Pedal Powered Roller Coaster – by Melissa

Taking advantage of the hilly terrain in Okayama, Japan, the Washuzan Highland amusement park makes its guests work a little harder for their fun.  The Skycycle is a pedal powered roller coaster which runs up, down, and around an Okayama hillside and, like traditional roller coasters, has sections that appear genuinely exciting. The Skycycle’s carts seat two people cycling in tandem on a guide rail.  Each cart is equipped with a handlebar, seat-belts, and a little pink basket in front. Thrill seekers will still be able to appreciate the rush of vertigo because, on the Skycycle, you can stop and look down.  Guests are also responsible for pedaling their cart over peaks as well and out of troughs; no more speeding around involuntarily.  The responsibility of pushing your cart to plummet up high on a hill seated on a bike with a seat-belt does seem just as, if not more, terrifying as the passive thrills of electric roller coasters.  More pictures available here.