Two as One
In the world of cycling, there is nothing that can quite compare to Tandem Cycling. It is challenging in many ways. Uphill climbs are slow and sometimes painful and the downhills are excruciatingly fast. This in itself can be difficult for a tandem team as you need to be close to equal with comfort levels and trust. Added to that, the need to communicate, it is not surprising tandem bikes are often referred to as divorce machines.
My name is Alan, I am thirty five years old and work in a technical position. I was married and have since divorced.
During my marriage, my then wife and I purchased a tandem bike, thinking it was something we could do together. This started out fine, then our differences and likes started to show through each ride. Soon it was like we were trying to ride our own ride, nothing synced and it was exhausting to ride, trying to balance each other's moves. I loved that kind of riding and she hated it. We were becoming aware of our many other differences.
It is often said that tandem bikes don't necessarily make relationships better, they just help them get to the way they are headed faster and apparently ours was heading toward an end. So yes, we realized we had drifted apart and soon ended up divorced, the bike just made us realize it faster. We both ended up happier in the long run. Going forward I swore never to become emotional involved with any tandem partners.
My next tandem team partner was a friend, she was a competitive person who liked the same challenges as I did, we laughed, struggled and truly enjoyed our friendship on the bike for several years...until her company transferred her to another city. When you develop those kind of friendships, it is painful to see them go. At least we stay in touch.
Over the next few months, several folks took a ride on the tandem with me. None seemed to click. Then, a friend recommended that there are people who are vision impaired that would love the opportunity to ride...and a tandem bike could offer that safely. He said that someone would contact me to arrange a meet-up with a rider. I made no assumptions and just took this as another riding experience.
I received a call from a pleasant sounding lady named Gwen. She told me she was visually challenged all her life, but never felt it had handicapped her...except for riding a bike. I could feel the strength in her voice, seeking a challenge, and yet a subtle sweetness. I was looking forward to meeting this woman and helping her find the freedom of the air in one's ears when riding.
We met on a Saturday morning in early summer. Gwen was a pretty woman, brunette, medium height and a few years younger than I. The first thing she notice of me was the smell of my aftershave, which I thought was extremely subtle, yet she noticed immediately. As we walked and talked she grabbed my arm, not for guidance, but for assurance. We talked about trust and communication; requirements of a real tandem team.
Gwen and I decided to do a trial ride early the next morning. I have to admit being concerned that she would have trouble seeing, but then realizing the person in the stoker's position can see little of what is straight ahead. They have to trust the captain to communicate what is happening ahead. As we headed out on our ride, I could feel Gwen sense of what was happening, her smile, hear her breaths as we rode, feet pedaling in sync, both pouring effort on when needed and joyful coasting when we could. And the feeling of floating when the effort and results were near perfect.
