Tandemonium!!!

TANDEMONIUM!

Tandems. They're wicked fast. As long as you're going downhill or across a flat road. But, they climb like a dog. Especially if you have 2 guys over 6 feet and over 150 lbs. 

In the mid nineties, a riding partner of mine and I decided that, with as much as we trained together, and as well as we knew each-other, we should contest the national tandem time trial championships.

We were both riding on the pro-am level and so we were doing vast quantities of miles on our respective road bikes. So, we agreed we'd train on the tandem weekly while managing our own racing schedules.

Strangely enough, we found a local tandem shop that was willing to sponsor us with a well equipped bike and some skinsuits. Because you've got two pairs of legs on a tandem, you can pedal MUCH larger gears. And, so, we had them fit a 56 tooth chainring on it and longer than average cranks.

We even took it on the local group ride now and then. And we'd get to the front of the peleton and pull like hell just shredding people's legs.

We did our first national championship TT on it in 1995 in Seattle. We had both contested many national championships in our careers. We had each even medaled a few times over the years. So, performing well at a high pressure event was not new to us.

It rained the day of the event. We lined up confident and excited. And more than a little curious to see how we would fare. A well known pro who was a time trial specialist had shown up with partner and we knew he would be extremely fast.

We rolled up for our start time ready to go. The starter counted us down and off we went. We scorched our way to the turn-around and knew we were on a good ride. As we rounded the cone in the road and stood up to sprint the bike back up to speed, we heard the back wheel, a borrowed disc wheel, make an odd popping sound. We kept our heads down and powered along.

Then the back wheel started wobbling.

Then... it was gone...

The back wheel simply... disintegrated in a shower of carbon fiber.

And we were sliding along the road at 50kph (35mph).

Tangled up in the bike and each-other, tumbling and sliding on the wet pavement.

Miraculously, we were relatively unhurt. So, knowing there were neutral support pits along the course we walked the bike to the next pit, got a back wheel, and limped home.

Disaster.

We tried until 2000, taking only one year off in that time, to win that event and get the coveted stars and stripes jersey awarded to National Championship winners.

Finally, in 2000, on the Natchez Trace near Jackson, MS we finally won! It was the culmination of many years of individual and cooperative effort.

And as we stood on the podium and they pulled the stars and striped jerseys over our heads, and hung our medals around our necks, I realized I had been trying since I was 15 to get here.

I looked up and smiled. Then I got on my road bike and went for a short ride to spin out my legs.

The next day I was in the car headed to 2 days of racing in Myrtle Beach.

The show must go on...