My good friend and long-time riding buddy, Steve Leiby, approached me in mid-August (2024*) about riding the “The Last Revolution” TOSRV (Columbus Outdoor Pursuits/Tour of the Scioto River Valley) coming up the last weekend of September. During our conversation, Steve took me up on the offer to ride my tandem. Over the years, Steve had previously ridden the tandem with me on the 160 mile RAIN ride and a local Gran Fondo century. Steve and I had also ridden multiple TOSRVs on our own bikes, the last time in 2019. Based on that experience, and our plans to ride the upcoming DALMAC 5-Day West route (350 miles over 5 days), we expected to be ready for a good ride just a few weeks later.
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Ready to roll for the first day's century |
As expected, our DALMAC went well, and I also ended up with two centuries rides in August. Our planning for TOSRV continued, and during the last week of September, I prepped the bike for the ride, including new tires and new rear wheel. Along with that, I added a drop bar for Steve in the stoker position, (Linda, my wife, prefers flat bull-horn bars). Once we determined the diameters matched, Steve decided that he would bring his own shock absorbing seat post to use on the tandem.
The weekend of TOSRV arrived, and Steve and I were to meet Friday afternoon in Canal Winchester, Ohio to set up the bike and get in a test ride. He was bringing his bike’s shock post and his pedals, but when he tried to remove the post that morning, it wouldn’t budge. It took Steve about 3 hours to get to his local bike shop, which was able to remove the post without damage, and return home to finish packing. So instead of our meeting for an afternoon shakedown ride, it was almost 7 p.m. when we connected and picked up our packets. After quickly installing his pedals and seat, our test ride became a spin around the parking lot, and we thought we were good to go. We then went and grabbed dinner before heading back to our hotel.
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50 Miles in on Saturday |
As it turned out, we would spend the first 25 miles on Saturday tweaking pedals and cleat adjustment; our newer tandem didn’t fit Steve quite the same as the older tandem used on our previous rides. The explanation was pretty simple; Steve had never ridden our new (2019) Santana, and this bike had slightly wider chain stays, which were clipping Steve’s heel of his left foot.
After we had completed all the adjustments, we were soon riding smoothly. We weren’t riding at an epic tandem pace, just two friends making good time. We had a few miles of frustration leading up to lunch, when a reroute onto on to poorly maintained bike trail, and then it appeared the route required a flight of stairs to reach lunch stop. We were finally directed to the rideable route further down the trail.
After lunch, we continued on to my favorite section of the ride, from Chillicothe to Waverly. This includes Three Locks Road, and the rolling climbs and farmlands before the final descent into the town of Waverly and the Scioto River valley. Even with a few more miles and years on my legs, it was still a fun challenge, and one of my favorite sections of roads for riding a tandem. And it was on the hills that we first noticed the unseasonably warm temperatures, with readings now into the high 90s. This is the hottest weather I had ever encountered on TOSRV.
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My last town out tradition, a fried chicken tender! |
From Waverly to Portsmouth, we made good time, but it was apparent that there were not many riders on this section of the route. The traffic was steady but not heavy, though with fewer riders, the vehicle traffic was also moving faster. We finally arrived in Portsmouth, but unfortunately, the park greeting festivities were already shutting down. We were finishing in under 8 hours, and it was unfortunate that it closed so early; we had passed at least 40 riders as we finished the final 20 miles.
As we made our way to our overnight, we couldn’t have foreseen the impact of the weather on the next day. I had plenty of hot riding this summer and did okay. On the other hand, Steve, coming from central Michigan, ended the day pretty much toasted. The late afternoon temperatures were then combined with less-than-ideal conditions in our overnight location, a high school gym with the air conditioning turned off for the weekend.
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First day finish picture at the Portsmouth murals. |
Steve didn’t sleep well in the warm gym and was feeling off in the morning before the start. We did okay for the first 30 miles and then stopped for some breakfast in Waverly. I knew Steve was not doing well and hoped some breakfast, even McDonald’s, would help, but even the hour stop didn’t seem to improve his spirits. We left just hoping we could make the 25 miles to the lunch stop.
As we resumed our ride through Waverly, Steve was pretty quiet. After the first long climb leaving town. He let me know he would definitely have to bag it at lunch. I was mentally adjusting for that when, halfway up the next climb, Steve asked me to pull over and said he was going to throw up. Just as I got the bike stopped, he was sick before fully dismounting.
I was now dealing with something more serious than disappointment in an unfinished ride. After Steve was safely off the bike and sitting down, I got the tandem off the road and laid down. Thankfully, Steve was not disoriented or showing any signs of serious heat exhaustion, but he was not getting back on the bike. We both tried the ride emergency numbers we had been provided, but in the meantime, a sag vehicle came along, and we were able to get Steve off the side of the road and into the air-conditioned vehicle. Within minutes, a second sag car came up, and this one driven by a paramedic, who proceeded to give Steve a proper medical evaluation, and determined we didn’t need an ambulance. The sag was going to take Steve on to the lunch stop, and that took care of our primary issue; if he was going to need more help, that would be decided at the lunch stop. (We later learned a handful of riders had left the ride on Saturday with serious heat exhaustion symptoms, some by ambulance.)
