Tandem cycling an exercise in teamwork
David and Lily Charles of Sidney cycle through Myra Canyon in the B.C. Interior on their tandem bike.
Email
Print
Letter to Editor
Share
Tandem bike riders converging on Victoria
Whether in Victoria or Northern Ireland, tandem cyclists David and Lily Charles hear the same joke when they’re riding.
“It’s always: ‘She’s not peddling!’” David says.
Sidney residents David, 70, and Lily, 69, have been riding tandem bikes for about 15 years.
And although David rides about 200 kilometres a week on his own two-wheeled bike, when it comes to covering common ground the tandem works best for the couple.
Tandem riding takes trust, David says.
“There’s a lot of co-ordination which, after a while, becomes second nature.”
He points out that advance warnings to the rear rider, called the stoker, by the front rider, the captain, are imperative. The rear rider sits over the back wheel and any bump can be keenly felt.
This weekend, more than 600 riders from as far away as Florida and Alabama are in town for the annual Northwest Tandem Rally, running today (July 3) through Sunday and centred at the University of Victoria.
Some funds from rally fees will go towards the B.C. Cancer Foundation.
Bike tours will go to the Butchart Gardens on Friday, the Saanich Peninsula on Saturday and the West Shore on Sunday – including through Oak Bay. The group will be divided into two or three smaller groups to avoid traffic congestion while on the roads.
And if any onlookers shout out the ‘not peddling’ refrain, David says he’ll be ready.
vmoreau@saanichnews.com
v2
