The way Helen Kinsey puts it, riding a tandem bicycle with our spouse is a good indicator of how a marriage is going to go.
Kinsey and her husband Steve of Columbus are among the roughly 250 couples from 25 states and Canada participating in this weekend’s Midwest Tandem Rally.
“It takes a lot of communication,” Helen Kinsey said. “One thing people say about riding a tandem bicycle is, you find out what direction your marriage is going because you either find out that you’re a good couple and stay together, or you find out you’re not very compatible.
The Kinseys, who have been married 36 years, began riding tandem bikes 26 years ago, when their kids were 3 and 5. When the kids became teenagers, they stopped riding with their parents, so Steve and Helen started riding together.
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“We enjoy riding a tandem bicycle together because it keeps us together where we can still talk,” Helen said. “So it’s good ‘together time.’ Steve would usually bike a little faster than I do (on regular bikes), so that way, he’s not waiting on me, and I’m not feeling like I’m behind him.”
The Kinseys do several tandem rallies a year, with the Midwest Tandem Rally being the largest. They also have done the Eastern and Southern Tandem Rallies.
The couple also likes to hike, dance and canoe together.
“We like being active together,” Helen said. “We keep each other healthy.”
The Midwest Tandem Rally, which has base set up the Exit 76 Antique Mall in Edinburgh, began Friday night with an architectural tour of Columbus. Saturday morning, tandem riders had the option of a 35, 46- or 60-mile ride, mostly through western Bartholomew County.
The Kinseys did the 60-mile ride around Grandview Lake.
“Of course you know all the roads,” Steve said. “Going around Grandview, we know the hills.”
Sunday’s 33-, 43-, 58- and 65-mile rides went mostly through the eastern part of the county. This morning, there will be 23- and-33-mile rides into Shelby County and a three-hour mountain bike ride in Brown County State Park.
Riders have come from as far away as California, Florida, Texas and Washington state. One couple, Mike and Caren Bianco, came from Montville, New Jersey.
“We love riding, so we’re always looking for places to go,” Mike said.
The Biancos run Adventures in Tandem, a company that does tandem cycling vacation tours all over the world. They have been to Morocco this year and just got back from the Loire Valley in France.
“We were looking to meet new tandem people to tell them about our tours,” Caren Bianco said.
This is the second time the Midwest Tandem Rally has been held in Columbus and the first time since 2004.
“We knew the Kinseys, so we knew we had some local support, and we’ve ridden down here with the Hope Ride and some Central Indiana Bicycling Association rides,” said John Calhoun of Carmel, who helped organize the event.
“It’s nice helping showcase Columbus and having people enjoy what we get to enjoy every day,” Helen Kinsey said.
