#10WeeksTo100 – Week 3 – Faster is as Important as Farther

Sizzling Century, Kokomo Indiana, 2013

I must admit, during my first decade of riding, preparing for centuries was all about just riding more miles. It was bicycle touring that drew me into the sport, and I never seriously pursued anything competitive beyond a few citizen races (none of which indicated I had a future in bicycle racing).

Most of my early centuries were all-day events, with lavish food and lunch stops, and long breaks off the bike. Through the early 90’s, most of these bike club events were sanctioned by the League of American Wheelmen (later to become the League of American Bicyclists), and their “standard” for a century was to complete the 100 miles in under 12 hours. (Sadly, September as National Century Month as all but disappeared from the current LAB scope of interests.)

Even after I acquired a used Raleigh Pro, a vintage (road) racing bike made in the early 70’s, (and bike #4), it was more for just riding “light” when I didn’t want to ride my fender and rack equipped touring bike. It was fun and sporting, and let me dabble in sew-ups and those few citizen races.

Shady Sag, Sizzling Century 2013

It wasn’t until my late 20’s and early 30’s that speed became a part of my distance regimen. Riding “Sub-6” centuries, just 6 of hours riding or even total time became my goal for more of my long rides, as I also worked on less time off the bike, even riding some solo centuries non-stop.

This was at the same time I was able join fast club ride on a more regular basis, both sport group rides and race training rides. I soon realized that shorter, faster mid-week rides were allowing me to improve my endurance rides, even when they did not approach the pace of midweek fast rides.

Those short, high intensity workouts were making me stronger, and more rested than my previous “all miles, all the time” regimen. And over time, my average speed began to pick up as well, in line with the confidence and experience of riding with those faster groups.
So use your midweek rides to keep yourself more rested and prepared for your longer weekend efforts as you build up your distance. While you may have small increases in distance mid-week, a regular training loop route that is the same distance each week is ideal for your brisk ride day.

Just remember to add the speed incrementally, testing yourself and watching the overall speed. If you average speed was 14 mph in your talk test, riding to maintain 15 ½ to 16 ½ on short evening ride is fine. And you may want to return to your “test ride” loop again, working to improve from your original time for this ride.

Tips to get faster

• Accelerate out of stop signs. Don’t just roll away, stand up and accelerate after a stop to get more quickly back up to speed.
• Shift up and stand on the flats. When there isn’t a hill to be found, it is easy to drop into an easy pace. Shift to a higher gear, stand for 15 to 20 pedal strokes to accelerate, and the settle down at the faster pace. (This is good skill to learn for saddle pain relief too, and we will talk more about that later.)
• Hold that effort at the top of hill. Once you have crested a hill, hold that effort and use it to to accelerate back to your higher pace.
• Use a Tailwind. Don’t just coast along, use a tailwind to learn what your bike feels like going faster.
• Use a Headwind.  A bit more challenging, but strive to maintain your event pace into a wind.  This is just as good a riding faster!

Download the #10weeksto100 Training Framework

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Week 3 of the #10weeksto100. 

Continue to Week 4: Your Bike is Your Training Partner

The series is intended as mentoring, rather than athlete specific coaching. That being the case, these are broad, general guidelines of a riding style and philosophy. You can find the series intro here - Preparing for Your First Long Ride or Century

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#10weeksto100 - Week 2 - The Training Plan

When I talk about my spring riding to prepare for one of my favorite events, novice riders are surprised to hear that I have my first 1,000 miles of riding in so early in the year.  While I start the year with that goal in mind, those miles come about has much by habit as anything else.   A training plan is just that, laying out your weekly preparation so it becomes habit.  By breaking down your training into routine, weekly events, it becomes much easier to accomplish.  And when the preparation becomes a habit, the end goal is much easier to complete.

Our first step in your training plan was to have an end result in mind. With your answers to the 3 questions from week 1, you have given some thought to who you are as a rider and how you want to ride your event. You should also have a MPH base number from  10 mile “talk test” ride. With this information in hand, we can go about creating a training plan.

