DATES Tandem Tours is a new retirement "project" of DATES members John McManus and Brenda Cole, to organize tandem tours for DATES members and friends. Although John organized the first DATES tour way back in 1991, and he and Brenda organized pre-rally tandem tours in 2000 and 2005, the concept of regular (annual) tours didn't come about until the end of the highly successful England tour in 2007. It is now apparent that our club has quite a few members who are anxious to tour. And with John retired from Bicycle Adventure Club leadership in March 2008, he needs more projects.

DATES Tandem Tours Concepts:

• Tours will be moderately challenging and designed for experienced tandem teams. We shy away from boring flat routes but we also stay away from the mountains. Expect a lot of hills.
• Average mileage will be 40 to 50 miles per day with a maximum of 75 miles.
• This is a non-profit venture and tours will be moderately priced compared to commercial tours. We will not have guides to carry our luggage and clean our bikes. Everyone cleans and repairs their own bike and carries their luggage to and from the luggage vehicle.
• International tours will be 16 day duration (Saturday through Sunday), including travel time. We also intend to include 2 days at the end to explore an international city. Domestic tours will be shorter, typically 8 to 12 days.
• We will identify cultural sites along the way; these are tours, not rides for hammer-heads.
• We’ll have a social hour every evening and discuss the next day’s plans. Group dinners will be included where appropriate.
• When a tour is announced, DATES members will have priority booking for 30 to 60 days. If the tour is not full at that point, we’ll invite other tandem friends. However, these tours are not open to the general public. Depending on the location, tour size will be 10 to 15 teams.
• See menu links in the left-hand pane of this page for more information or e-mail John McManus and Brenda Cole at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .