Liz and I are sitting quietly in the Three Rivers Lodge, watching rain fall from cloudy skies, causing unsuspecting people to rush to the nearest dry shelter. Sunlight, from a break in the clouds to our left casts a sunny glow on sidewalks that continue to be pelted by the heavy rainfall.
We are drying out ourselves, after being caught in the rain as we bicycled to my downtown office. The weather forecast had called for afternoon showers, but I foolishly thought it would hold off. Liz reminded me of this fact as the first drops of rain pelted our jackets. Part of the problem was the bicycle we are using. The other part is when we would need to be on it.
We are drying out ourselves, after being caught in the rain as we bicycled to my downtown office. The weather forecast had called for afternoon showers, but I foolishly thought it would hold off. Liz reminded me of this fact as the first drops of rain pelted our jackets. Part of the problem was the bicycle we are using. The other part is when we would need to be on it.
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We are using a Burley tandem bike for a 32-mile fun ride as part of the 2014 Festival Fitness Coulee Region Bike Tour in La Crosse. At ninety-six inches long, the bike is too big to put into the back of the Toyota Highlander and too long to mount on our bike rack.
As a result, we had decided the best way is for Liz to stop at my office after work, drive us home in my car, then ride the bike back to the office, leave it in the break room, and finally take her car home. A little complicated, but really our only option.
The bike tour is taking place at 7:30 tomorrow morning, so we had to deal with it now -- rain or shine. And so we did.
As I bite into my batter fried cod, I watch the Mississippi River flow rapidly to our south. The combined flow of the Black, La Crosse and Mississippi rivers (and others further north) is enough to flood the banks of Pettibone Park, its campground and boat landing. The official flood stage in La Crosse is 12 feet, and the river is currently sitting at 12 feet 6 inches.
Much like the combined strength of the three rivers, riding a tandem bicycle uses the peddling power of two riders, combining them into a synchronized push that takes less effort and allows for faster travel. Essential to this coupling is teamwork, empathy, cooperation, and mutual understanding. The most important "essential" is communication. Starting, resting and stopping is impossible without communicating.
I am excited about tomorrow's 32 mile ride, but I'm not sure Liz feels the same. I originally wanted to run the 5K, but after Liz convinced me that her running days were over, I asked if she wanted to try the fun ride to Stoddard and back. It was not a timed race, and we had wanted to do more bicycling this year, so it sounded like the perfect solution.
Tomorrow's ride will decide if I am right.
Prior to the bike tour, I'd never paid any attention to tandem bikes. I probably paid more attention to recumbent bikes -- and that was because they looked so strange. The reason we were even considering a tandem was because of Tom and Marilyn Tiggelaar, friends who happen to have three of them. They've been trying to get us on one for a year.
Tandems are surprisingly popular today, but that wasn't always the case. Patents related to tandem bicycles date from the late 1800s. The two-wheeled configuration that we see today seems to show up in the early 1890s as "courting bikes" designed for a man and a woman which put the woman in the front seat with the man behind and steering the bike through a linkage from the rear position.
These frames were very common at the start of the next century. Some variations included racing tandems designed for men and women, others included triplets, quads, quints and even a ten-seat goliath from the Orient Bicycle Company.
Early tandem bikes became popular because of their use in courting rituals, as interested suitors could take ladies out for a bike ride, without the woman having to exert herself physically. That may be true, but I can't image it being very easy to get on and off the bicycle.
By the end of World War I, tandem bikes were being replaced by more traditional single seat bikes. From 1920 to 1970 names like Gazelle, Raleigh, Fugi, Cannodale, Huffy and Schwinn dominated the bicycle world. Many of them still do.
It wasn't until the 1970's that tandems made a comeback in large part because of Bill McCready and Santana Bicycles. Due to better technology and higher performance with single bicycles, Santana was able to design a bike that was accessible to more people, with features that made them fun to ride. As enthusiast level bicycles became more popular, so did the tandem.
Today, you can buy tandems from high-end manufacturers like Santana for $10,000 - $12,000. But you can also buy one on Amazon.com for $275. Typically, I'd expect to spend a couple thousand dollars for a good tandem bike. Like most bicycles, what's available depends on how much money you have in your wallet.
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With the two person bicycle, the rider who rides at the front is termed the captain, pilot or the steersman, while the rider who rides at the back of the bicycle is termed the navigator or the stroker. You can tell already -- just by the terms used -- that riding a tandem will challenge even the strongest of marriages.