My suggested training plan is very basic, with a focus on maintaining a schedule for your riding for the 10 weeks leading up your event.  The plan is based on time rather than mileage.  Your first step in your training plan was to have an end result in mind. With your answers to the 3 questions from week 1, you have given some thought to who you are as a rider and how you want to ride your event. You should also have a MPH base number from your 10 mile “talk test” ride. With this information in hand,  your plan is almost done.

At the start of TOSRV, 2007

Each week is a minimum of two 90-minute workout rides*, typically during your work-week, and one long ride that will incrementally increase 30 to 45 minutes per week over the 10 weeks.  While most or your riding will be at your event pace, one ride per week should be a “Pace Plus” ride.   When your schedule allows, you can add additional rides, and you can be flexible and change from the 3, 4 or 5-day schedules I have included.  (In fact, if your life is like mine, you probably will!)

Planning Tip – don’t forget to include and pre and post workout time, along with travel to the ride start, when planning your week.

The ride plan focuses on these three goals:
• Training your body to maintain your event pace
• Exceeding your event pace for an entire ride once per week
• Incrementally increasing your longest ride each week, while maintaining your event pace

Each of the goals supports the other.  Learning a consistent riding pace is the key to endurance riding success, while riding over your event pace for short intervals helps build strength and confidence.  Your endurance ride will build upon what you gain from Pace and Pace Plus rides.  Pace Plus riding under normal conditions will also help you to maintain your planned pace on a windy day or hilly route.  Another important aspect of a Pace Plus ride is that it helps to avoid the risk of overtraining, a common novice mistake.

Another work out type is the Rest and Recovery ride, i.e. going riding just for fun, with no goal in mind.  A short, easy ride, a day or two after your longer ride will help to warm and relax tired muscles.  You will be pleasantly surprised how much better you feel the day after this type of short ride, compared, to just resting for 2-3 days with no activity after a long or challenging ride.

Finally, your workout schedule, like mine, may include bike commuting.  Bike commuting, is typically going to be at or below your event pace.  This is all a factor of the distance you commute, the number of days you can commute, and how much you need to carry along.   My commute of about 10 miles (1 way) is usually 3 days a week, with an easy ride in, and challenging myself more for the ride home.  I then do my pace plus rides on the non-commuting days.  Bike commuting may not work for you for you, but certainly consider it, especially if you feel training time is hard to find.  (See also, How to Find the Time, also in this series.)

The total plan is based on 8-10 weeks.  The number of weeks will vary on base level of fitness, and where you are in your riding season. An early season ride may need the full 10 weeks, but if you are already riding longer distance, you can adjust the schedule, as long as you build up the distance over a few weeks. You may not ride all the way up to your distance, but that is okay.

Here is a quick summary of your different workout rides, and their goal.  With the schedule summaries that follow, you can add these into your calendar (another important habit).

Your Pace workout goal is to maintain your planned event pace for the duration of the ride.
Your Endurance workout goal is to increase your distance at event pace each week.
Your Pace Plus workout goal is to exceed your planned event pace, by 1-2 mph each week.
A Rest and Recovery ride is a short ride at your event pace or easier, to warm up and relax the muscles you have been training.  I sometimes call these “Just Out Riding”, just getting out for the fun of it.
Bicycle Commuting can be used as fits your schedule and needs, from easy base miles, to a Pace Plus ride home at the end of the day.

When you look at the weeks ahead and laying out your you schedule, here is how the different options might look

3-Day Schedule – Tuesday, Pace ride , Thursday – Pace Plus – Saturday – Endurance Day.

4-Day Schedule - Tuesday, Pace Ride , Thursday – Pace Plus – Saturday – Pace Day – Sunday Endurance  Day
- OR - Saturday – Endurance Day – Sunday Pace or  Rest and Recovery Day

5-Day Schedule – Monday – Rest and Recovery Ride Day Tuesday, Pace Ride , Thursday – Pace Plus – Saturday – Pace Day – Sunday Endurance  Day

Download the #10weeksto100 Training Framework

(Revised July 27, 2017)

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Week 2 of the #10weeksto100 series 

 Continue to Week 3:  Faster is as Important as Farther

The series is intended as mentoring, rather than athlete specific coaching. That being the case, these are broad, general guidelines of a riding style and philosophy. 

