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Ok, strictly in the name of bragging, go on what has been you biggest day.
For us it was during a three month tour so the bike was loaded with tent panniers etc etc. Set off from Dalat in Vietnam before first light and got to Ho Chi Minh City that evening. The ride was 187 miles. Supposedly because I wanted to meet a mate I had not seen for a few years in Saigon actually because by then we were hooked on the miles thing. I seam to remember it took under twelve hours but I would need to check with my stokes as she does the writing things down bit.
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Pic of us different day but same trip.
dude, no offense but that pic looks like it was taken on a banked track! My best tandem day is only about 120 miles. I start to lose interest at about 85 miles most of the time... bloodsugar issues.
Never though of it but it does a bit. Its going through south west china stoker took the shot odviousley.
Yer, same, like to smell the flowers and all that. Our big day was gravity assisted starting in the mountains and finishing on the coast. Some time you just want to go. Its that old addage of eating befory you are hungry. Its an old trick but have you tryed dilute coke 50% water. Keeps the suggar flowing and the legs spinning without being to sickley.
Worst day on that tour was 30km in the sand of the Gobi desert. Really not fun.
Mate of mine went off on his triplet him, wife, daughter, other daughter on kiddy seat and little son in a trailer. Big day for them is 20 to 30 miles he tell me. Good effort I think.
Chow
Anything over 50 is good going for a non-racer I think. I haven't been on any big rides on the tandem yet as we're still easing into it without big pain. Longest so far is about 35 miles, but our usual loop is all up and down hills so maybe worth 40 on the flat.
One of the things I'm looking forward to is going to Holland to ride the Tour of the Ijselmeer, which is a roughly 100 miles round a huge lake and all absolutely flat Probably it will be windy, but by my reading it's ideal tandem country. I bought a guided tour from a charity auction at work last year, and heard second hand that the guy guiding us who probably thinks we only touch bikes once a year reckoned we wouldn't be up to it, so it will be fun to turn the tables.
Andrew
Our longest was 60. Into the wind both ways (can only be done in Texas). Started out too fast and was hobbling that last 10. Wife seemed fresh enough to wanna try standing hills at the end....hummmm
yea, tried everything: just have very bad blood sugar issues. In fact, when I was preparing for my first long Worlds, I asked my coach what teh "secret of teh pros" was. He said: "Coke." Took me a minute to realize he meant the soda! I've used it in long races before, and will buy a can from the 7-11 on a long ride.
Biggest day? Got to be the South Downs Way in one Day. A chalk ridge that runs along the South Coast of the UK and the SDW is from Winchester to Eastbourne. Only 100 miles, and 10,000ft of climbing and only 15 hours to do it in. After that you need lights from a 6AM start. Done it a total of 8 times now, plus failed it twice and in 2003 and 4 did it on the Tandem. Few facts. 400 starters and less than 50% finish. In 2003 was the first tandem to complete the organised randonnee, plenty had started in previous years, but none had finished. Best time for me was in 2004 of 12 hours, and the longest was in 96 when it rained all day, and took 15 hours. Fastest riders do it in around 10 hours but these are the professionals.
Probably the hardest 1 day ride offroad in the UK. but entries open on jan31st and are full within a week. Watching the web site daily as I want an official entry again this year.
Pic is at the end in 2004 when 2 tandems finished, and I am the short rider in white. Wished I was on the other team when they went up hills-- They could climb.
The Answer to the Arizona Challenge: a 3-day, 325 mile, 22,000ft. of climbing weekend that finished in Phoenix, AZ at 104 degrees.
The next year, that same event, it snowed on top of Mingus Mountain. . .
Stoker did not want to do that ride again!
We bought our tandem in September 2005 and our longest ride to date is 38 miles; however, we had to stop riding the first part of November because of snow and ice (North Dakota). We were able to accumulate around 700 miles in the two months though.
We both did RAGBRAI on our singles last year and this year we're planning on using the tandem -- depending on the weather we'll go for the century route during the week.
On my single, the longest I've done is around 110 miles -- before and after the Solvang century in 1997 (used to live in that area).
