We are heading south on I-65 with Columbus, Indiana and our fourth Midwest Tandem Rally in the rear view mirror.  In a nutshell, it was four days of excellent cycling with about 600 of our closest friends!

On the first day there was no “official” mass start so many people rode on their own.  There was a 3pm group that left together for a Columbus architecture tour with ice cream. 

Technically, we are staying in Edinburgh, but six miles to the south, Columbus is known as a “small-town architectural mecca”.  I did a little research, and the numbers are staggering.  According to the Columbus Visitors Center there are approximately 46,000 people who live in the city but they rank 6th in the country for architectural innovation and design…who knew? 

Well, our rally hosts knew and arranged a special ride which included a poker run based on photos of us with 5 different famous landmarks.

Ice cream at Zaharakos, a parlor and museum from 1900 was the highlight of the day! 

Our poker hand, which featured a pair of nines, was a lowlight!

We should take a moment to point out that Columbus is the birthplace of Vice President Mike Pence (1959) and of the singing group The Four Freshmen (1948).  Ask your parents.

Back at the tandem rally, the Saturday and Sunday rides featured mass starts with close to 300 tandems. 

We had the chance to ride and visit with friends old and new. 

The terrain was fairly flat with fields of corn and soy in abundance.

One mile from the end of the ride on Saturday, the skies opened up. As the hotel got closer, the rain got harder, and we got wetter.

Here is a peek at our Saturday dinner at the 450 North Brewing Company.

It seems to be a tandem rally tradition for at least half of the participants to skip the last ride.  The Monday bonus ride was “on your own”, and we were on our own for most of the 23 damp, foggy miles. 

We caught up with a group in the last 5 miles of the ride and were glad for a little company.  

All we can add is, “Goodbye Columbus”.  Thanks for having us and for the weekend of fun.

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