 You can find the series intro here - Preparing for Your First Long Ride or Century

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#10Weeksto100 - Week 1 - Three Questions to Answer First

Having a clear picture of what you want to accomplish is the one of the keys in setting, and achieving, a goal.  So before you begin to train for your first (or next) endurance event, here are three important questions to ask yourself.  Your answers will guide your training, and help in setting a realistic expectation for your ride.

• What type of rider are you?
• How do you plan to ride your event?
• What pace can you maintain today for 10 miles

Question 1: What Type of Rider Are You?
The first question: “Which type of rider are you?” Besides the competitive cyclist (or the serious cyclist/runner/triathlete), cyclists new to endurance events tend to fall into two broad categories.  Don't confuse these with fitness levels, these are as much about where your cycling fits into other time commitments and pursuits.

A Social Rider

• You ride 40-60 miles per week
• Ride 2-3 times per week (you ride somewhat regularly, but don't make your schedule around it)
• Occasional rides of an hour or two.

If you are just a social rider now, the weekly miles you will be adding will be bit more challenging. You will need to find more time in your schedule for riding to meet your longer distance goals. You will need to learn some new habits for comfort during your riding.


A Sport/Fitness Rider

• You regularly ride over 60 miles per week
• You ride 4-5 times per week, and riding is regular part of your weekly schedule
• Your weekend rides are regularly a couple of hours or more, and you regularly ride an hour more in the morning or evening

Some Sport/Fitness riders may find they have to change habits to ride the time and distance of longer  endurance events. Those with a running or spin background may also be surprised by the longer time commitments, especially for preparing with an event lasting of 6 to 7 hours or longer.

Question 2: How Do You Plan to Ride Your Event?
Your expectation and how you want to ride the event will influence both your training, and what to expect the day of the ride. For the first time, recreational endurance rider, consider these two broad categories.

A "Social" Century Event

• Total Time of 10-12 hours
• Riding Time of 7 to 10 hours - average speed between 10 and 14 mph 

On a social century, you are riding to make the distance, while stopping to smell the flowers. You are enjoying the scenery, riding alone or in a small social group, taking breaks and eating a sit down lunch or snacks.

A "Fast" Century Event

• Total time - Under 8 hours
• Riding time - under 7 hours - averaging 14 mph or better

On a fast century, you are riding with a specific time in mind, and you are training for that goal. You may be riding in a group for the pace line advantage. Any breaks from riding are short stops to pick-up water and snacks.


Which sounds like you? Which matches your expectations? There is no right or wrong way to “do” a distance event; that is part of the beauty of cycling. I have done both kinds of distance rides, and enjoy each for their unique rewards. I have ridden for the challenge of a personal best time, or for the variety of scenery you can see in 60 to 100 miles of Michigan coastline. The choice is yours to make, however, it is important to have the right expectation during BOTH your training and during your event.

(I have deliberately left out the competitive event. Endurance competition is the next level, and this series is intended for novice and recreational riders.)

Question 3: What pace can you maintain for 10 miles?

Your final last question is “What Pace Can you maintain for 10 miles?” This is not your fastest 10 miles, but at the best speed you can comfortably ride while still able to maintain a conversation. This time trial (ride against the clock) test helps find a useful base-line for your training plan.

There are 3 reasons knowing your pace is important. First, it will help you set a realistic expectation for your event. Second, it going to be an important base number for training rides over the next several weeks. And finally, it will also provide you a measure of your improvement over time, a great motivationally aid.

Ideally, this simple test can be the middle 10 miles of a ride of about 15 to 20 miles, and on a loop or route you know. Don’t worry about the effect of traffic signs (obey them). If it looks like a windy day, try riding 5 miles out into the wind, and then 5 miles back to even out the effect.

It is also very important that you are able to maintain a conversation, (sometimes referred to as the "talk test"), during this ride. Passing the talk test is the simplest way to insure you are staying aerobic, and riding below your anaerobic threshold.  For both recreational and sport/fitness riders, most your endurance riding should be using your aerobic capacity.

