INDIANAPOLIS — The largest tandem cycling rally in the United States, the Midwest Tandem Rally (MTR) is taking over Westfield Labor Day weekend.
WRTV went to Westfield Friday evening as bikers were getting ready for the big ride Saturday.
"I first got into tandems because I had ridden bicycles and toured for about 10 years or so, and I was getting a little bit bored with it," Roger Davis said.
Davis takes pride in the MTR.
"I'm pretty emotional at the moment because they found a registration list of all the people that attended in '76, and there are quite a few of those people that aren't here anymore, and some of them I rode with quite a bit as a young guy, so it's a little sad to see that," Davis said.
Roger attended the first MTR in 1976. Every year, he soaks up the joy of coming back to the Midwest and traveling to other cities around the country to ride.
"There wasn't very much cycle clothing in 1976. The shoes were different. Very few bicycle helmets at that time, so we were all pretty nervous about riding on the road, and we still are today, but the bikes have evolved quite a bit," Davis said.
Fancier bikes and a much larger biking community are now capturing the attention of Westfield to host the MTR for the first time.
"I believe 209 tandem teams have registered to come ride with us. We'll have four days of riding this weekend," Rick Stanley, co-host for MTR, said.
Saturday morning, teams will line up in the parking lot of Grand Park with a police escort and ride as many as 60 miles. With stops for lunch and resting along the way.
"We found that working with Grand Park, they were excited to do some things with us because they were interested in branching out from their typical sports of just soccer and baseball," Stanley said.
Stanley said the MTR is the biggest in the U.S., but their hardest hurdle yet is passing the torch.
"If you look around the room, you see a lot of people are my age and we're trying, we're working hard. In fact, one of our seminars that we'll be holding this weekend is on how to energize your local tandem club and attract younger members. So, we're hoping that you know getting this kind of visibility will help get some other people excited and interested in trying out a tandem bicycle," Stanley said.
The mass start for the MTR ride is Saturday and Sunday morning at 9 a.m. at Grand Park at Lot J.
This year’s theme, “Race Back to Indiana,” celebrates Indiana’s central role in MTR history and pays tribute to the state’s world-famous motorsports heritage.