My longest ride was a 75 miler crossing the Catoctin mountains west of Fredrick, MD (hills for you Westerners) twice - water stop only.
With current stoker, 63 miles last Summer on the covered bridges ride in PA.
We have done several club century rides on the tandem but our biggest, or most epic ride, or lets be honest, the one we like to brag about the most, was Mt Ventoux in France. 21 kms with about an 8% average grade. The worst part was after we left for the top they closed the road to all traffic because of high winds. Combine the winds with an ambient temperature in the thirties at the summitmand you have two people on a tandem not much interested in sight seeing anymore. I could feel the tandem shaking from my stoker shivering on the descent. Hot chocolate never tasted so good as it did that afternoon.
Each year lots of tandems do the 1 day STP "Seattle to Portland Ride" 206 miles - personally we've only done 150 before needing to stop, but I have lots of friends who are one day riders. You should see a pace line of tandems, they really haul - unfornuately you have about 20 singles hanging on to your draft. We had a couple in our club who did a 24 hour ride last year and I think they covered 335 miles. Not our cup of tea. When we do loaded touring we do 50 - 80 miles dailey. New couple in the club did the ride from the Artic circle to Keywest (May to Oct) 2004 -7600 miles - their website is amazing.
Nothing fancy, but we're proud of having competed the Davis, CA Foxy's Fall Century last October. It was the first 100mile ride for either of us, with only a couple of previous rides in the 40-60mile range, so we were glad to have finished. Here are the numbers I e-mailed to my stoker after the ride:
6:57:55 pedal time
106.54 miles
45.8 mph maximum (and we weren't pedaling downhill)
15.2 mph average while pedaling ***
8.15 real clock hours (7:17am-3:26pm?)
13.07 mph (using real clock hours)
It was a pretty flat ride, with just one real climb. Hopefully we'll do measurably better in a couple of weeks at the Rice Valley (Chico) Tandem century -- flatter yet, and I have been improving on joint/fit issues which held us back on the Davis ride. Here's hoping for good weather!
-Greg
I can't compete with the high mileages (I think our top was 90 miles, fully loaded up) but if we are talking about long climbs try 28km of 10% over the Sustenpass in Switzerland. That was pretty soul destroying especially since the top was in a rain cloud and temperatures just above freezing made the equally long descent really unpleasent and quite hairy. Should've bought that drag brake!
These things are pretty nasty at the time but make for a good story over a beer.
We did four double centuries last year on the tandem (Solvang, Davis, Mt. Tam and Bass Lake - the last two with about 15,000 ft. of climbing each) and each Sunday we try to get in 100 to 130 miles. It's not that we're addicted to pain. It's just that we're still relatively new to tandeming and can't seem to get enough of it (we also enjoy each others company!). I find that doing doubles (even doubles with lots of climbing) on the tandem is actually easier than doing them on my single bike. Maybe I'm not doing my share of the work?
Don't show this post to my stoker ....
We have done several club century rides on the tandem but our biggest, or most epic ride, or lets be honest, the one we like to brag about the most, was Mt Ventoux in France. 21 kms with about an 8% average grade. The worst part was after we left for the top they closed the road to all traffic because of high winds. Combine the winds with an ambient temperature in the thirties at the summitmand you have two people on a tandem not much interested in sight seeing anymore. I could feel the tandem shaking from my stoker shivering on the descent. Hot chocolate never tasted so good as it did that afternoon.
Cool. literally. Road I have not ridden but like everyone is there at the back of my neck I mean mind.
... . New couple in the club did the ride from the Artic circle to Keywest (May to Oct) 2004 -7600 miles - their website is amazing.
Could you give us the URL of their website?
http://www.teamangell.com/About%20Us.dwt
Sorry I looked at their mileage it was 7100 miles not 7600 - Enjoy Mike
Mrs. O and I have only three days in on the tandem (which went into the shop after the initial rides for some serious upgrades). The rides were 70, 110, and 120 miles. This year we're looking forward to doing some randonneuring on it, a few doubles, and also Quadzilla (400 miles around the finger lakes in 40 hours or less). Yea!
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