Hosts Tim & Sharon Patterson (Team Inseam) welcome you and yours to join nearly 100 other tandem enthusiasts at the Tennessee Tandem Rally for three fantastic days of riding in the beautiful foothills surrounding the Great Smokey Mountains on June 6 - 8.
For those who have not yet experienced it, the Tennessee Tandem Rally's reputation for outstanding rides, food, and camaraderie has made it a perennial rally favorite. Many of the teams who will attend will be returning to Alcoa for their sixth consecutive Tennessee Tandem Rally.
If you've been thinking about attending your first tandem rally, or your first Tennessee Tandem Rally, stop putting it off and making excuses: just do it!
You can find more information and links to the downloadable registration form at the TTR Website: http://www.thetandemlink.com/TTR.html
For those who'd rather cut to the chase, here is a direct link to the registration form: http://www.thetandemlink.com/TTR/ttrreg08.pdf
**Please note: Event registration will is limited to paid registrations received from the first 50 teams or 100 registrants, which ever occurs first. A waiting list will also be maintained.
The BikeForums Team
-adv-
This is an archived thread, you can find the full version of this thread, with images, links and more content here.
36 of 50 slots were taken as of today and I suspect tomorrow's mail will fill the rally: look for updates to the "who's registered" page tonight after 8:00pm.
Seems that there is a loyal following who lie in wait for this one and Georgia Tandem Rally which, I believe, will open up registration on Saturday, January 26th when the registration form goes on line: http://www.georgiatandemrally.com
The host hotel for the Georgia Tandem Rally in Albany, GA, has been filling up in advance of registration as well.
CGinOhio
Any special advice for TTR newbies like us? We are looking forward to the rally. Hope to see some of you there.
TandemGeek
Any special advice for TTR newbies like us? We are looking forward to the rally. Hope to see some of you there.
Seek out others when you arrive who appear to have similar riding style / level to your own who have attended a previous event and follow their lead on route selection and riding tempo. The rides tend to be somewhat similar year to year so past experience is very transferrable.
Friday's early ride does a very good job of vetting out the different levels of riders as it's a mass start that spends the first several miles crusing in a double paceline along a river. The tempo usually starts out easy and slowly builds. There is little climb along the river road that 'splits the herd' and that also will sort out others who may be a good fit for the rest of the ride and weekend's route choices. The big decision will come after the route crosses the river as the long-route riders will then head towards the Metcalf Bottoms loop with it's 12% switch backs before decending back into the valley and working its way over to the 1/8 mile 15% climb with an 18% kicker for the last 50 yards that makes the Metcalf Bottoms loop infamous.
Again, these climbs do a good job of vetting out the different riding levels of various teams such that everyone usually finds one or two other teams to hook up with.
Other than that, just enjoy the social time as much as possible. Being a somewhat smaller event with just 50 teams (100 people), its pretty easy to 'work the crowd' and meet folks.
Now, I will note that even the regulars will be a bit disoriented this year as they've moved to a new new host hotel. Therefore, everyone will be looking to find the best places to mingle as the previous hotel was actually a semi-motel where a lot of the rooms had back doors that opened into the parking lot which became an extension of the hospitality suite.
regomatic
We did the TTR last year as part of our preparation for the LAF LiveSTRONG ride that we had committed to do in October.
We live on the flat side of Orlando, FL and up until then, we had never even attempted anything close to 10% on the tandem. We had a 12-27 on the back and put 26t granny gear on the front for TTR and did just fine.
The organizers and volunteers did an excellent job in preparation for the event, and while we recognized that a sizable number of the attendees seemed to know each other from other regional rides, all of them were very welcoming and hospitable to the rookies from FL who didn’t know even know what a real hill looked like.
As noted above, the “A” group left us where the “herd split”. We hung off the back of the “B” group for a while until shortly into the switchbacks. We were promptly dropped again there, and fell into our own pace that we found comfortable. By the time hit the 18% we had passed a couple of other casualties, but had to walk it over the top like a few others were doing.
On the other side is a very long, downhill reward for your efforts. We were just as inexperienced going downhill as up, so we kept our speed down to the mid thirties and our line well within our lane. Teams that took off in front of us and were more familiar with the road probably had potentials to hit high forties or more.
