Tandem cycling in France
by Rick Rinestine  12/28/09

We have had a tandem since 1989 and have participated in several tandem rallies with Santana, one in 1997 and two in 1999 and we were ready for a real tour.  The 1999 New York Tandem Rally was in Canandaiqua and Bill McCready was talking up the 2000 Tandem Rally around the Bodensee, a lake in the northern part of Switzerland.  Our curiosity was piqued! 

Last fall, we decided to look into the European Tandem Tour sponsored by Santana.  They provided lots of information and details about their August tour.  What stood out was the lack of quality miles.  Basically, the tour circled the lake, taking in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, with a short detour to Liechtenstein.  The riding was usually less than 35 miles per day and the scenery seemed to be focused on the lake and it’s surroundings. 

I started searching the net and cycling magazines for alternate tours and discovered a sheer lack of tours that can accommodate tandems!  However, there was one company, Erickson’s, out of Seattle, that listed several tandem-specific tours in Europe.   Erickson’s Cycling Tours were seven days longer, they charged $500 less per person, were from point A to point B, had different scenery every day, and averaged 55 miles per day, with longer options of 75 to 80 miles. 

We emailed Erickson’s with a plethora of questions and made our decision in December.  Erickson’s  “Rhone Alps to the Mediterranean Tandem Tour” was our choice and we started gearing up (actually gearing down, a lot) for the upcoming event.   

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Last Updated 12/28/09