “But people are very friendly when they get a look at this.”

Lukens said he also is an avid bicyclist. He rides to school often, even through cold Indiana winters.

He said his love of the activity got him involved with his school’s solar-powered bicycle team.

“I also care about the environment,” Lukens said. “I want to show people that there is a better means of transportation than a normal, internal-combustion engine.”

‘Human-assisted’

Race official Paul Hirtz, a professor at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, said many competitors’ solar panels were impaired by the cloudy weather. Competitors were allowed to use batteries charged from nearby electrical outlets, but those were quickly drained.