We’ll be doing a 6 day tour of the Shenandoah Valley during the week leading up to this year’s TTR, so we won’t be able to attend. We wish all the 2008 organizers and attendees a very safe and successful event and we hope to return in 2009.
just me
...Friday's early ride does a very good job of vetting out the different levels of riders as it's a mass start that spends the first several miles crusing in a double paceline along a river. The tempo usually starts out easy and slowly builds. ...
Just a small word of warning here. Our first TTR 4 years ago I think (we were extreme newbies to Tandems and our first Rally) we arrived for the Friday "late" start. There was a nice group of people getting ready to leave. The group all seemed to know each other but a couple of teams introduced themselves to us and away we went... unfortunately we did not know to ask about the pace. About 5-8 miles later that "nice group" left our butts in the dirt like nobodies business. We continued on, turned around early, got passed by the group a second time while we changed our first ever flat (they did wave that time) By the time we got back to the car, the parking lot was empty, we were dejected and ready to hang it up for the weekend.
Luckily we stayed, and the next morning did exactly what TandemGeek just suggested. We had a great time, terribly upset that we cannot make it this year. I still don't think too much of the "Peaches" when they are together as a group. Get them away from the gang and they are some of the nicest people around. Together... well that is a different story.
The TTR is fantastic, Tim and Sharon do a great job. The scenery in wonderful. You will find riders that ride your pace, and you will have a great time.
Jack
TandemGeek
Just a small word of warning here...we arrived for the Friday "late" start... unfortunately we did not know to ask about the pace. About 5-8 miles later that "nice group" left our butts in the dirt like nobodies business.
The Tennessee Tandem Rally (TTR) is somewhat unique in that it draws in a disproportionate number of really strong tandem teams compared to most rallies where the faster teams are a very small minority. Because it's rare for so many fast teams to be in the same place at the same time, TTR does at times turn into something of a hammer-fest for those teams. As noted, many of these stronger teams transform from easy-going congenial couples who ride tandems into very focused elite cyclists once they mount their tandems and someone ups the tempo.
We've never ridden the late afternoon ride on Friday so I can't comment directly on the dynamics. However, before Tim added the Metcalf Bottoms loop to Friday's ride options many of the strongest teams would 'double-dip' the Schoolhouse Gap loop. Therefore, the smaller gathering of afternoon riders would often times have a very disproportionate number of very fast teams... both those who were already warmed up from the first loop and then late comers who were looking to get in a quick ride before heading back for dinner and the social. So, anyone who wasn't aware of that would indeed felt abandoned. Now, more recently the late afternoon ride has been abandoned and a 9:00am & 1:00pm start time are now used, so part of the original problem created by squeezing-in the late afternoon ride has been eliminated.
Anyway, less I digress. Let me just make a few other observations about getting off on the right foot at TTR and reinforce the need to find others who ride at your level.
1. Be forewarned, the Friday ride always starts out with a very long double drafting line at a warm-up pace. The huge draft effect created by this 'train' will allow just about any team to 'tag-along' in the air wake with very little effort and in closer-quarters than they may be accustomed to.
2. Riding in close quarters demands very strong group riding skills and the full attention of the captain at all times.
3. Because the draft is so strong, trailing riders will often times feel tempted to pull out and use their new-found "power" to pass riders ahead of them: this is bad form unless you can see a split developing between faster and slower riders and know that you really belong in the faster group and can bridge the gap. The reason this is bad form is because the new-found power is an illusion created by the massive draft. In fact, the only reason you can pass everyone else is because they are exercising self-restraint by holding their position in the pack.
4. Teams who aren't accustomed to riding in drafting lines should stay toward the back, allowing the stronger teams to 'slip back in' as they rotate off the front, so as not to inadvertently find themselves sitting on the front pulling the train: TTR's Friday ride along the rider just isn't the place to learn those skills.
5. If a team uses the draft to sit-in with faster teams after a split develops and they really ride more at the level of the riders in the trailing group, there's a good chance they'll end up in 'no man's land' riding alone between the faster group and the next slower group once the faster group ups the tempo to the point where they can no longer maintain contact. Riding alone in no-man's-land at a tandem rally isn't at all unusual (been there, done that...); however, it's still very disheartening given that the reason we go the the effort and expense of attending a rally is so that we can ride with other couples.
