The Midwest Tandem Rally (MTR) is a weekend-long tandem bicycle set of rides, based somewhere in the larger Midwest United States on Labor Day weekend.
The primary rides for the MTR on Saturday and Sunday of the weekend, usually including several distance options and all having lunch as the primary rest stop. There are also casual rides planned for Friday night and Monday. Friday is typically an Ice Cream Ride - a short ride to a local ice cream parlor, although some have included a destination and entertainment as part of the ice cream ride. The Monday ride is sometimes a rework of the primary rides or an opportunity for people to ride to a restaurant for breakfast together.
History of the Midwest Tandem Rally
2016 Ankeny, IA PIGS 2015 Rockford, IL CATS 2014 Fort Wayne, IN HOOTS
MTR started in the 1970s, possibly by Chicago area tandem enthusiasts.
Tandem Clubs, those acronyms
Many tandem clubs have come up with acronyms that sound like animals, representing the idea that tandem riders come two-by-two (like Noah's Arc).
CATS - Chicago Area Tandem Society
COWS - Couples on Wheels (Wisconsin)
COYOTES - Coalition of Young and Old Tandem Enthusiasts
CRABS - Couples Riding A Bicycle Simultaneously (Maryland)
DOGS - Doubles of the Garden State (New Jersey) [1]
FLAMINGOS - Four Legs Always MovING On tandemS (greater Kansas City area)
GOATS - Greater Ohio Area Tandem Society
HOOTS - Hoosiers Out On Tandems (Indiana)
LOONS - Leena and Oli On Non-Standard bikes (Twin Cities Tandem Club)
MULES - Missouri Union of Long Bike Enthusiasts
MUTS - Michigan United Tandem Society
NEWTS - New England Wicked Tandem Society
PIGS - Paired Iowans Going Somewhere
PANTHERS - Partners Aboard Neat Tandems Happily Enjoying Riding Simultaneously (Florida)
RAPTORS - Rockford Area Pedaling Tandems On Road Society
RATS - Richmond Area Tandem Society(VA)
TOIS - Tandems Of Indiana & Illinois (defunct in 1995)
T-BONES - Tandem Bicyclists of New England
WABITS - Washington Area Bicyclists in Tandem Society (DC/VA/MD) [2]
Other Tandem Rallies
Southern Tier Tandem Rally (NY State)
Eastern Tandem Rally (Eastern US)
International Tandem Rally
Southern Tandem Rally
Southwest Tandem Rally
Prairie State Tandem Rally