We all have limited amount of time we can spend at our “best” or fastest effort. Our aerobic pace is what we can maintain for a much longer period of time. A recreational endurance rider, needs to stay at an aerobic level of effort as much as possible.

Over the next 10 weeks, you are going to be focused on improving your aerobic fitness and endurance.  While you are going to see some improvement in your speed over time, your success in long events is going to be while you are riding in your aerobic range.


Weekly Riding Goals: 4 Rides and your 10-mile pace test

You should be riding about 4 times a week now; a couple of weeknight evening rides and a couple weekend rides, with one focusing on riding a longer distance. We will add more details with next week.

Include your 10 miles pace ride, and in week two we show you how to include that information as you build your training habit.

With my son Tyler and our tandem, on TOSRV 2008.

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Week 1 of the #10weeksto100.

Continue to Week 2:  The Training Plan

The series is intended as mentoring, rather than athlete specific coaching. The being the case, these are broad, general guidelines of a riding style and philosophy.

You can find the series intro here - Preparing for Your First Long Ride or Century


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#10weeksto100 - Preparing for Your First Long Ride or Century

After learning to ride in comfort and at a reasonable pace, riding farther becomes the next goal for many new riders. Where the focus on power, speed and bike handling of competitive cycling can be intimidating, distance or endurance cycling events are both personally rewarding and fun experiences for riders at any age or skill level.

There are many different ways to be introduced to endurance riding:

• As part of a health goal to improve overall fitness or to lose weight.
• Participating in a charity ride like the Tour De Cure or MS150, that may include daily distances up to 100 miles.
• Vacationing on a multi-day bicycle tour like Ohio's GOBA, Iowa's RAGBRAI or Michigan's DALMAC.
• A more ambitious goal, like the160 mile RAIN (Ride Across Indiana In One Day).
• Or just for the fun it!

Ohio's TOSRV, held every May

Whatever your interest or goal, over the next 10 installments, this series will help you prepare for a fun and comfortable ride through a progressive, weekly riding plan. While this series is focused on a 100-mile ride, (also referred to as a century), this program can be used for preparing for rides of 50 miles (roughly 3 hours of saddle time) or more. In general, riding for 3-4 hours or more can be considered endurance riding. This series can also help you prepare for a multi-day bicycle tour.

It is important to understand that Endurance training is preparing your body in three different ways:

• Cardio Conditioning: Training your heart and lungs for long, steady workouts
• Muscular Conditioning: Legs, back, shoulders, neck and arms all play a role in endurance riding
• Mental Conditioning: This is developing the habits of training, nutrition, pacing and most of all, confidence. Your mental conditioning may also be in making the shift from shorter running or gym workouts to an “all-day” activity like a century or multi-day tour.

During the course of the series, I will also share advice on bike maintenance, clothing, gear and nutrition. I am going to assume you have the bicycle basics covered; a bike you are comfortable riding, a basic understanding of riding safely, and basic cycling skills like shifting. It is also important that you have a bike computer for tracking your speed and miles. You will learn more as you progress, and I am available to answer questions and give advice on all the related aspects.

Week 1:  Three Questions to Ask
Week 2:  The Training Plan
Week 3:  Faster is as Important as Farther
Week 4: Your Bike is Your Training Partner
Week 5: Getting Your Bike Gear in Order
Week 6: Training Aches and Pains
Week 7: How To Find the Time
Week 8: Drink, Eat, Repeat
Week 9: Be Visible, Be Predictable, Be Aware
Week 10: Ten Tips from Experience

Jay on RAIN, 2012

About Jay Hardcastle:  I rode my first century in 1974, riding in cut-off jeans and a t-shirt on a steel-wheeled bike.  Since that first ride, I have ridden over 167 100+ mile events, including the Tour of the Scioto River Valley (2 days 210 miles), the Cascades Bicycle Club Seattle To Portland (1-day, 210 miles), The RAIN Ride (160 miles), the Apple Cider Century and dozens of smaller and ad-hoc centuries.  This experience also includes over 40 events on tandems, and over a half dozen done on a loaded touring bike.

