Very sorry to hear about your father-in-law, Bob. We are going through that with my mother-in-law, though it doesn't look like it will prevent us from riding on the 26th.
I sympathize with Sharon regarding riding over rough ground on the back of a tandem. The stoker has no way of anticipating the jolts because he/she can't see in front of the bike. This makes it kinda painful. It is why we don't own the Cannondale mountain tandem I could have grabbed for cheap last year.
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Michael Shiffer
EuroMeccanicany.com