CGinOhio
Great advice. Thanks. A little info goes a long way toward making events like this more enjoyable (and safer!). I'm glad you explained the dynamics of the TTR vs other tandem events. Our only large tandem experience was last years Eastern Tandem Rally, which was great fun, but pretty laid back. We were surprised to find we were one of the faster teams, as most teams didn't seem to be pushing hard, though many had ability they weren't showing I'm sure. I would have assumed the TTR was going to be the same. We definitely want to try the Metcalf Bottoms challenge, but now we know to hook up with the B or C group.
BloomingCyclist
Hello to CG in Ohio,
We will be at the Tennessee Tandem Rally too. Here's a view of part of a double paceline at last year's TTR. This will be our third TTR. One could conceivably talk to nearly everyone there since the group is small (50 couples). Personally, I have a hard time remembering names - I'm much better at remembering faces so I will be introducing and re-introducing myself to many.
Attached is a photo of part of a large double paceline in a taking-it-easy mode nearer the beginning of the ride.
Bloomington, IN
jgg3
Just curious; is this line rotating with the left column moving up, or the right? Do you remember? Seems far more organized than most pacelines I have been in of that size.
BloomingCyclist
Just curious; is this line rotating with the left column moving up, or the right? Do you remember? Seems far more organized than most pacelines I have been in of that size.
There are group starts to the rides at the TTR which lend themselves to the group staying together for quite awhile and visiting a lot until a climb shows up. In the take it easy mode that I believe was occuring when the photo was taken, there were a few different couples quite willing to be at the front for quite a while; not considering it any real work. I believe that often both front tandems would come off in pairs together in this mode and I believe in general the leaders of a dual paceline came off together.
Later in the ride, when the group divided into various speeds, the faster groups that wanted to continue pacelines often found themselves in single file because of road or traffic conditions and when going hard they rotated off of the front with some frequency because they were working hard at that point.
We have since been to an Eastern Tandem Rally, a Southern Tandem Rally, and a Midwest Tandem Rally (huge with approximately 550 tandem teams). I have not seen any large pacelines at those events that compare to the ones we have participated in at TTR.
Bloomington, IN
Others reading can correct any misperceptions I have given about the pacelines at TTR.
TandemGeek
They're not true pace lines which is why I call them 'drafting lines'. As BC notes, the Friday ride starts off at a friendly pace that permits the fairly large group to ride two abreast in two long lines. The six or eight tandems at the front tend to be folks who ride together at many of these events who will take turns pulling then move to the left and drop back in a third line paralleling the two main lines... then drop into a gap when one appears in the two main lines.
The only places where you'll usually see a true pace line with the right hand line of tandems peeling off as soon as they reach the front of the 'work' line into the 'rest' line are at rallies with a lot of wide-open roads on flat or gently rolling terrain, e.g., the Southern Tandem Rallies at Selma, Alabama and Tallahassee, Florida come immediately to mind and some of the early Georgia Tandem Rallies out in Madison and perhaps even Statesboro may have had a few of these lines working. I also want to say there was one going for a short while at the Midwest Tandem Rally near Dayton, Ohio, which included Dennis Bushnell and his brother as one of the teams, aka. Wilbur and Orville.
It takes just the right mix of teams where all of the captains have fairly good bike handling and group riding skills. The whole thing breaks down as soon as:
1. A team gets on the front of the working line and stays there, or
2. A team doesn't grasp the concept of drifting back in the rest line
3. A team can't maintain a smooth and even pace who gaps and surges in the work line,
4. The terrain begins to get hilly or technical.
jgg3
Yes, that is why I was asking. It seemed too amazing to be true (a fully rotating double paceline). Still, a very neat photo; I need to show the stoker. I don't really expect to see this at the ETR from what I have read.
CGinOhio
Personally, I have a hard time remembering names - I'm much better at remembering faces so I will be introducing and re-introducing myself to many.
BC,
I agree. I know we met you and others at the '07 ETR and I sure to remember your faces (and the nice looking Santana you were riding) if not your names. Safe travels and see you there.
Chris
CGinOhio
If I did this correctly, below is a link to a few random pictures taken by my stoker during the TTR and from our ride in Cades Cove before the rally. Despite the 90-95F temps we had a great time. Next time we will try to get a few more miles under our belts before the rally and hopefully make it up the Metcalf Bottoms climb without stopping.
http://picasaweb.google.com/CSSHGrant/2008TennesseeTandemRally?authkey=9iQ2aRHQHu8
oldacura
Nice photos!
