We know and have been working on the hills a lot. I also told Bittersweet that she had to do all the work after Bill's Hill. Since her ride stops in Marion so far she is ok with that. We expect a steady pace to the first rest stop, warming up, not too fast. This will actually be the hardest leg for us, with so many other riders and adrenalin pumping it is just too easy to go out too fast. After the first rest stop we will "kick it up a notch" and try to maintain a good pace to Bill's Hill. That is where I will finally find out if Bittersweet is willing to suffer. I have always told her that epic rides are not about the miles or the speed, but how well you manage the pain!

Our tandem looks a bit different than the picture. We managed to strip nearly five pounds of weight off the bike with some judicious upgrades, faster wheels, lighter brakes, etc. We tweaked saddle position over the spring and added aero bars so I can rest on the straighter sections. I hope we have not set too ambitious a goal for ourselves