This isn't intended to start a "my dog's bigger than your dog" thread; it's just provided to add some perspective....

It's actually quite common for many of the "more spirited" tandem teams to hit or exceed the mid-40's. Our personal high water mark was 63 mph along Talladega Scenic Drive, near Anniston, Alabama in the Spring of 1997. Closest we've been to that is 59 mph several times in the North Georgia and North Carolina mountains. In fact, mid-50's are quite common on our rides in the North Georgia mountains, noting that we hit 54 mph twice coming into Blue Ridge, GA, two weekends ago. We see the mid-40's on just about every ride that has a hill of any appreciable size.

The key ingredients for warp speed descents are:
1. A Stoker with a very competitive spirit of adventure;
2. Confidence in your bike handling skills;
3. Confidence in your equipment (with special emphasis on tires & brakes);
4. The Stoker's confidence in your skills and the condition of your machine;
5. Gravitational pull from the earth;
6. An aerodynamic profile; and
7. The willingness to tempt fate and accept the consequences if you "screw the pooch" or have a patch of bad luck.