Issue two was now advancing me and the tandem the remaining 67 plus miles to my Caravan at the finish. Our Santana’s thin-wall tubing is not really compatible with the bumper racks on the sags, and no pickup or vans were officially supporting the route, so I would be riding at least 17 miles to the lunch stop in Chillicothe. If this was a flat course, that would not be too big of a challenge. However, the miles ahead were some of the most scenic rolling hills on the TOSRV route. While I would be okay on the flats and climbing, I would have to keep the speed below 15 mph on every downhill. Much faster than that, I would need to use both the front and rear brakes, and without the weight of a rear rider, there would be a risk of the rear wheel locking up and skidding. I had done that once riding a tandem solo, damaging the rear tire and almost crashing, and I did not want to repeat that experience.
Once the sags had moved on with Steve, I started out, first finishing the hill we had stopped on. That was followed by some easy rollers, some with straight hills I felt comfortable rolling out, another where I had to ride slowly to make a left turn on the bottom. I was making progress, but it was frustrating having to focus on keeping the speed down, rather than enjoying a full-speed tandem descent and roll-out. Soon I was past Schoolhouse Hill, and made the turn onto Three Locks Road.
As I was riding, I was assessing what the rest of the day would bring. While I could probably physically finish solo on the tandem, it would be a long and lonely ride. Between the long breakfast and the stop with the sag, we had already been off the bike over 90 minutes. And the reality of the assistance Steve might need, and the possibility he still might require a hospital or ER visit if he was any worse by the time he got to the lunch stop, I realized, and accepted, my day’s riding, and my final TOSRV, would be finishing a little short.
With that resolved in my mind, I relaxed and worked to enjoy the run north up Three Locks Road. This would make my 22nd run north on the road and the 10th time on a tandem. The road is halfway up the riverside bluff and shares the hillside with railroad track and the long-abandoned canal. If you know where to look, you can still see the walls of one of the three locks, just below the road grade. A few riders passed me along the way, with some friendly chatter and ribbing about my missing rear rider. After about 12 miles, a large van pulled alongside and the driver asked if I needed help. I quickly said “YES”, and she went ahead a short distance and pulled over.
The Transport style van was a private sag for a small group of riders behind me, and she was going to connect with them at the Chillicothe lunch stop. There was plenty of room in the van, and we loaded the tandem in the back. I would need to hold it upright for the 5 miles into town, but that worked out fine. We chatted a little bit about our experience, and it even turned out I had some 2nd-degree bike industry connections with the riders she was supporting.
Finally arriving at the lunch stop, I was able to leave the tandem with the van while I went looking for Steve. Adversity builds trust quickly as I left a $5,000 bike loaded in the van of someone I had met just 20 minutes before. In the course of the next 30 minutes, speaking with Steve, the ride organizers, my “savior” van driver, and a pair of riders who were finishing in Chillicothe, we worked out the logistics. Steve and I had a ride to Canal Winchester, which got Steve quickly into air conditioning (it was still over 80 degrees in the lunch tent, and he had been there over an hour). Meanwhile, my tandem would be dropped off with the 75-mile sag crew in Circleville. I would drive back from Canal Winchester to pick it up (more adversity built trust in action). As long as I kept moving, I would be able to collect my tandem before the Circleville sag closed.
By the end of our hour-long drive to the start/finish, Steve was doing much better, and we quickly found our baggage and got it loaded into our respective vehicles. Thankfully, Steve was able to drive himself back to his hotel, having already made a reservation for another night while waiting for me in the Chillicothe lunch stop. After a quick change out of my cycling kit, I was on the way to Circleville, where I retrieved my tandem, from under the watchful eye of the sag crew with about an hour to spare. With bike and luggage, I could have driven home, but I headed back to Canal Winchester, both to see how Steve was doing and to check in for my “Last Revolution”.
At the ride finish, the event director knew about the tandem team with issues from our morning voicemails. I thanked him for both the normal and special support we had received. I know from personal experience supporting a small event, with a limited budget, is very challenging, and the organizers had done well. He then handed me finish certificates and included the gold seals, based on our efforts during the day.
My next stop was Steve’s hotel. I called Steve from the parking lot, and then proceeded to remove his pedals, saddle, and seat post from the tandem. He had been able to get a small lunch down and was feeling better, but he was quite happy to not have a 6-hour drive back to Lansing that afternoon. After handing him his gear, we took a quick picture, and then I was on the road for my drive home. Despite all the logistics juggling, I was headed back at close to a normal time for wrapping up a TOSRV Sunday. Along the way, I called both my wife and Steve’s, giving them an update on Steve and a recap of the afternoon. I pulled into my driveway just a little after 8 p.m., concluding my 22nd TOSRV weekend.
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With our finish certificates on Sunday |
It is ironic that my 22nd TOSRV, 46 years after my first, was the most challenging one, and the only one that I would not complete (I guess you could argue that makes 21.7). In the end, any sense of disappointment was far outweighed by the relief that my friend’s medical issues were not serious. We have already had a few laughs about it, and will continue to do so on the next event we ride and those that will follow. Every TOSRV I rode has a unique collection of memories, and the Last Revolution proved to be no exception.
*Yes, it is a little odd to post this over a year after the fact, but sometimes, that is just the way things happen. JSH