Brent, Holden and Beth depart on a Rally ride
Is ETR for me?
On occasion, folks have contacted ETR to ask if it would be a fun thing to do.
ETR and our other rallies are highly social events, appealing to teams and families. Rallies include multiple choices in ride mileage (typically, a long, medium and short each day, sometimes with optional loops) that generally range from low twenties to a high perhaps in the sixties.
Working to appeal to tandems, the rides tend to avoid the most strenuous hills, but some hills are unavoidable in given locations–the ETR shifts locale each year. The route planners often use remote starts, staggered start times, and overlapping routes where possible so that the teams meet for a remote lunch or at points of interest. Shorter rides tend to be flatter, too.
Some folks have more of a competitive spirit, and a little informal ‘spirited riding’ does take place at the front of the longer rides, but the vast majority split into smaller groups and ride at a comfortable pace. It’s a lot of fun; we invite you to join us!
And for another Perspective
Here is how another team got started… courtesy of the Boston Globe. Rarely does a writer grasp our sport as succinctly and eloquently as Jennifer Schwartz in 2008.