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BEN MOSTYN
Athens Happily Invaded
by Georgia Tandem Rally
Athens experienced a show of alternative-
to-alternative transportation Memorial Day
weekend, as the 11th annual Georgia Tandem
Rally rolled into town. Over 200 cyclists on 99
bicycles converged on the Foundry Park Inn,
their headquarters for three days of long group
rides and on-foot forays to Athens' attractions.
Thoughts of tandem bicycles typically
evoke scenes of straw-hatted riders at genteel
bike—full of people, usually two, but not
always, as four "triplets" boasted three peo
ple.) The riders came from 15 states: surpris
ingly, the most-represented state was Florida,
not Georgia. The oldest rider was Zeke Osgood,
82; the youngest, Michael Garrison, age seven.
The organizers of the event, Roger Strauss
and Eve Kofsky, have set up each yearly rally
since the first in 1999. They rotate the ride
among several Georgia
cites, and this was their
first return to Athens
since 2002. Why Athens?
Strauss grinned and
raised his voice over the
B-52s music bouncing
through their gathering
on Saturday: "Lots to do,
lots to eat, lots to see,
and good local beer. We
enjoy Athens." That, they
do. When they climbed
off their bikes, the riders
hit town. Excursions to
the Terrapin brewery, res
taurants and an evening
of desserts at the Lyndon
House were not only fun
for participants, but when
combined with lodging
and other expenses made
a nice contribution to the city's summer econ
omy. Next year's rally location isn't confirmed
yet, but Athens will be remembered—and, one
can hope, revisited—for the good times expe
rienced this year.
Deb Chasteen
Two hundred riders on 99 bikes came to Athens for the Georgia Tandem Rally.
speeds, or a leisurely beach boardwalk rental.
But as the rally assembled at the inn's parking
lot for the first long tour of the weekend, the
participants and their rides quickly dispelled
such quaint notions. Sleek cycling wear in
vivid colors was the look, with many teams
in matching gear. (A team consists of one
UGA Profs and Docs
Talk Pandemic Influenza
"I think the medical surveillance commu
nity should be congratulated for the way they
were able to detect the signs of what might be
pandemic influenza," said UGA epidemiology
professor Christopher Whalen at a public forum
put on May 28 by UGA's College of Public
Health. The key words in that sentence? Might
be. Once the story spread widely through
the press, Whalen said, the narrative became
more like 'this is pandemic flu.' In fact, public
health officials still don't know
just what route the "H1N1" flu
(a.k.a. swine flu) will take.
"It has evolved to be less of
a concern than it was initially,"
said Northeast Georgia District Health Director
Dr. Claude Burnett, who also participated in
the forum, but still, "everybody's on alert."
Burnett added, "We are ready to do more, but
it looks like it's probably going to taper off"—
though the real question pertains to what
happens this fall, when public health officials
(and vaccine manufacturers) may have to deal
with both H1N1 and the normal seasonal flu.
"There's a lot of uncertainty at this point what
will be done in the fall vis-a-vis a vaccine
for this flu," Burnett said. That's because the
response depends intimately on how the flu
continues to behave this year. Officials are
closely watching its progress in South America
this summer (which is winter there) in an
effort to gain more knowledge.
"This unfortunately didn't have a pig on
it," said Burnett, holding up a copy of the
local public health brochure on
pandemic flu, which prominently
depicts a rooster in profile as
seen on billboards around town.
"But the message is largely the
same." That message is mainly to stay home
from work, school, church and other large
gatherings if you come down with a flu, and
to try to prevent spreading the flu through
hand contact or coughing. The full brochure is
available online at www.publichealthathens.
com.
Ben Emanuel ben@flagpole.com
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