For those going to the Southern Tandem Rally I have acquired the route files for all the standard routes and have provided them in jpeg format. Click on the image for a larger view. If you want more details then e-mail me at kwyer@comcast.net and I can send a route sheet or a more detailed map.

Friday looks great in that we are getting way out in the country on some roads that should have very little traffic.

Saturday looks good also with a lot of time along the river and the climbs look very manageable.

I do not have the files for the KOM options. You are on your own you crazy people.

3S3M on a Tandem Baby!!!!!

Hope and I achieved another milestone this last weekend by riding our tandem for the 101.43 miles of the 20th annual "Three State, Three Mountain"(3S3M) challenge in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This year over 2,300 bicyclist took on the challenge of getting up over Signal Mountain in Tennessee, Sand Mountain in Alabama, and Lookout Mountain in Georgia which ammounts to arond 8,600 feet of climbing for the day.

May thanks to the Attril tandem of Ed and Fran for lending us a wheel to ride for most of the day and to Phil Schare for "keeping an eye on our 6" and lending encouragement.

Some Stats from the day:

Keith, Calories Burned : 6,243

Hope, Calories Burned: 4,300+

Total Distance: 101.43 miles

Feet of Climbing: Approx. 8,600

Ride Time: 6:43

Total Time: 8:22

Average Speed: 14.4

Top Speed: 51.9 mph (Yes, Really)

Flats: 1 for our Tandem and 1 for Ed and Fran's, 0 for Phil this year - yea!

Pre-Ride Consumption

Keith - PBJs:1, Milk: 1, Gatoraid: 1

Hope - PBJs:1, Milk: 1, Gatoraid: 1

Ride Consumption

Keith - Oatmeal Cream Pies: 1, PBJs: 3, Fig Newtons: 9, Oranges: 4, Cliff Bars: 2, Bottles of Water: 2, Bottles of Gatoraid: 8.

Hope - Oatmeal Cream Pies: 4, PBJs: 4, Bannas: 1.5, Bottles of Water: 2, Bottles of Gatoraid: 2.

Post Ride Consumption

Keith - Pizza Slices: 4, Cokes: 3

Hope - Pizza Slices: 4, Cokes: 1; Beers: 1/2

Mountain Bike Trip to LBL

For those of you who don't know LBL stands for Land Between the Lakes which is a large federal park between Clarksville, TN and Paducah KY. It has a great mountain bike trail at the north end of the LBL peninsula called the Canal Loop. The loop is about 12 miles long with the east side being less hilly that the west side. The terrain is fairly rocky so it dries well after rain and holds up over time. I have been riding there for over 7 years now and it is a great trail.

Hope and I were looking to get multiple rides in over the 3 day weekend with some grandparent over site of Abby but the weather did not co-operate and we only got one good ride in Friday morning before the rain, winds and cold weather set in for the weekend. Our one loop was a good one though and the trail was in great shape. Some one had been doing some great trail maintenance and integrating some trees that had fallen across the trail at different locations with built up log crossings of varing technical difficulties with some "blue" go-arounds for the less brave or skilled.

If you are wanting to go and ride at LBL it takes about 1:45 minutes to get there from Nashville and you just park at the North Welcome Center and the trail starts and ends there.

Also there is a very nice campground called Hillman Ferry just 3 miles south of there which has a connector trial to the Canal Loop and makes for a nice 18 mile ride from the campground. Rustic camping is also available for a $10.00 annual fee very close by.

Also of note is that the main north south highway going through LBL has been repaved and is buttery smooth.

First Baby Pull with the Tandem

We pulled the baby trailer with the tandem for the first time today through Percy Werner Park on the challenging 11 mile loop. Every thing went well and we made good time. Abby was great and I think she had fun watching us on the tandem. We had a lot of people doing double takes and cars going by slowly as I do not think they had ever seen a baby trailer behind a tandem, especially in the park with all the hills.