Since 2005, I have taken a special interest in offering guidance to first time century riders, often accompanying them on spring and summer rides here in Indiana.  This series grew from that experience, and was also presented as a special clinic sessions for Bicycle Garage Indy in 2013 and 2014

Coaching vs. Mentoring: This series is intended as mentoring, rather than athlete specific coaching. That being the case, these are broad, general guidelines of a riding style and philosophy.

Medical Advisory: PLEASE consult your physician if you have a chronic condition requiring medication. Endurance riding and training, and the hydration and nutrition changes they bring about, may all have an impact on your medication’s effectiveness and daily needs.

June 2021 Update:  My century total is now 167, and in October of 2018 I rolled over 200,000 lifetime road miles. 

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2015: Road Tire Update

I have already covered our tandem tires for the 2015 season, so I thought I would cover my road bikes experiences.   This was the year I decided that one size does fit all for my road bikes. I had run 700x25 Continental Gatorskins on my Domane for last couple of season.  However, when it came time to replace them, just before TOSRV (2015), I decided to go with 700x28 Bontrager AW R2.   I made the switch for comfort, durability and some KISS convenience.

My tire test lab documentation.

First off, I was looking for little bit more forgiving ride on secondary, chip-n-seal roads, and for my road riding in general.   And the general conditions of road were a factor, wanting a little more insurance for the holes and patching on so many road today.  Combined with the general consensus that larger diameter tires have a lower rolling resistance, it made sense to make the change.

The other reason for the switch was to standardize my spare tubes and bike kits.  For some of my all-day endurance events riding the Domane, I swap the seat bag for an Arkel Randoneur rack and Tailrider rack trunk combo.  The Tailrider is normally on my Assenmacher, my full time sport-touring bike with a rear rack.  By going to 700x28 on both bikes, I didn’t have to worry about a tube miss-match when fixing a flat, or the hassle of moving the correct tubes between bags.

About the only downside for this was the need for a computer reset after changing the tire size. And even that is becoming less important in a GPS-based world. (And I will reset Domane’s computers once I have to change the battery.)

I was also curious to try the Bontrager AW series (I am basically my own tire test lab), having run a set of RL All Weathers on my Assenmacher until the spring of 2014.  So far, I have been very pleased  AW 2 (Hard Case Lite, Aramid bead, 60 TPI casing and 330 grams).  They are an easy mounting Kevlar bead tire, and have run flat-free for over 2,000 miles.  They have no significant cuts, and based on the siping wear, I am likely to see them go over 3,500 miles, especially after rotating the front to rear during upcoming off-season.

Anecdotally, they were a great riding.  Since I was riding the wired bead 700x25, the weight different was only 25grams per wheel.  They handled well for both club and endurance rides (4 centuries and a half dozen 50 mile plus rides) on just about every road surface from crushed limestone to new pavement.

The Hard Case compound has been very cut resistant, and does not "grab" stone chips.
The earlier RL AWs had a soft tread compound that allowed stone chips to embed, resulting in some annoying road flats as they pushed through case, or ended up causing cuts in the tread.

Softer compound tires can be problematic in that way, and is always one of the trade-offs in tire choice.  Prior to 2011, I had been running the Serfas FPV tires, a great value in steel beaded tires, running very high (3,000+) miles.  But then about 2009-10 Serfas switched to a softer compound and my subsequent sets began to regularly pick up stone chips, resulting in more frequent flats.  It had gotten to the point were I was inspecting the tires every couple of weeks, and using a the edge of knife to pull stone chips out of tread before they could cut through the Kevlar flat prevention band.

While I still inspect tires regularly, the newer, harder AW series (and the Gatorskins) do not require this regular vigilance.  One more bit of maintenance I mentioned in my tandem tire article, I am going to rotate tires front to rear during the cold weather season this year.  Im expecting an extra couple of riding months per tire set, along with cutting down my collection of "leftover" high mileage front tires.

