My first bicycle with multiple gears was a Yellow Free Spirit sold at Sears. My parents bought it for me when I was 13 years old. This was my first taste of independence.

I thought it was great that I could ride 10 miles in a Day. It wasn't until I spent a week with relatives and my Uncle Bill let me ride one of his bikes. It was amazing how much easier it was. This was when I was 14 years old.

It is a Jack Taylor bike custom made in England and shipped to my Uncle. The serial number is 7372 and registered it with the Indianapolis Police Department May 26, 1976. My Aunt and Uncle met the Taylor brothers when they visited England and ordered a Jack Taylor tandem bicycle.

It wasn't until I was 22 when I bought my next bicycle, a touring bike. I spent $309.00 to get a Schwinn Passage. That was several weeks pay at the time.

I started to ride but I didn't like riding alone. I joined a cycling club called "South West Cycling Singles". I met one of my best friends in that group. I took that bicycle on 2 one week tours with 2 friends. One was in Michigan and the other was in Southern Ohio. I also did quite a few organized rides, 4 County Metric, Sunday in June, Red Flannel Metric, TOSRV. I rode my first century on a TASSLE.

The next bicycle that I bought was a Miyata 600GT in 1991. The picture below is from around a decade later pulling my daughters burley trailer.

Here are our current single bicycles. Kim's bicycles are a Giant Kronos and a 2004 Giant Sedonna DX Mountain Bike .

Mine are a Miyata 600GT and a 2004 Giant Iguana Spring Edition.

Morgan's Malibu Firefly and Tiara Pro has been retired and now owns a Diamondback Lustrel.

Morgan's Malibu Firefly

Our Yellow 1998 Santana Arriva that we bought it at Century Cycles in Medina. Our daughter loved to ride in her Burley trailer and telling us to go faster. She upgraded to a Giant Tag-a-long and finally as the Stoker.

Here is a list of clubs that I have been a member:

• South West Cycling Singles

• Akron Bicycling Club

• Lake Erie Wheelers

• Tandem Club of America

• Greater Ohio Area Tandem Society

Non-Organized Rides:

On Saturday September 11, 2004 I achieved goal number 2 for the year. I rode 100 miles on my bicycles in one day. It has been since 1989 since I have done that.. I started at about 6:15am. I rode down to the marina at Rocky river it is about 25.6 miles. I stopped and took a break then started back.. I got home at 10:15 with over 50 miles under my belt.. I rested & had lunch and at 11:15 I was back on my way.. At 55 miles I was thinking that there was no way I was going to be able to do this.. What what I thinking??? I figured if I could get back to the marina I would have over 75 miles and maybe have Kim come pick me up. At 75 miles I took a break for about 15 minutes and headed back towards home.. At 81 miles I called Kim to get a little encouragement.. Then at 85 miles I called again and asked her to pick me up at Wallace lake. I figured I would have close to 90 miles at that point.. I got to Wallace lake and decided that I would continue going away from my house because it was FLAT.. The way home had a couple of small hills but at this point they would feel like mountains.. My legs were killing me but I was maintaining a 15 MPH average.. I called Kim and asked her to meet me in the new destination.. It was at 95 miles when I stopped, I figured that I would do the other 5 miles later in the day.. Kim picked me up at about 3:20... I put my bike on top of the car... About a mile down the road my bike fell and the front fork was bent.. How am I going to do the last 5 miles.. So at 6:30 pm. I took the tandem out by myself and completed the last 5 miles.. Total miles for the day was 100.49 miles...and a calorie count of 4,446

Organized Rides:

I have done the Tour along the south Side of Lake Erie (TASSLE). It was from Cleveland to Toledo and back the next day. 105 miles each way. This was my first century September of 1987.. This ride is no longer done..

I have done the 4 county metric. This ride is no longer done..

The Sunday in June ride is a killer because of the many many steep hills.. Did I mention the steep hills?

The Tour of the Scioto River Valley (TOSRV) is a great ride from Columbus to Portsmouth. The only thing that is not good is that it is on Mother's day weekend..

GOBA

AFROST: A FREEBIE RIDE & OHIO SPRING TOUR

Red Flannel Metric

FFFFFF ride

The ABCDEFGHIJ New Year's Day ride in Medina

Kim, Morgan and I have done quite a few.

The Medina Ice-cream ride.

STOMP

Sweet Corn Ride

Tour De Cure 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011

The Emerald Necklace Tour

Midwest Tandem Rally 2004

Night Rides with Century Cycles

Kim and I did a night ride on July 10th. We got at the meeting area at about 7:45. Shortly after we arrived there was another tandem couple that showed up. They have a blue Cannondale...Bill and his wife were very interested in the Tandem Talk that we were using. As we were heading out I noticed that there was yet a third tandem. It was a Burley. We got in behind the 'Dale and they were keeping a fast past on the tow-path. Before the ride I kept telling Kim that this was not a race. That we will just keep our own pace and now I am sucked into keeping up with this tandem.. Here comes the Burley to take the front and to keep the pace for 4 or 5 miles.. 'Dale took the lead again and didn't let go.. I had no plans of passing.. My hopes were not to be dropped to far back.. When we were almost to the half way point Kim tells me that this is not a race.. I reply that even though it is not a race why can't we try to come in first.