Steve's Cycling Blog

Death Valley ....one of the most magical places on earth to ride a bike when the conditions are right. It is like riding in another world, whether it is during the day or night. My new club buddies....Adobo Velo. About 40 strong at the event The Death Valley Double Century has always been one of my favorites. The spring version I have done many times, in fact, I was one of the first to do the inaugural ride back in the early 90’s. At that time....I became a part of the “Badwater Boys Club” , as one of the first. I have never done the Northern Route of this epic ride so when I was asked to do the event on my tandem with good friend Teresa Beck, I jumped at the opportunity. It was only our second time on the tandem. We did Knoxville Double in September as a warm up. I have Adobo Velo , (Filipino-American Cycling Club), to thank for getting me into the event. I was a late entry so I was not sure until the last minute whether I would be in. Teresa and I went with...

The Knoxville Fall Classic Double Century is one of my all time favorite rides. I only wish that I could come up every year to do the event. This year for my 116 th Triple Crown Double, I decided to do it, with the persuasion of good friend Teresa Beck, on my tandem. The tandem is nicknamed, “The Stealth”, due to its all black color and stealthy qualities on the descents and flats. As a tribute to the Quack Cyclists, I had a little, obnoxious sounding, horn that sounded like a quacking baby duck. I think it annoyed a few people because they were not moving over when Teresa honked it as we approached them from behind at high speed on descents. I did Knoxville one time before on the tandem. It was in 2004 with my regular double, triple and 2-time quad stoker, brother in law, Vince Paradero. I think Vince and I have around 35 double centuries on the tandem. This year, I had Teresa (tiger) Beck, stoking the fire in the rear and cracking the whip. Teresa has lots of...