Stories

Beppe & Milena on the Transrockies Challenge

Interview by Andrew Conway

Beppe is from Turin (remember Torino 2006 Winter Olympic Games?) and has been a CC tour leader since 2001. Milena is originally from the Apennines near Bologna and has been a Ciclismo tour leader since 2007. They're most frequently found on our Piedmont and Puglia tours. In the summer of 2009 the they completed Transrockies Challenge mountain bike race on their own offroad tandem, which they brought with them from Italy!

How did you get started with tandems?

We started riding our tandem in the summer 2008 although we test rode CC red Cannondale at 2007 guide meeting.

Of course we still ride our single bikes but we love riding the tandem! It’s so much fun and convenient: you always start and finish a ride together; you never have to wonder if your riding buddy has taken the right/wrong turn back there… We have found that it is awesome for couples that have little time together since chatting along is easy and safe.

Tell me about your MTB tandem.

Annibale is dual suspended mtb tandem that was custom made for us by MDE Bikes near Turin. We take him for long rides on the Alps near by and we ride any sort of terrain with it. Our favourite routes take us on military roads for I world war which were built to protect the fragile borders and to quickly move troops from one valley to another. Last summer while we were training for Transrockies, a muti-stage mtb race that takes place in the Canadian Rockies, our training rides consisted of 50/60 miles with approximately 6000ft of elevation gain.

How do you work together on the tandem?

As far as team set up Beppe is the captain and Milena stoker. Beppe is better at off-road bike handling and Milena absolutely trust him. Tandems are great for couples. In the worlds of John Schubert: “when you’ve worked together to get through a mountain pass, and shared the reward of the breathtaking view at the top, you feel a closeness that defies explanation.”

We also like to take advantage of the long wheel base and extra horse power to occasionally dust riders on single bikes when the terrain allows it. Compared to single bikes we are slower on steep climbs but we are pretty strong on flats (remember that only the captain is fighting the air) and we down fast downhills. Finally good communication and trust make tandem riding work well. No wonder why you see so many great spouses on tandems! By the way CC guests on tandems had been an inspiration for us.

What skills are important for riding a tandem?

As far as riding skills go we have found that good coordination and smoothness are key points, more than power itself. The stoker, if already a cyclist, has the difficult task to “forget” the controls and maintain a neutral attitude, but still not be passive.  A special skill that ask for some practice is starting and stopping but once you have that down the rest is very intuitive.

Any other advice for couples who are curious about tandems?

Should you decide to give it a try, we advise reading The Tandem Scoop by John Schubert. Also ride a tandem before making a purchasing.

How do people in Europe react to tandems?

In Italy we hardly see tandems but they are fairly popular else where in Europe. Tandem teams learn to enjoy the unenviable smiles and jokes thrown at the all the time.

Any practical advice?

Tandems, often, are just as expansive as two bikes of the same quality. Have your tandem fitted with strong, purpose-built wheels. Shipping a tandem with airlines is not an impossible task. We packed Annibale without fork in a large bike box and we didn’t even have to claim that it was such a monster!

Thank you!