Jackson Free Press

For some people, exercise is a way to disconnect from the world for a period of time each day. Many enjoy going for long runs or bike rides alone as a way to get away from everyone and everything, and to clear their heads.

Others enjoy being social while exercising. Some couples use exercise as a way to spend time together. One such couple is Ashton and Renee Page, both 57, who ride together on a bicycle built for two.

"A tandem bicycle is famous for getting your relationship wherever it's going real fast," Ashton says. "If it's going up or down, it's going to get there real quick."

Tandem bicycles are built for two riders. The bikes have two seats, two sets of pedals and two handlebars on one extra-long frame. Standard tandems require that both riders simultaneously pedal or coast.

Ashton and Renee came to the sport in different ways. Renee was a runner and took up cycling when the couple got married. Ashton started cycling as a teenager.

"I (knew) some racers that lived a couple of houses down from me, yet I never was one to want to race," he says. "But I got into cycling because of them and rode a lot of miles. Then in college, I got away from it."

He picked it up again in his 40s. "Being a little overweight at the time, a friend of mine encouraged me (to do it)," Ashton says. "Someone had gotten him involved in this 150-run. He said, 'Hey why don't you come do this, too? It's a lot of fun.'" The 150-run is a two-day fundraising cycling ride organized by the National MS (multiple sclerosis) Society. Ashton participated in the Louisiana MS 150, which goes from Hammond, Louis to Percy Quin State Park near McComb, Miss.

Since they began riding tandem as a couple nine years ago, Ashton and Renee have traveled overseas twice for tandem bike excursions. In August they went on a bike tour from Paris to Amsterdam with 75 other tandem couples.

"If you know anything about Amsterdam, it's all bicycles there," Renee says. "They park bicycles the way we park cars. It's kind of cool. The trip was fun."

Ashton felt the same about it. "It was fantastic," he says. "It was the second time we've gone on a two-week trip with other tandems. It's a lot of fun because it's like-minded people vacationing together."

Riding tandem allows cyclists of differing strength and ability to ride together. The faster rider doesn't have to slow down to wait for the slower person, and the slower rider won't have to struggle to keep up.

"Men are much more powerful 'animals' than most women, so for a woman to keep up with her mate or husband on a bicycle is almost impossible—they're stronger," Renee says. "So, (Ashton and I) could never stay together, but with the tandem, we're always together. If he does 60 miles, I do 60 miles that day. If he does 40, I do 40. We stay together on the bike, and I'm finally able to keep up with him."

Even among top cyclists, a speed gap between men and women exists. For example, at the Race Across America marathon ride—one of the most respected and longest-running endurance sporting events—men and women's completion times are vastly different. During the 2013 event in the Under-50 solo category, the top female, Cassie Schumacher, completed 2,962.40 miles in 12 days, 18 hours and 57 minutes. The under-50 solo top male, Christoph Strasser, finished the same distance in seven days, 22 hours and 11 minutes.

Renee says they are one of the few tandem couples in the metro area; however, tandem cycling is big in other parts of the country. The couple has been to cycling rallies where there have been hundreds of tandems. But here in Mississippi, it's pretty rare.

Ashton and Renee are also involved with the local bike club, Jackson Metro Cyclists. Ashton has been on the board for three years and currently serves as the club's president. The goal of JMS, chartered in 1995, is to increase community awareness of the enjoyment and benefits cycling provides, promote and encourage bicycle riding and safety, encourage respect for the areas where people ride, and enjoy cycling as a healthy, fun sport.

"As a bike club, we do some official things and some unofficial things," Ashton says. "We have six events a year where we set up rest stops, provide food and drink along the way for a mapped out course. We paint markers on the road, and we put someone driving the roads to see if anyone has a flat tire, which is a really great way for a beginner or someone new to cycling to extend their range. If they have been riding in a small locale, this gives them the chance to try a longer route with the idea that somebody will help them if they can't make it, or they have mechanical (or) bike troubles. It gives beginners the confidence to try the longer rides."

The club, affiliated with the USA Cycling and USA Triathlon organizations, is active from March to September. It recently wrapped up its season with Trekkin' the Trace Sept. 2. Riders cycled routes of 21, 50, 62 or 100 miles on the Natchez Trace. For the 140 in attendance, the event culminated with a catered lunch and music by Buddy and the Squids.