How about some stats? Mileage, average speed, amount of climbing, temperature & humidity, etc.?
Fiddledust
With highs in the low to mid 90s, the temperatures were unseasonably warm for this time of year. Humidity was normal (high). Friday's ride had about 1500 feet of climbing up into the Smoky Mountain Park. The climbing came over a relatively short distance. This is not the norm for rides in this area. In this part of the country most 50 mile rides include 2500 to 3000 feet of climbing. 16 to 18 mph average speeds are common. There is more information on the TTR website. Courtesy of TG you can find it here: http://www.thetandemlink.com/TTR/TTR_Schedule.html .
Oscar
CGinOhio
I mapped the rides we did. However the Delorme TopoUSA software I used appears to be a little flaky. The overall profiles look correct, but the Metcalf Bottoms ride through the National Park shows spikes in elevation that are not there. Anyway, we averaged 17.8 mph on Fridays ride, I think around 17 on Sat, and 17.8 again Sunday. We seemed to be middle of the pack. Some much faster than us, some slower.
Friday's ride profile:
http://picasaweb.google.com/CSSHGrant/2008TennesseeTandemRally/photo?authkey=9iQ2aRHQHu8#5210389359511806994
Saturday's ride:
http://picasaweb.google.com/CSSHGrant/2008TennesseeTandemRally/photo?authkey=9iQ2aRHQHu8#5210389324528343618
Sunday's ride:
http://picasaweb.google.com/CSSHGrant/2008TennesseeTandemRally/photo?authkey=9iQ2aRHQHu8#5210389343924803122
BloomingCyclist
We had a great time too in spite of the near-record heat. Because of the heat, on the pre-rally Thursday challenge day, organizer Tim recommended that riders not do the planned 100 mile loop with a several thousand feet of climbing. He proposed a shorter 70 mile route which could be stretched to 80 by riding the Cade's Cove Loop as well as a 40 mile route. The group of a dozen riders split about 50-50 for those two options.
We went for the 80 and and rode with the others for some of the route but we weren't able to keep up so we were by ourselves for much of the day. The gradual several mile climb up to Cade's Cove was special with a bear and two cubs off to the side. There was a major bear jam / traffic jam at that point and we had to get off and walk the tandem for a while. The 11 mile Cade's Cove loop was delightful. It's a one-way narrow road loop with a few very slow moving cars. Sometimes we would pass a car and sometimes cars would pass us but it was very calm. Coming down the previous climb was a several mile 30 mph descent - fantastic.
Every day had a great ride but the heat stayed with us. It felt much better moving on the bike than stopping at the occasional rest stop.
CGinOhio posted a photo of them and us coming down the Metcafe Bottoms. We've done it three years in a row now. With the great mountain stream along side the winding road it is a visual and physical delight for several miles of a slight downward grade at 25 mph. It is a memorable ride.
Here are some photos:
1. On the Cade's Cove loop - great peaceful scenery
2. Looking back at the line
3. Looking back at the line again
4. From the back
5. The first Lynskey tandem (from the founders of Litespeed)
6. MTB tandem display / demo rides at Saturday lunch
7. The last Zona tandem built
8. Topolino wheel from Zona (Tandem Geek has them too)
Bloomington, IN
oldacura
So, if a team could average 18mph on their own, if they join with other closely matched teams, how much faster can they go if they cooperate well & share the work?
jgg3
So, if a team could average 18mph on their own, if they join with other closely matched teams, how much faster can they go if they cooperate well & share the work?
This will probably get some arguments, but figure 15%. 18 x 1.15 =~ 20.7.
TandemGeek
Same routes as in CGinOhio's TopoUSA files, but extracted from Debbie's Garmin 305 and scaled in PowerPoint to smooth out some of the spikes and give relative contrast between the three very different rides, all with incredible scenery.
Note that this was really the first time playing with the Garmin 305, so you'll excuse my primitive data manipulation skills and, well, the somewhat flakey elevation readings from the Garmin. Given that Alt runs off of Barometric pressure I must assume that the daily heating and weather changes that took place over the duration of the rides influenced the changes observed in starting and ending altitude readings.