My Domane with Arkel rack and Tailrider, TOSRV 2015

As a side bar, how have I kept track of the tires I am using? I have pretty simple method, and it is not tied directly to my extensive bike logs.  When I mount a new set of tires (or install any new component), I write the install date and the bike on the packaging  (or just the cut out details), and that is tossed into into a file drawer on the bottom shelf of my tool bench.  At one time, I had a complete collection of empty component boxes almost every component I had purchased.  But over time, it became impractical to explain this large quantity of empty boxes to my more sensible spouse, who also did not want a large collection of empty boxes packed and moved, regardless of the origin and history.


And now that the 2015 riding season is officially closed, I can share this; I decided to pickup CO-2 inflators for 2015.  And then I went the whole season without a flat on the road*. When tires run trouble free for 4,000+ miles, the bicycle life is good.


*Tire karma will prevent me from EVER mentioning this again.

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1975: My First Tandem

From my start with my first road bike in January of 1973, things happened very fast.  After just one full season, I had my eyes set on a bike upgrade, and in July of 1974 I went from steel wheels on an unknown tubing to alloy wheels and components on a cromoly, double-butted frame.  And then in June of 1975, I bought a tandem.

Ready to leave for Toledo, my brother Todd and I - 1976

I graduated high school in 1975, with no real plans except working and taking a few community college classes in the fall.  The only thing I was was looking forward too was another DALMAC, and that soon evolved into to riding with a some friends to Lansing for the start, and then riding back from Mackinaw City.  But that all came later.

As was local tradition, my high school graduation included an open house, and I accumulated a pretty large (for the `70’s) amount of cash, almost $200.  For an aspiring cook/dishwasher, that was a couple of weeks pay.  About that same time, at a meeting of my bike club at the time, the Jackson Freewheelers, I heard at about a used tandem.  It was already on its third owner, who had to let it go due to some health issues.  The bikes was being sold for $100, and the week after my open house, I made some calls, and it was mine. I borrowed Dad’s pickup truck to bring it home, and found a spot for it on the wall in my bedroom, resting on my rollers (another bicycle related acquisition).

It was a Gitane Interclub Men’s/Mixte tandem, with a frame built from no-name steel.  It was painted white with red lettering and some black pin-striping.  It had drop bars in front and flat bars for the rear, downtube shifters, and steel Suntour derailleurs.  The back of the tandem was only about 20 inches, and there was only about 21” between the seat tubes, making the fit very difficult for any adult with any height at all, for for anyone who wanted to lean over.  (I would only learn about the significance of the fit issues later).

The wheels had chrome steel rims and the rear wheel had a massive hub brake (I would learn it was actually intended for use on mopeds).  The steel cranks were cottered, meaning a pin through the crank arm wedged against a flat spot on the bottom bracket axle to hold them in place.  The tandem probably weighed at least 60 pounds.

I first had to learn how to keep a tandem running, from finding tandem length cables for the rear derailleurs and brakes, adjusting the timing chain tension with the eccentric on the front bottom bracket and learning how to keep it adjusted for riding.  It was a 10 speed (2x10, back in the dark ages).  And once I had it rolling, stopping it was a challenge to, since the dried out Mafac rubber brake pads (on Mafac cantilever brakes) had almost grab on the steel rims, and the drum brake, at best,  barely slowed the bike.

Next,  I had to figure out was who to ride it with.  I had been fascinated with tandems since encountering one on the 1974 DALMAC.  I was hoping it would be fun riding with other riders (specifically, girls!).  It turned out that finding other riders proved to be very challenging, due in part to the small nearby cycling community and my lack of transportation for the first few years I owned it.

Over the next 3 years, while it was ridden just a handful of times each year, I did have some memorable tandem outings.  One of my younger brothers joined me for a 50-mile ride to Toledo to visit our grandparent’s, with Mom driving us home.  I took a few non-riding friends out for random rides of 10 miles or so.  The longest ride came when a friend from my bike club and I rode it 60 miles on our club’s annual fall ride.

I moved to Lansing in 1978, and by the time I met Linda the following summer,  the tandem had not been ridden in 5 or 6 months, and had been partially disassembled for the move and for some cable replacements.  The end result was our first tandem ride was more memorable for all the things that went wrong, rather than the start of lifelong tandem love affair.

