Working on that Bucket List

Carolynn and I recently participated in our first race on our tandem.  We have talked about it for years (over a decade to be more precise) but with limited opportunities offered to race our tandem it just never happened as other events took precedence.

One of my goals this year is to start working on that Bucket List of mine.  It is a long one and I am not getting any younger. A tandem race was on that list along with another cycling tour on our tandem.  Not many opportunities to race in a road race or criterium around here on a tandem.  The only road race that I know of is the Show Me State Games Road Race outside of Columbia.  Roger Harrison offered up a tandem class at this years Bruce Edwards Memorial Time Trial and decided that would be a good event to support.

I know a 10K TT does not sound like much, but let me tell you those short events can hurt.  Pacing is critical in a TT.  I told Carolynn we should go out a little easy and save something for the return trip and those short climbs that made up the course.  That return trip back after Carolynn started to die out on me around mile 4 was painful. It takes a lot of power to keep 375 pounds rolling fast. Overall I felt good about our effort.  "I think I am going to throw up" was the first words Carolynn uttered after the finish so she also had a good ride :-)

Our time of 18:31 did not set any course records but did earn us a nice Gold medal.  I'm still working on Carolynn to get a mountain bike tandem. I would really like to participate in an event like the Ouachita Challenge on a tandem.  Adventures like that with my wife and family is what I look forward to over the years to come.

In a few short weeks Carolynn will be able to cross off one item off her list.  For over 20 years she has watched me race in hundreds of events, many of them triathlons and duathlons.   Well come June 1st she will toe the line for her first ever duathlon - the Sedalia Spring Into Summer Duathlon.