JMS is currently holding a Share the Road campaign, where the club sponsors two local schools and provides safe-cycling-to-school workshops for them. Information about the club is available via Facebook, Twitter or its message board, where members also post their weekly and scheduled rides. "You know you can show up at the location and have other people to ride with," Ashton says.

The goal of the JMS is to grow through holding rides throughout the metro area and surrounding cities. The club currently has 200 active members.

"Ashton's all about 'the more the merrier.' He wants to help build it into a bigger club for everybody from beginners to intermediates," Renee says. "He wants to see it spread all over Mississippi—people from Clinton, Pearl and Flowood. He wants to move it around and start the rides at different places where everyone can join in."

The Pages' Favorite Routes:

"This is the best part about living here—we can ride out of our garage and go in any direction for any distance," Ashton says.

"When we lived in New Orleans, we had to take the bike by car at least one hour out of the city to find good, safe roads to ride."

Ashton uses mapmyride.com to keep track of and share his favorite routes. See these routes and others at jfp.ms/ashtonroutes:

Ross Barnett Reservoir—38 miles

Bike Crossing—46 miles

Brandon/Pelahatchie—57 miles

Desoto National Forest/Biloxi, Miss.—33 miles

Madison—62 miles

Old Trace Park—62 miles

Renaissance/Lake Cavalier (Ridgeland)—20 miles

Ridgeland—11 miles

Tour de Bodock/Pontotoc, Miss.—37 miles

To Learn More about Tandem Cycling, visit:

Bicycling Magazine: bicycling.com

Recumbent and Tandem Rider Magazine: rtrmag.com

Sheldon Brown (Tandem Enthusiast): sheldonbrown.com

Tandem Bicycling: tandembicycling.com

The Tandem Club of America: tandemclub.org

Tandem Bike Experience: tandeming.co.uk

The Tandem Club: tandem-club.org.uk

Cycle Snacks

"Nutrition during a ride is very important, so we use gels," Ashton says. "A fast-speed, three-hour ride can burn 1,000 calories. So we don't want (to wait) to replace (the calories) until meal time."

Gels are easily digested, concentrated sources of complex carbohydrates with amino acids added to enhance performance and prolong energy levels during intense training and competition. They have a syrup-like consistency, and can be ingested as-is or mixed with water. The Pages use Hammer nutrition gels. The flavors include apple-cinnamon, banana, chocolate, espresso, Montana huckleberry, orange, peanut butter, unflavored, raspberry, tropical fruit and vanilla.

Other great snacks for tandem cyclers are:

energy drink mixes

fruits such as oranges, pineapples and cantaloupe

The Pages' Favorite Healthy Meal

Mini Chicken-Salad Croissants

Total Time: 25 minutes

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

12 seedless red or green grapes, halved

1 medium apple, chopped

1/2 cup mayonnaise (opt for light or fat-free to cut calories)

1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1/8 teaspoon salt

Dash of pepper

16 miniature croissants or rolls, split

4 to 6 lettuce leaves, torn

In a small bowl, combine the first nine ingredients. Spoon about 1/4 cup onto the bottom of each croissant; top with lettuce. Replace croissant tops. Insert toothpicks into sandwiches, if desired. This recipe makes 16 mini croissants.

Tandem Terminology

As with other hobbies, it's important to know the lingo. Here are a couple keys terms to know if you're interested in joining the tandem cycling world.

The Captain is the person who rides in front. He or she is responsible for navigating the tandem bicycle safely, controlling the bike's directions and speed while warning the back seat rider of oncoming obstacles, bumps and gear shifts. Captains are often the more skilled of the two cyclists. Sometimes, they are also called the steersman or pilot.

The Stoker is the rear rider. It is often thought that the person seated in the back can just relax and do nothing. That is incorrect because the rear rider acts as the "engine room" for the bike. He or she consistently pedals with the captain and provides extra power for getting up hills and slopes. The stoker can also be referred to as the tailgunner, rear admiral or R.A.

Tandem History

Tandems bikes were first introduced to the world in the 1800s. Denmark native, Mikael Pedersen, produced tandems, triplets and quad bicycles in 1896 in Dursley, England. Some early tandem bikes were designed for the man to steer from the back, so that the woman would have the better view up front.

Sources: www.pedersenbicycles.com and www.bicycle-and-bikes.com/ tandem-bicycles-terminology.html