First 2007 Mountain Bike Ride

Thanks to Hope for keeping the baby and letting me head out for a ride at Montgomery Bell with Becky and some or her friends. Rode the "Yellow" trail for the first time and "OUCH" is a word that comes to mind. Usually we ride the Red to the Blue and then take the Green downhill section and back out which would usually take about an hour on a good day. 1:36 for this one trail for me so keep that in your head if you have never ridden the yellow loop as it is a totally different experience from the other trails at Monkey Bell. Lots of abrupt up and downs with momentum killers all over the place. Many tricky turns at the top of steep little hills. I see why "Climbing Queen" Becky really enjoys it, but for the Clydesdale's it is a bear. Becky's neighbor Brian did great with his new hard tail bike and he is a great rider.

Ride Stats:
Distance: NA
Time: 1:38
Avg. Speed: NA
Avg. Heart Rate: 145
Max Heart Rate: 170
Calories Burned: 1588
Total Climb: 2759 (That's what it said, really)

Club Ride on the Tandem

Rode the tandem with Hope today with the Harpeth "Polar Bear Racing Team". Hope is a great stoker and makes for a fun outing with such a great engine on the back. Also thanks to Dirk for keeping us going through the winter. It was a cold, windy, sunny day and the club got to see me in tights for a full ride which I think is a first. Seemed like we had the wind in our face all day until the last leg up Leipers Creek back to the school. Happy to be on the tandem with the wind so bad since it does not seem to get blown around so much. The run in up Leipers Creek road with Larae and Frieda in tow was a blast with what felt like a 25 to 30 mph tailwind we were clipping along around 30 mph for a long time. The gusts were so strong that Freida had to back off because the wind was blowing her into us from behind. It was really weird going that fast and not hearing any wind in your ears and being able to talk to Hope without yelling.

Abby stayed with her friend Savanah and a friend of Shavanah while we got our ride it and she was in a great mood when we picked her up so she and the girls must have had a fun Saturday morning together.

Weather at start: 42 with strong winds, wind chill in the thirties

Ride Stats:
Distance: 32.3
Time: 1:52
Avg. Speed: 16.4 mph
Avg. Heart Rate: 149
Max Heart Rate: 170
Calories Burned: 2158
Total Climb: 1560

1st Family Ride of 2007

February 28th and its 67 degrees outside so we had to get the Munchkin out in the baby trailer for a quick ride. Met Hope and Abby at Deep Well area of Percy Warner off highway 100. Abby enjoyed the swings until I got there after work. She loves the swings! Only had time for the 5.8 mile loop since Abby's happy battery ran out. She enjoyed her books for a while and then got a little bored.

Weather: 67 and Sunny

Critter Count: 14 squirrels, 4 dogs

2nd Night Ride of 2007

2nd night ride of 2007 was with a beautiful moon about 4/5 full. Made for great climbs without the bike light. Did the 11 mile loop and the 5 mile loop for a 1500 calorie ride. Only saw 1 car all night on the loop. You guys are missing out as the views at night without the leaves on the trees are breathtaking. If anyone wants to experience it just give me a buzz since I have 2 great lights. New bike keeps getting better - got the 11-23 cassette off and put the 11-32 on. 11-32 works great with the XTR derailleur and it will come in handy for the hills in the park when the baby trailier gets hooked on and adds 45 pounds.

Weather: 59 and Clear

Critter Report: 21 Deer(Lots of deer, most I have ever seen)

First 2007 Night Ride

First night ride of 2007 is completed with an 11 mile loop of Percy Warner. This was also the first significant ride on the new Litespeed Appalachian bicycle (aka "The Baby Puller") that I just finished building up. It rides great and I got a nice supprise as I pulled it off the rack at the park and realized that I still had the wrong cassette on it. The wheel from the trainer was still on it since I am not finished building up the new rear wheel and it had an 11-23 on it which I never ride, especially throught the hills of the park. So I went with it and did OK to my suprise so the diet, double spin classes, and the recent 6 day ski trip all seem to be paying off.

Critter report is: 1 Raccoon and 1 Coyote.

Abby's First Snow

Not much biking going on 2/2/07, with Hope helping Abby enjoy her first snow!