Hoosiers have been hosting MTRs for nearly 50 years. The first MTR was held in 1976 on Labor Day weekend in Kokomo, Indiana, with 35 teams attending. The event was hosted by Mont and Pam Williams along with the Kokomo Wheelmen. The event was actually called “Midwest Tandem 76,” and was patterned after “Tandem ‘75” which was billed as the “National Tandem Rally,” but actually drew mainly people from the east coast. Three days of riding included a 40 mile tour of Amishland, a Wabash River Valley century, and a 60 mile tour to the Mississinewa reservoir and Peru. At Sunday evening’s banquet, the formation of the Tandem Club of America (TCA) was announced.
Anderson was the second Indiana stop for MTR. In 1985Wayne and Phyllis Shirey with the Delaware Cycle Club and Bruce and Beth Bailey hosted the tenth annual MTR. Saturday’s ride went to Elwood, the boyhood home of Wendell Wilkie, where a glass factory was visited. Sunday’s ride went to the 1836 village at Conner Prairie where lunch was served. Mondays ride went to Mounds State Park, home of the Adena people from 1000 B.C. to 200 A.D.
MTR returned to the north side of Indianapolis in 1995. “Back Home Again in Indiana” was hosted by Keith and Janice Conaway with T.O.I.S. (Tandems of Indiana Society). Teams rode around the Major Taylor Velodrome on Friday night, and routes included trips to Zionsville and Lebanon. Entertainment was by cyclist Reed Steele who is well known for his performances at the Hilly Hundred each fall.
“Different by Design” is the trademark of Columbus, IN and it became the theme for the rally in 2004. Don and Dolly Craft, Charlie and Diane Zaharako, and HOOTs hosted the event. Saturday’s routes went to Anderson Falls and the town of Hope. Saturday ended with a free concert and fireworks. Performing at the concert was Davy Jones, formerly with the Monkees. Sunday’s route ventured into the hills of Brown County, passing by Grandview Lake, the Story Inn, and the Spears Gallery.
In 2010, MTR traveled north to Shipshewana, a town of 658 people in the heart of Amish country. This small town size allowed very short transit zones into the quiet roads of northern Indiana. Don and Dolly Craft, Danny Graber and Rhonda Yoder, along with HOOTS, hosted the event. “Ride to a Slower Pace” featured a Saturday lunch provided by an Amish family, and Sunday’s route went past Shipshewana Lake with a loop into Michigan.
“Rally ‘Round the Fort” was hosted in downtown Fort Wayne in 2014 by Kent & Anne Ellis. Many of the routes followed the Wayne Trace, where General Mad Anthony Wayne’s army marched in 1794. Saturday’s route went to Ossian and then to Hoagland for lunch. Sunday’s route went to Arcola and then Columbia City’s Morches Park for lunch. The post tour was headquartered in Marion, and had a Garfield theme.
“Rediscover Columbus” was chaired by John Calhoun & Madelyn Zalon as MTR returned to the Columbus area in 2019. Rally headquarters was just north of Columbus at the Edinburg Mall Hilton allowing great access to the county roads. The rally started with a modified Poker Run / Ice Cream / Architectural Tour of 28 miles on Friday afternoon. Saturday’s route went southwest to the rolling hills around Harrison and Grandview Lakes. Riders then went east to Columbus for lunch at the Mill Race Center on the Flat Rock River. The Columbus Hospice Concert, featuring Survivor, was the entertainment for Saturday night. Sunday’s route headed east to the town of Hope. From there riders went to Schaefer Lake and Anderson Falls before heading to Simmon’s Winery for lunch. A dessert social on Sunday night at the Hilton gave one more chance for socializing. Monday featured two rides; a road ride heading northeast and a mountain bike ride in Brown County State Park.
“Eclipse Your Expectations” preceeded the April 8, 2024 total eclipse in Indiana. Kent & Anne Ellis chaired the 2023 event that started on the southwest side of Fort Wayne. For the first time ever, a fully-supported, mass start ride was held on Friday afternoon with 80% of the teams joining the ride. Saturday’s routes traveled through Poe and Ossian into the former Black Swamp area. Sunday’s routes went to Roanoke and Huntington along the rolling hills of the Wabash Moraine. The entertainment and social events included a dessert social for all riders on Saturday and trip to Parkview Field to watch a Fort Wayne Tin Caps baseball game on Sunday. We finished the rally on Monday with a short “Ride for the Donuts” on the Towpath Trail.
“Race Back to Indiana” will be the 2025 event hosted in Westfield (just north of Indianapolis). Event chairs Rick & Anna Stanley, along with John Calhoun & Madelyn Zalon, are working hard to provide their guests with the best event possible.
Midwest Tandem Rallys Hosted by HOOTS
| Year | Location | Chairs |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Westfield | Rick & Anna Stanley and John Calhoun & Madelyn Zalon |
| 2023 | Fort Wayne | Kent & Anne Ellis |
| 2019 | Edinburgh | John Calhoun & Madelyn Zalon |
| 2014 | Fort Wayne | Kent & Anne Ellis |
| 2010 | Shipshewana | Don & Dolly Craft and Danny Graber and Rhonda Yoder |
| 2004 | Columbus | Don & Dolly Craft and Charlie & Diane Zaharako |
| 1995 | Indianapolis | Keith & Janice Conaway |
| 1985 | Anderson | Wayne & Phyllis Shirey |
| 1976 | Kokomo | Mont & Pam Williams |