The Florida Tandem Rally started in high gear Friday morning with 32 couples ready to roll from the Waterfront Inn at 9 a.m. on a pre-rally ride to the new Rohan Recreation Center. From there, bicyclists departed on a 19- or 28-mile ride through rural Sumter County.
The rally, sponsored by the PANTHERS (Partners Aboard Neat Tandems Happily Enjoying Riding Simultaneously) Tandem Club, officially began at 2 p.m. Friday with registration and was set to continue with an ice cream social Friday night.
On Saturday, the participants have a choice of three rides ranging from 33 to 55 miles. They will be heading east of The Villages through the rolling hills of Lake and Marion counties, returning to Sumter County and the ride headquarters at the Waterfront Inn. There will also be a post-ride lunch at RJ Gators and a banquet at the Eisenhower Recreation Center. This year’s rally, the sixth annual, has attracted riders from eight states. It concludes Sunday with a choice of a 33-mile and a 43-mile ride.
The PANTHERS are the state’s only tandem bicycle club. For more information on the PANTHERS and the rally, go to www.floridatandemclub.org.