A team of 2: Georgia Tandem Rally rides throughout Laurens County

Participants in the Georgia Tandem Rally made Laurens County their home for three days last weekend.

The 24th GTR had 65 teams from 15 states converge at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Dublin to begin their first ride, which took them to Dudley Friday morning. The group traveled to Dexter for another morning ride 24 hours later.

“We have 23 new teams for this GTR,” said Roger Strauss, who organizes the ride with his wife, Eve Kofsky. “We have some who are riding in their first tandem rally ever.”  

The GTR is in Dublin for the first time since 2012.    

“It’s great to be back in Dublin,” Strauss said. “We were at Saltwater Fishery (Thursday evening) up on the roof, and we had a great time up there. They did a great job for us. Officials with Visit Dublin were there last night and they have really been helpful.” 

Kofsky and Strauss were busy preparing their bike before holding a pre-ride meeting in the parking lot of the hotel. The couple have been riding tandem bikes since 1996. 

“We actually bought a tandem bike as a way for our son, who at the time was 4 turning 5, because he had been riding a trailer behind us,” Strauss said. “Eve liked it so much that we had to figure out something else to do with our son because she wasn’t going to give up the seat.”

They bought a triplet, which is a bicycle built for three. They continued riding the triplet from the time their son was 6 until he was 14. The couple decided to keep riding as a tandem. 

The front rider, referred to as the pilot or captain, is the strongest person on the team, Strauss said. The two riders do have to work their pedals together to make the bike work.

“Teamwork makes the dream work,” Strauss said.

Britt and Kevin Fullerton made the flight from their home in Costa Mesa, California. They have been riding tandem bikes for 41 years.

“We’ve been doing this since our second date,” Britt recalled.

At the time, Kevin was participating in a lot of triathlons and bike racing, while Britt was running marathons. Kevin noticed he was doing a lot of those events by himself and decided to switch to tandem bike riding.

“Forty-one years and five tandems later, we’re a little bit slower,” Kevin said. “We used to be fast.” 

Which was good, since the GTR is not a race.

“It’s just for fun,” Britt said.

Kevin, though, added, “Any time there are two things going in the same direction, there is something to race.” 

MORE PHOTOS: 2024 Georgia Tandem Rally in Dublin

The Fullingtons decided to participate in the GTR because they have known Strauss and Kofsky for at least 10 years. 

“They come to California twice a year, and we met them on a bike trail,” Britt said. 

This is the Fullingtons’ first time visiting Dublin, Georgia. To make the trip, the bicycle was put into two suitcases in order to be placed on the plane. 

“We finished putting it back together by 11:30 p.m. (Thursday),” said Kevin, with Britt adding that it took three and half hours to do so.

The Fullingtons like what they saw of Dublin, especially the weather.

“It’s a nice town, and this is the warmest weather we’ve had in a while,” Kevin said.

Dane and Jennifer Alexander, a couple from Brunswick, Tennessee, have been enjoying tandem biking together for the past 20 years. Despite their long history with the sport, this rally marked their first time participating in a tandem biking event. The Alexanders recently joined the rally tandem biking community eight months ago.

Also participating in the rally were another couple from Greensboro, North Carolina, Rich and Janey Mayer, who have been tandem biking together since 2010. Rich, who had been an avid cyclist before taking up tandem biking, finds the activity a perfect way to bond with his wife. They love tandem biking because it offers a chance for them to do an activity together. Rich Mayer commented that he loved tandem biking because of how much more it had brought him and Janet together.

Rod and Cheryl Harris did not have as long a trek to Dublin from their home in Anderson, South Carolina. They have been riding tandem bicycles for 30 years. And why did they decide to do it?

“This was the only way I could keep up with him,” Cheryl said. 

Rod was riding bicycles and Cheryl wanted to join him. They went out and bought the same tandem bike they were riding in this year’s GTR. All they had to do to transport their bike was take the wheels off and place it on the bike rack on the back of their Volkswagen Beetle. 

“We like tandem rides, and this was the only one in this area,” Rod said when asked about the GTR in Dublin. “It wasn’t too far from Anderson.” 

As the pilot of the bike, Rod said it is his job to yell out the turns he plans to execute and the upcoming bumps in the road.

“I do a really poor job of that,” he admitted. “She’s always yelling at me.” 

Both liked what they saw in Dublin.

“I was impressed,” Rod said. “I didn’t think it was going to be that exciting.” 

From Miami Beach, Florida, friends and fellow doctors Jill Turner and Marc Gellman brought their team “Pair Tandem” to the rally. This is the fourth tandem event for the duo. Turner sits as the stoker, a position that aids in providing extra power and shifts any necessary weight of a tandem, behind Marc who acts as the pilot. Tandem biking is all about teamwork and trust in one another. 

“It’s giving up control to the pilot,” Turner commented. 

Marc Gellman enjoys biking because of the health benefits a person receives from it. 

“Exercise is medicine,” Gellman stated. “It keeps you young.”