Rick Jones and Bill Windhorst attempting the cross-Michigan tandem bicycle record.

September 23rd was the date Rick Jones and I decided to attempt a tandem record for Michigan west to east cross-state record. Since there was no existing tandem record across Michigan, Rick and I only had to finish the ride. The ride started at Norman F. Kuse, formerly Bronson Park, in Muskegon and ended at Port Sanilac Marina in Port Sanilac. However, not having some goal in mind would have made it just like any other bike ride. Well, sort of any other bike ride. The goal was easy to set. It was the same as the single record: 9 hours 23 minutes (21.95 mph) set back in 1996. Hitting it was more of a challenge because Rick and I only got on the tandem for about 20 miles on the Thursday before and hadn't been on once for about five years before that. Hey, ya' gotta' have a carrot. Right Rick?

Rick's reason for doing the record was simply because "it was there." Mine was a bit more specific. It gave a bit of purpose for all the hard training I did over the winter and early spring, after what I considered a bad result at this year's, Grand Rapids 24 Hour Challenge.

Jones and Windhorst climbing during the cross-Michigan tandem bicycle record.

Don't get me wrong. We took setting the record seriously, it's just that Rick and I usually ride tandems with our wives, not together. We also do a lot more riding on our singles. We didn't make the decision to make the attempt, this year until about five weeks before. That didn't give us a lot of opportunities to ride together. Rick and I checked out basic mileage out with a satellite computer program and drove it the Sunday before just to know what to expect. We marked the mileage for each turn, railroad, wide shoulder section, construction, etc., and oh yeah "pit stop spots".

The crew assembled at our house on Friday the 22nd in the afternoon and caravanned to our hotel in Muskegon. We took two vans, two bikes, eight mindsets that we'd have fun no matter what. At least six! These consisted of my brother, a co-worker of Julie's (my wife/crew chief), Rick's wife Sheila, Diane and Skip Obermeyer, from Grand Rapids. Diane and Skip are the ones who put on the very well known Grand Rapids National 24 Hour Challenge, which I'm "sort" of fond of.

The expected rainstorms came through around 6:30 p.m. as we stopped for dinner in Grand Rapids. Radar and weather radios all said the rain and strong winds would let up by early morning and be 57° by then. For Rick and me that would be a perfect temperature. Winds were expected to be out of the southeast at about five mph. The good news is they were right. The bad news is another storm was coming in from Missouri and expected hit mid-afternoon. We left the hotel for the park at 6:30 a.m. with an anticipated start time of 7:30 a.m. Winds were howling off the lake through the parking lot, at about 30-35 mph. At the park entrance a couple hundred feet away where we officially started the clock at 7:37 a.m. the winds were only about the predicted five mph. Darn!!!!

A dry moment during the cross-Michigan tandem bicycle record.

The first 20-30 miles were on wet, but not puddled pavement, and through just about as many stoplights (literally), of which we hit about half. We estimated time lost as approximately one minute or so for about 20 of these lights. The first 80 miles or so had the most climbing, then it flattened out and at about miles 170-18, the longer climbs arrived. I sure didn't notice the damp pavement because I had my/Rick's handy stick-on stoker fender but Rick's glasses did. Between the wheel spray and humidity it might as well have rained. Hey, did I say that? I've been told there was a hint of sun at about 11:00 a.m. or so. I never noticed because 99% of the rest of the sky was heavy grey clouds and threatening rain all day. Rick noticed the tires finally dried off around 11:00 or so. He went through a bit of wet pavement, didn't want to jinks the luck of no rain so far.

Meals were usually hand offs from along the van. The menu consisted of water, bottled Ensure, Ensure bars Accelerade, Accelerade packs, GU and grapes. Must be where they got the idea for meals on wheels! For Rick, I kept adding E-Caps on a regular basis because of early cramps symptoms he was getting, starting around the 100 mile point. I think Rick is more of a believer now.

Jones and Windhorst racing their tandem across Michigan.

After three times off the bike, one quick little straddle-the-bike stop (at about 190) so I could stamp my toes on the ground to release some pain from a bad cleat position, six or seven handoffs, 5-10 mph shifting cross wind over the last 50-75 miles through open fields and a final five mile push to the finish (at 25 m.p.h.); we finished the 209.4 miles in an elapsed time of 10 hours 54 minutes at 6:32 p.m. Short of the goal but our overall average was 19.21 mph (rolling average of 20.4 mph). Ya' gotta' have a carrot.

One of the hardest parts of this event, for me, was how difficult it was to stand from the back of a tandem. Just not enough room to lean forward. A close second was wondering two or three nights before if these rains would hold off. I shouldn't have worried, the predicted rainstorm started a whole 23 minutes after we finished and never stopped till the next morning. "Plenty of time!"

Rick's reasons were simpler. The hardest part: "Doing it". The best part: "Doing it".

After the crew chief (my wife Julie) sweet-talked somebody in the marina, the marina showers miraculously opened. After relatively quick showers, we headed upstairs to the restaurant for steaks, discussions about the experience, a chat with two local cyclists, and truly best of all: receiving two specially designed plaques from our wives.

An extreme amount of thanks goes to the whole crew. Without them, the carrot would have been a lot further down the road.

Just in case you'd ever think about asking me two often asked questions (not positive about Rick).

L-R: John Obermeyer & Diane Obermeyer (husband & wife), kneeling Don Windhorst (my brother), Sheila Jone's (Rick's wife), Rick Jones, me, Julie (my wife), Ed Lindow (co-worker of Julie's)

Would you do it again? "In a heart beat!"

What part did you enjoy most? "Every bit of it!"