About the PANTHERS

In 2009 the Southern Tandem Rally (STR) was held in The Villages, Florida, and more than half of the registered riders were from the State of Florida .  Members of the STR organizing committee who lived in or near The Villages decided to see if there was enough interest to start a new tandem club in Central Florida.  From that original core group, the club has grown to more than fifty couples from the entire State of Florida and many of the surrounding states.  Riders from northern states and even Canada join us to enjoy our mild weather and tandem-friendly terrain.

Many tandem clubs across the country have adopted animal names, so we chose PANTHERS, the Florida state mammal and an endangered species.  With possibly the longest acronym of any tandem club, we are proud to be Partners Aboard Neat Tandems Happily Enjoying Riding Simultaneously.

Exercise, fresh air and some of the nicest people you could ever meet are just some of the benefits of PANTHERS membership.  Your team’s combined age — the brand of your tandem — your style of riding — do not matter, since you will always find other compatible teams and you will be welcome in the PANTHERS Tandem Club. The main purposes of our club are to have fun riding, enjoy our food and beverage stops and share each other’s company.

If you are new to tandems or have not yet  started to ride, joining us will help you to gain  information and answers to your questions.  If you are not tandem riders and think you might like to be, contact us and we will try to help you.

 PANTHERS Board of Directors – 2022

  • Bob & Jan Thompson,  President
  • Dick & Patty Young,  Vice President
  • Ray & Linda Cannarella,  Secretary
  • Ray & Nancy Murtaugh,  Treasurer
  • Randy & Marty Thumm,  Membership
  • Bill and Kathy Foster, Publicity
  • Gabe & Diana Mirkin,  Member Emeritus
  • Dave Cardarella, Website

PANTHERS Bylaws 2024

Cycling The Villages
For PANTHERS members who live in The Villages or like to cycle there, see Cycling The Villages, prepared by the Bike Friendly Advocacy Council. The Villages received a Gold award from the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) for 2018-2022 as a Bike-Friendly Community. Cycling The Villages is full of information on cycling activities and guidelines for using the roads and multi-modal paths in The Villages.