Pedal Sub Team Hopes to Restore French Pride

Pedal Sub Team Hopes to Restore French Pride

(July 29) -- Though the 2010 Tour de France has just ended, one yellow-clad wonder just wants to keep on pedaling in France. No, we're not talking about Spaniard Alberto Contador, winner of his third Tour de France. We're talking about the Scubster, a prototype pedal submarine developed by a team of French entrepreneurs.

The team plans to enter the sub in the 2011 International Submarine Race, a biennial competition featuring human-powered "wet" submarines, or subs that don't provide occupants with a dry environment. Because the Scubster is a wet sub, its lone pilot must wear SCUBA equipment.

That the 2011 race will be held in Bethesda, Md., adds extra incentive for the team.
Wait, What?Terence Dewaele, AP119 photos Tired of spinning class? The Scubster -- a new pedal-powered submarine -- might be your answer. Stephane Rousson of France takes this underwater vehicle for a spin in the waters near Nice, in southeastern France. The Scubster team will take part in next year's International Submarine Race, at the Naval Surface Warfare Center-Carderock Division in Bethesda, Md.(Note: Please disable your pop-up blocker)
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Wait, What?
Tired of spinning class? The Scubster -- a new pedal-powered submarine -- might be your answer. Stephane Rousson of France takes this underwater vehicle for a spin in the waters near Nice, in southeastern France. The Scubster team will take part in next year's International Submarine Race, at the Naval Surface Warfare Center-Carderock Division in Bethesda, Md.
Terence Dewaele, AP
Terence Dewaele, AP
Wait, What?
"We want to do the race to show people in the United States that we can do nice things, too," said team leader Stephane Rousson in an interview with AOL News.

The 14-foot Scubster, however, isn't built for speed. Instead, it's been built for maneuverability, and Rousson hopes the sub wins the race's maneuverability category.

"Most of the other subs in the race specialize in speed," Rousson explained. "But we're different. We want to specialize in [agility]. The Scubster can go up and down, left and right with ease. That's its specialty."

Should the Scubster perform well at the race, Rousson and his team hope to bring the sub to market as an accessory for large yachts. And if the Scubster proves a hit, the team would like to move on to building dry submarines, which provide a dry, airtight interior.

The Scubster took shape last August, when Rousson, his partner Minh-Loc Truong, and a team of student volunteers set out to design the boat. In November, the 20-person team built a small-scale model and in January, set to work on the real thing.

With the sub completed only a month ago, it's been tested seven times and spent a mere three hours in the water. The deepest dive so far is six meters. According to Rousson, the team still has a few tweaks to make. The Scubster's seat needs to be readjusted and the propellers need a substantial upgrade.

The Scubster isn't the first experimental cyclo-vehicle Rousson has been involved with. In 2008, he test-piloted "Zeppy," a pedal-powered airship that he intended to fly across the English Channel. The crossing was scrapped, however, due to dangerously high winds.

While Rousson is confident that he and his team will fare well in the International Submarine Race, the last time a French team made news at an international competition, the 2010 World Cup, things didn't go so well.

Could petulance and insubordination bring down team Scubster?

"No, no, we don't have any problem like this," Rousson said. "We're not as rich as soccer guys. If only we had the money that these players had, we could fund the whole project on two months' salary."