Walt of Walt's Bike Shop, adding a second set of cantilevers - 1981

A year later, Linda and I were both living in Missouri for her last year of college, and we began to ride the tandem in earnest that fall. I had spent the summer fixing up the tandem, and that fall, after I started working full-time at Walt’s Bike Shop, I was able to actually begin improving things.  I added better saddles for both us, and found new brake pads.  We were fortunate in that Linda even fit ok on the back for the short, 10-15 mile rides we were starting to enjoy.

But after what I thought would be some routine maintenance, we uncovered the tandems achilles heel. Overhauling the bottom brackets had required removing the factory cotter pins, and that became a running disaster.  Despite trying new cotter pins from multiple sources, I could not find a replacement cotter that would last for more than 20 miles of riding. Within the very first miles, we would start hearing squeaks, and finally one of the four crank arms, usually the front right,  would begin moving on its spindle. I would have to start soft-pedaling for the rest of the ride. On one longer ride, I had to set another pin to get us back to our apartments.  So after a handful of rides in the fall of 1980, the tandem was put up for the winter.

I did some research and found the only readily available crankset for a tandem and my budget was the French-made Specialites T.A. Tandem crankset. This was not sold as a set, I had to order it piecemeal, specifying all the parts; French threaded bottom bracket cups, 2 different length bottom bracket spindles, and the correct combinations of timing rings, drive rings, crank arms, and bolt sets to create a complete tandem crankset. Putting together that crankset order contributed to my reputation with my new co-workers as a tandem expert.

I put together and placed my order, and soon it all arrived, each set of parts sealed in plastic bags with the blue T.A. globe logo and french descriptions.  I carefully assembled the chainrings and crank arms, and we pulled the steel cranks for the last time.  I carefully packed the loose bearing bottom brackets with Phil Wood grease, and installed the cotterless crank arms. With pedals and chains in place, I adjusted the derailleurs for the triple crankset, which gave us our first “granny” gear, and this opened the door to new riding possibilities on the hills and valley’s around Columbia, Missouri.

So in the spring of 1981 we began our first set of longer rides, no longer limited by an impending crank failure. We packed a small picnic, and rode south from Columbia to Easley on the Missouri River, learning the patience for long granny climbs and the excitement of fast tandem descents.  With each ride, we began to realize that tandeming was our thing.

Yet at the same, we were learning that the Gitane was ill-suited for our tandem future.   The brakes squealed like a wounded animal when applied on any hill, and even with 3 brakes, there remained an uncertainty in my ability to stop the bike. To do away with the near useless hub brake, and to prepare for alloy wheels I was saving for, I worked with with Walt Garrard of Walt’s who brazed an additional set of cantilever brake bosses to the the mixte stays.

With our new confidence in the drivetrain, we could both began to pedal aggressively, and when we did the bike would sway and shimmy, to the point that Linda once asked “Can this bike break up?”.  And while the front sizing put me in a good position, we realized the the stoker compartment would never be comfortable for Linda on any longer rides.

By late spring our schedule was consumed with our impending wedding, along with Linda’s graduation and grad school plans. I already knew a custom builder, who had 14-month waiting list for his tandems, and I was researching brands like Jack Taylor and others.  I was going to a bike rally later in the summer and would look for more tandems then.   So I put the word out that the tandem was for sale, and a week later, I had an offer of $500!  Another rider was looking for a “kid-back” tandem to get his young kids riding, something the Gitane was perfect for.

So with a little bit of hesitation, in the spring of 1981,  we let the Gitane move on to owner number five.  We knew we had the tandem “bug”, but for now we had to focus on the next phase of our lives that was about to begin.  We knew another tandem would come along in a few years, after our lives had settled down.

Or so we thought.

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2015: The un-ridden tour

So after wrapping up my ride from Missouri to Indiana, the next next step in my connect the dots campaign was a ride to Michigan.  Effectively, I only needed to ride from the Ft. Wayne area to my childhood home in Brooklyn to connect those miles, however, I wanted start the ride from our driveway in Carmel.   My 40th high school reunion was coming up in 2015, and that would be the perfect timing.  Throughout the fall and winter, that next tour was in the back of my mind.

1979 -with Mom at the farm near Brooklyn, MI.

