You might notice an influx of tandem bicyclists throughout Williamsburg, as the Eastern Tandem Rally returned to the area Friday for the first time in 25 years. The volunteer group, which celebrates the two-seat style of bicycles, rides across various routes through Sunday.
Reed Nester, who organized the event with his wife, Karen, said the group emphasizes socializing over competing with one another. The couple, already avid cyclists, began riding tandem in 2002 and haven’t looked back.
“It’s great when you’re a couple riding together, because you’re always together,” he said. “It’s a wonderful way to share cycling and fitness together.”
The group hosts rallies up and down the East Coast, most recently in Hanover, New Hampshire, in 2017. Williamsburg is the farthest south the rally has ventured.
“It’s a good way to meet people that have a shared interest and a lot of other different interests, too,” Nester said. “It’s a great way, too, to travel and experience cycling in new places that you probably wouldn’t have gone to yourself.”
Nester, a Williamsburg resident for three decades, has worked with the city to improve its bicycling infrastructure, and the latest rally showcases that progress. Friday’s ride explored the Virginia Capital Trail, which was nonexistent during the rally’s previous Williamsburg visit in 1993.
On Saturday, the group of 120 pairs will ride through Duke of Gloucester Street, Little Creek Reservoir, York River State Park and Waller Mill Trail, one of the area’s early bike-friendly routes. The rally wraps up Sunday with a jaunt along the Colonial Parkway.
Nester said that although tandem bicycling is a niche hobby, its fans are passionate. The latest rally draws its 240 riders from 22 states, including California and Oregon, as well as Ontario, Canada. Registration sold out in less than four hours.
Nester sees it as a boon to the area’s sports tourism and an opportunity to show off what the Williamsburg area has to offer.
“All these routes we’ve planned, we’ve ridden them ourselves,” he said. “We’re really excited about sharing all these wonderful cycling routes with the people coming to the rally.”
Interested?
The smaller Mid-Atlantic Tandem Enthusiasts organization hosts a rally in Lexington July 20-22. For more information on that and the Eastern Tandem Rally, visit easterntandemrally.org.
