Tandem Riding

Lots of folks accuse me of putting my feet up and not pedaling on the back end...hardly true! It is different to ride tandem for lots of reasons.

First...no steering from the back. This is fortunate, since with a large person in front of me, I can't see the road ahead. So mostly I get to watch the scenery on either side of us. (Looking down at the road whizzing by makes me dizzy.)

Second, the pedaling thing. I actually pedal MORE on the tandem than on my own bike, because "not pedaling" has to be arranged with Steve. (It's a bit like dancing and letting him lead.) The other new thing is that I just got "clip pedals" so that means my shoe is actually clipped into the pedal itself. I can't put my feet up without first getting loose from the pedals. (For those of you who haven't done this, a sideways motion takes your foot off the clip.) The back person is called the "stoker" since pedaling is my one big contribution to the ride.

Third, no wind resistance because I have this large windbreak person in front of me. That means, I am always "drafting" but I still feel wind from the side a lot.

Fourth, the hills. A tandem is somewhat like a semi-truck, slow going up the hills and fast coming down.

The tandem is the great speed equalizer in our marriage. Since Steve can comfortably ride several mph faster than I can, I am always struggling to keep up when we are on two bikes. When we are on one, he HAS to wait for me!! We've actually had this tandem for 20+ years. We pulled two different bike carts behind it for the boys to ride in when they were little. That really made it feel like a semi!!

We might have to get another one, but hopefully our antique tandem will survive the event!!

Training Log: 896 miles