I thought about gear changes, a different bike (something more gravel friendly, probably the Trek 920), a few changes in electronics, and a schedule that was not quite as aggressive (60 to 75 miles per day).  I would have the vacation time, a plan for the new bike and confidence it would all fall into place.

There would be a some variations on the route to consider.  One option was to go straight north (the Indiana USBR option), and along the way “touch” rides in Northern Indiana and southwest Michigan, plus enjoy an night’s camping near Lake Michigan.  Or there was the northeast route, following the Wabash to Ft. Wayne, then the across from Coldwater, riding near US 12, or maybe up the Indiana/Ohio border.

Whatever the route, I would end up home in Brooklyn.  From there my connected dots would go from my grandparents’ in Toledo (1975), to Lansing and DALMAC (`74, 75, 79, `08 & `09), and then from Detour Village (solo in `77 & `79) in the eastern UP, across the Soo into Canada (`79) and all the way to Green Bay, Wisconsin (Linda and I on the tandem, `83).  All told, I have over 20,000 “Michigan” miles, from the years before I left in 1980, and the biking trips since.

1983 - Leaving the farm, headed for the UP.

But one other important part of the trip, would be again ride up to the house and to see Mom. Before leaving home, my longest multi-day ride and many weekend had started from home.  I moved to Lansing in the fall 1978, and the following spring I had ridden home for a weekend, when this picture was taken, Mom and I, with my touring bike, in the front yard.

Mom had been the reliable enabler of all my early biking, starting with running me around to the few bike shops near home, where I purchased the limited gear I could afford.  She dropped me off at many of the first rides I attended before I could drive myself.  And most important of all, for signing off on me riding my first DALMAC adventure, even though I was little less responsible than I should have been in keeping touch while on the road.

This picture was just a few weeks before I met Linda, the summer that what would be the “peak” of my single bike touring.  That same summer I would ride a week-long trip in Michigan’s UP, a weekend trip with Linda, and another DALMAC. I was using my home-made front bags on a British made Karrimor rack, my Svea stove and cook kit, and my 1 & ½ man A-frame tent.  The only miracle fabric I wore was wool, and the chamois in cycling shorts was still leather.  My shoes for touring were canvas and rubber Beta Bikers, and I was still wearing tube socks. I had stopped packing jeans, but still rode with a rugby shirt.

I assume that Dad took the picture, and in looking back that is very special.  Dad had helped me get my first SLR camera in time for my `74 DALMAC. I used that same camera to shoot pictures for my high school yearbook (Dad had shot pictures for his high school yearbook with an Argus C3, which I used before my SLR). It was thanks to Dad, and others, that I usually shot slide film.  During the summer of 1979 I was shooting black and white for a number of projects, including photos for the early Michigan (Bicycle) League newsletter.   We lost Dad in 2012; he couldn’t take the picture, but I knew we could stage it, and I would make sure Mom had both the old and new pictures on her iPad.  She had thousands of picture of family and friends, and added new ones almost every day.

In any case, I went through winter thinking about the plan.  I contacted classmates about my high school reunion, learning the date was set in late August.  That was a tight schedule with with work, but with the late Labor Day, there was no conflict.  The last detail would be getting home by car, but that could wait until all the details were set.

But then some life got in the way.  In May, both Linda and my employment situation changed with little warning, and suddenly everything was up in the air.  We were on the emotional roller coaster of resumes, applications, interviews and rejection.  We both found peace in riding, but no firm plans could be made.  As days turned into weeks, and the the weeks into months, other plans and trips fell victim to the uncertainty.

And then in late July, the never expected call was the biggest blow of all.  A traffic accident took Mom from us too soon.  Thankfully my sister, her twin brother, and my sister’s daughter came away with minor physical injuries, but my entire family was shocked and saddened by news that came in such an unexpected way.  The one anchor for us all that just a few days before their 60th wedding anniversary, Mom and Dad were together again.

Another riding season now winds down, and the un-ridden tour falls into place as something delayed, but not lost.  A summer of tragedy, disappointments and change puts everything in perspective.  Across the years and miles, the memories will still connect, though not always along the path we had planned.