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Tandem bicyclists to meet in Albany

• Bicycle riders from 12 U.S. states will visit Albany this weekend as part of the Georgia Tandem Rally.

Joshua Brown

ALBANY — About 180 tandem bicyclists from across the state and nation will be in town this weekend for the 10th annual Georgia Tandem Rally, bringing more than $60,000 in tourist dollars to Albany, officials said Thursday.

Event organizer Roger Strauss said he and his wife, Eve Kofsky, first started the ride in 1999 as a way for tandem bike riders — riders on a two-seat bicycle — to bike with others who have similar interests.

“There are many rides throughout the country for single bikes ... but there’s not that many rides throughout the country for tandems,” he said in a phone interview. “We decided we would do one in Georgia.”

The ride usually visits a different city each year. Strauss decided to bring it to Albany after The Albany Herald Advertising Director Tami Abbott suggested last year that the city would be a good site.

“She went last year. Afterwards, she said ‘You really ought to check out Albany for 2008,’ ” Strauss said. “I came down in July (2007) and here we are in May.”

Albany Area Chamber of Commerce Convention Services Manager Lisa Riddle said the event was expected to bring about $65,000 in tourist dollars to the city for its three days.

“We’re just excited to have them in town and generate some economic impact in the city and bring some visitors to town,” she said.

The ride — not a race, Strauss pointed out — will have routes from 26 to 82 miles long over the course of the weekend, though Sunday’s routes are the shortest because participants must get back to their home cities.

Tandem riding is not very popular, so the event allows riders who go tandem to get together with others who enjoy the sport. Of all bikes sold in the nation, only about .1 percent are tandem, he said.

“We’re here to have a good time and we’re looking forward to seeing all the sights Albany has to offer,” Strauss said.

Riders are expected to come from 12 U.S. states, from as far away as Texas and Maine, he said.

For more information about the event, visit http://www.georgiatandemrally.com/.

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