TandemGeek

Warning: I'm in a "mood" tonight.

OK, let me play Devil's advocate.... Why do you care? How did the subject of comparing average speeds even come up, never mind top speeds in Colorado? Were these other teams otherwise your peers or were they cut from a different cloth, either in age, fitness, or temperment? If they weren't your peers or someone you already knew why would you expect to "fit right in" on your first encounter?

Anyway, never forget that tandem teams are cyclists and there are three different types of cyclists: faster, slower, and everyone else in between. Moreover, from time to time and with a few exceptions most cyclists and tandem teams will eventually fall into each category depending on when, where, and whom they're riding. If you ride enough, it's fair to say that most fast riders know who they are, as do most slow riders, and your average recreational rider will usually come to realize they are "in-betweeners". In-betweeners include teams who aspire to be faster and who often get frustrated when they can't "keep up with" whoever it is they can't keep up with. Other "in-betweeners" often times have the ability to keep up but, instead, choose to ride with friends who are terminal "in-betweeners" who ride at a more leisurely pace or who just can't otherwise hang with the faster riders on that particular day or terrain. Also included in the in-betweener class are the energizer bunnies who can keep going, and going, and going at a controlled pace... well up to and over 100 miles at a pop, particularly for randonneurs. Frankly, they are hardly marginal or average riders but if average speed is the yardstick... oh well. In-betweeners also include the folks who are riding as hard as they can because that's the way they ride and they really don't care who passes them because they're riding their ride, as do the folks who always stop to smell the roses, to enjoy a cup of coffee, or to have a destination integrated into their ride plans: perhaps a nice breakfast at a neat little town just a few miles from home.

The bottom line is: Ride your own ride to achieve your goals and don't fall victim to using people who have vastly different goals (or capacity) as your benchmark unless you aspire to achieve their goals.

Our goals:

1. Spend time together... check; the tandem does that for us.
2. Have fun... check; we usually have fun (excluding run-ins with morons)
3. Stay fit... check; the tandem & cycling do that for us.
4. Get outside more often... check; we don't ride inside.
5. Meet new friends... check; we have found folks with whom we can ride and have been doing so for going on 8 years now.
6. Ride hard.... check; but we still get dropped.
7. Travel... check; if it wasn't for the tandem we might never take vacations.
8. Do things that we enjoy... check. I've always loved cycling and the tandem has allowed Debbie to rekindle her love of cycling after some 27 years of being off the bike.
9. Have fun... it's that important.
10. Stay married and in love forever... check; the tandem has really helped to cement our relationship.

Average speeds? It depends. We've finished flat centuries in our prime in 4 1/2 hours... once! We can knock out most hilly to moutainous rides at speeds that vary from an average of 14 mph to 19 mph, dependent on how we feel and who we're riding or chasing. Top speeds? 63 mph coming off a very short & steep descent in the Talladega National Forest, with several other high 50 mph plummets to our credit, noting that the high 40's and low-50's is the norm for many mountain descents in North Georgia and Western North Carolina. Note: Going blazingly fast downhill on a tandem when big money, fame, or glory aren't at stake takes four things: 1. a steep hill, 2. a willing stoker, 3. a captain who can tuck, and 4. less common sense that it takes to get out of the rain.... Crashing at 50+ mph on a bicycle is ugly and doing it on a tandem is twice as ugly: I'm an idiot for bombing the hills but at least I recognize it. What I can't figure out is why Debbie lets me do it...

What does all this mean? Absolutely nothing. They're just numbers and, frankly, we could be fibbing too, which reinforces the notion that it really doesn't matter. I would also note that there are some REALLY fast tandem teams in Wisconsin and Northern Illinois who smoke just about everyone except for the really elite, hardcore riders. For these folks -- whose looks can even be deceiving -- 20 mph over 60 miles on a rolling route would be a "spirited ride" if they all got together and rode as a pack. Again, not sure how y'all ending up comparing average speeds but I wouldn't let it bother you.