To Tandem, with Love

It's hard to believe, but Sam and I have been riding a tandem bicycle for just about a year and a half now. Even in that short time, we've had a whole array of experiences that have surprised, amazed and delighted. As much as I enjoy my alone time on a bicycle, I can't believe we've gone so many years not riding a tandem. In many ways, it feels as though we've been riding this way longer than we have, and I have a difficult time imagining what it would be like to not ride one now.

We have had our share of good and bad moments on the tandem, but the overarching thought is that most rides, even if they are occasionally painful, are good. We've settled into a nice rhythm of riding when we can and making plans for spring and summer riding. Even riding through the winter was fun, although cold, and it's always nice to have the road shoulders to ourselves as we don't come across too many other riders when winter sets in.

One of our friends asked us recently if we only ride together when on the tandem, and I thought it a little strange because, of course not -- we definitely ride together on separate bikes. But, I realized that in truth the majority of our together riding is done on one of the tandems because (especially having two now) not having a ton of time during which we can both ride, it seems almost a necessity to ride the tandem when we're both available.

While we certainly haven't traveled the miles of many tandem duos, we have enjoyed the miles and always look forward to the next time. Some of my favorite tandem moments/discoveries to date:

- Riding with other tandem bicycles in a group. The looks we get and the comments we hear from those passing by are priceless. While it's not completely uncommon to see a tandem team on roads or paths, seeing 10-30 in a group riding is undeniably a spectacle. I can't help but smile when people are caught off guard seeing so many of us together.

- Going places on a bike that I hadn't prior or hadn't for quite some time. I know that my long distance riding took a nose dive after some injuries about 5 years ago. It was really far more difficult to get back into those long rides than I thought it would be. I struggled to find the motivation and then struggled physically (and sometimes mentally) once I was out on the roads. Riding a tandem together gives me both motivation and a partner to ride with and has helped push me whether we are riding together or I'm off on my own.

Together, we've also been able to ride places that I've been hesitant to go on my own. For me, there's something about having a partner to ride with, and even more so when we're on the same bike, that pushes me to give my best - because we're depending on each other to make it to wherever the destination is for the day.

- Finding strength again. I commented to Sam a couple of weeks ago that I really feel like I've become a stronger rider because of the tandem. Don't get me wrong, I'm still not a powerhouse and I will never beat people to the top of a climb (especially on the tandem), but I realized one day while we were riding up a hill we'd traveled early in our tandem relationship that it wasn't nearly as rough as it had been the first time about a year ago.  Since changes don't happen all that quickly, it's easy to think that there's no improvement, but I can definitely feel that there is a difference compared to a year and a half ago. Hills aren't quite as painful, distance (at least to a certain point) is easier most days, and I love knowing that if we want to go, we have the ability to push ourselves just a bit more.

- Having difficult moments or entire rides on the tandem. It may seem odd that having a bad ride is a "good" thing, but I suppose it's actually more so that I appreciate what it tells me about our relationship and that we are capable of working through things. We've had rides during which we bicker over seemingly inane matters, but on the whole, I think we have a good riding partnership. Still, when those more challenging moments arise, I have come to realize that the ride isn't going to go all that well if we spend it fighting.

While we generally don't argue in everyday life, the spats while riding can sometimes be amusing, particularly when we realize we are saying the same thing, but going about it from different viewpoints or aren't quite communicating in sync.

For example, we have had a mildly heated exchange regarding which direction we were going to turn on a particular route. I was asking about a turn that was several miles (and turns) down the road. While I thought I'd been clear about what I was asking, Sam assumed I was talking about the next turn we'd be making and we ended up going round and round a few times before finally realizing what was happening.  Ultimately, Sam ends up thinking that I'm crazy for asking about a turn that's miles down the road, and I start getting frustrated because he's not understanding what I'm asking. These moments are few and far between, but I'm always amused that we often just think differently. Much as in everyday life, Sam is much better at living in the moment, whereas I'm generally thinking about happenings weeks, months or even years down the road. But, perhaps that is what makes a good partnership!

- Comments from people can be kind of fun too. I know that some tandem riders get annoyed with the "musings" from others, but we've been pretty fortunate that 99% of the time, comments are more curiosity-based than anything else. Things like "Is it harder to ride a tandem bike?" or "Will the bike work if one of you isn't pedaling?" have been asked pretty regularly. Most of the time, it's someone telling us how "adorable" we are as they drive, walk, or ride past.

On a recent ride, we had a woman come over while we were stopped taking some photos of the mountains who said, "You two are so cute! You even have matching tops on (for the record, we don't always match our jerseys, but we were coordinating on this particular day)." She just stood smiling for a few minutes at the bike and then said, "I want to see you take off on it!" These moments make me smile too, and it's always nice to have a conversation about a bike with an interested person.

I am also fascinated that we've yet to have anyone say to us that Sam (who rides in the stoker or back position) isn't pedaling, which is a commonly referenced complaint of female stokers. Maybe in time we'll hear this too, but part of me wonders if there's something sexist taking place since the male in our duo rides in the back position.

- Riding as the only tandem in a group of single riders can have its benefits too. Although I do enjoy riding with a group of other tandem cyclists on occasion, it is fun to be the only tandem in a group as well. While single riders don't always understand our challenges on the tandem, there is almost always a level of curiosity and patience with us as we struggle up a climb or the singles draft behind us as we barrel down a hill. In fact, I've even bargained with total strangers on singles that if they help us up a climb, we'll let them draft down an impending descent. It can be a win-win situation if everyone works together.

Although it probably wouldn't make sense to ride in a formal group of single riders who were looking to maintain some type of race-peloton, on more casual group rides, it can be fun to see what we can do on the tandem to both help the singles and assist us in our average speed too.

There are so many other little things that I appreciate about riding a tandem too, but overall, I think we've both simply enjoyed the experience of riding tandem. Although we both have off days or times when we just don't appreciate the ride as much as others, we are always left with a memory of some kind. Plus, we can fill each other in on happenings from the week because we are attached to each other for a stretch of time. I am so thankful that we've had the opportunity to experience this joy and look forward to continuing to ride together.