The biggest thing about tandems is the level of cooperation between the captain and the stroker. By definition, the front rider should have good bike-handling skills and good judgement. That includes control of the bike, balance (whether stopped or in motion), steering, shifting and braking. To keep the stroker happy, the captain must earn the stroker's confidence by stopping when she wants to stop and must slow down when she wants to slow down. Since the stroker can't see the road ahead, the captain has the special responsibility of warning her of any bumps, obstacles and road hazards. Or beer stops if you are so inclined.
The rear driver has responsibilities too. She is not just a passenger, but an equal participant. The stroker has the responsibility of providing power when starting. Since the captain is standing on both feet to begin, it is the job of the stroker to provide enough power to maintain balance and power to move the bike forward.
The other responsibility is a lot tougher. The stroker must not try to steer, since unplanned weight shifts on the part of a stroker can make the captain's job much harder. Same philosophy applies when taking turns. As a tandem, both riders should lean over the centerline of the bike to avoid accidents.
As simple as these things sound, trust me when I say it gets very tricky when you are in a narrow space or surrounded in traffic by other bikes and automobiles. A quick maneuver on a single bike is easy -- on a tandem not only do you lack such flexibility, but you also have to anticipate your move or you will find yourself in a ditch or planted in someone's car door before you know it. Beating an approaching train is usually not a good idea, although it has been done.
In terms of speed, tandems are faster than two regular bicycles; you have less mass, double the engines and better drafting. At the same time, tandems don't accelerate well and they don't climb well, but once they get going on a flat stretch or into the wind (which is always), they are very fast.
Fortunately, once you get the hang of a tandem bicycle, you are able to do things together that you can't always do when you are on separate bikes. That includes taking pictures, answering the phone, enjoying the view, rubbing a stiff back, eating (or drinking) and talking.
Given these advantages, it's not surprising that tandem bikes are so popular.
Liz and I have a direct path to the bar where they are serving Pearl Street beer. Our choices include the brewery's DTB Brown ale and El Hefe Bavarian beer. A muttered request later and I am tilting the El Hefe to my lips, quenching a thirst that began 10 miles earlier as we passed Goose Island Park for the second time.
"That's got to be the best damn beer I've had in a long time!" I say to Tom Tiggelaar who has opted for the DTB. Tom and his wife Marilyn are joining us for some beer and brats after we had put the tandem bikes in a secure area. "Almost makes me want to ride another 32 miles."
"Not quite," says Tom as we find a picnic table near the beer tent.
We are surrounded by people who have finished the 5K run and half marathon, wearing tin foil capes and running shorts. An odd combination, I think as Liz smiles and bites into her brat. For that matter, Liz and drinking beer is another odd combination. She never drinks beer, but here she is enjoying the full-bodied flavor of one of Pearl Street's most popular brews. Earlier, I discovered that she and I make a good team on the tandem, and now I find out that she likes an occasional beer. What's next -- a sudden passion for biking up 3 mile? I doubt it.
The four of us are feeling pretty good having completed the full thirty-two mile trek in 2 hours and fifty minutes. Only 45 minutes slower than our son Sean who had completed his ride in 2 hours and five minutes. Liz had doubts that he even stopped in Stoddard to rest and grab an orange or bagel. After seeing him bike past us -- heading back to La Crosse -- I was inclined to agree.
"I'm really sorry about the bike," says Marilyn who is sitting opposite me. "Tom took that bike in earlier to fix it. The gears shouldn't have been slipping the way they were -- I think we'll drop it off on our way home and make sure the bike shop fixes it this time."
"Don't worry about it," I say. The sun, which is peaking out behind some white fluffy clouds, warms my face which has gotten cold. "The only time it was a problem was when we were in sixth gear or pushing it. I either went with fifth or seventh, although Liz didn't like it when I went to seventh. I've always known that she likes a lower gear than me. Today just meant that we had to find common ground."
Other than the bad gear slip that Marilyn was talking about, things had gone well. So well in fact that I could see doing it again next year, maybe taking it a little further. Chaseburg was the next stop on the tour which would mean a 43-mile ride. Certainly doable, but it would mean going up a long hilly stretch which even more experienced riders were talking about -- and not in a good way.
Well, Liz and I would have a year to get ready. I wonder if...
"Daisy Daisy,
Give me your answer do!
I'm half crazy,
All for the love of you!
It won't be a stylish marriage,
I can't afford a carriage,
But you'll look sweet on the seat
Of a bicycle built for two!
We will go "tandem" as man and wife,
Daisy, Daisy!
Ped'ling away down the road of life,
I and my Daisy Bell!"
-- Dacre 1892
