Tandem Cycling - Any Tandem Readers Here?

I 've been wondering around this forum for a few weeks now and there isn't much traffic in the tandem section. Anyone come in here for a visit?

Ride? My better-half and I ride a '99 Cannondale RT3000.

Location? We've recently located to central Illinois from the Williamsburg/Yorktown area in Virginia.

Rides this year? This year we've ridden much of Florida, RAGBRAI, CANDISC and a lot of our local Illinois area.

Future? We're also planning to ride our 'dale with a BOB trailer and rear panniers across the U.S. from Florence OR to Yorktown VA hopefully next summer or the summer after.

Age group? We're both in or middle 40's.

Time riding tandems? 2 years now.

I'm a wanna-be stoker.

Here's my story. I just started riding a tandem in July. A local racer asked if I'd do the Ride Across Indiana(162 mi) on his tandem. I said "sure , why not?" We went out for one short(40 mi) "test ride" the day before the event. Everything clicked; we had similar cadence and we were able to stand and climb smoothly on our second try.

I fell in love with the speed. We started going on the local training rides on the big bike. Climbing was fun. Descending even more fun. Pulling the group at 25mph on the flats(while talking and laughing) was fun. I started to get lazy about riding my single. We started looking for tandem races and working on our cornering. We did a time trial.

Then my S.O. decided that mayyyybe riding a tandem with this other guy wasn't such a good idea. The S.O. does not ride a road bike(much) and has no desire to own a road tandem. We WILL own a off-road tandem in the future. I look forward to spending time with my S.O. in the woods, but I'll still miss the sheer speed of the skinny-tired tandem. *sigh*

I still like to look at the race tandems(like Calfee) and I still read the archives at Tandem@Hobbs. Pretty pathetic, huh?

Yes, I'll have some cheese with my whine ;)

That is a sad story! Sorry. To stand up on the second ride! WOW, we're still working on standing together. I stand okay, it's just that when she stands we use the whole road!

I hope you enjoy the dirt tandem as well as the road....we've never done it in the dirt so we have no idea what that is like! :D

We do know the speed thing though! During RAGBRAI it wasn't uncommom to pick up 15-25 riders on the back. Loved pulling them! Especially when they all said GREAT PULL!! THANKS!!

We don't climb well yet. Don't get me wrong, we have never ever walked a hill. As each season rolls along we do get stronger in the hill climbing department.

Hey, Gus.

Ride:
2000 Meridian Cascade or 1998 Burley Rumba

Location:
Burlingame, CA, on the San Francisco Peninsula.

Rides This Year:
Central Valley Tandem Rally, Solvang Century, Mount Hamilton Challenge, Primavera Century, Wine Country Century, Strawberry Fields Forever Century, California AIDS Ride 8, Lake Tahoe Roundabout. Lotta club rides in the 40-60 mile range. Lotta tandem commuting.

Future:
Finally get a double under our belt. If I ever get re-employed, tour the Dordogne. Cross-US sometime in the next four years.

Age Group:
Mid 50s.

Time Riding Tandems:
2-1/2 years.