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05-11-11, 05:57 PM
I'm very blessed to have a wife so beautiful and talented. While she can beat me very handily by 40 or more pins on average at bowling ( 150 vs 190) my skill and passion is cycling.
We really enjoy the meetup rides on the So Flat area on tuesday and wednesday nights but since she doesnt' ride as much as I do, she tends to fall behind. This was not a big probelem when we ride the tandem as I can usually keep us in the B group.
Lately, however, she was not able to ride and it showed. She would always be at the back of the pack struggling to hang on. I tried pulling her, but it's very difficult to judge when I'm going too fast.
Last night I tried the simple "hand on the back" techique, I was surprised how easy it was to push her along at 3 or 4 mph faster even w/o a draft. This enabled her to enjoy a ride much more than she otherwise would have. I enjoyed it more because I" was working" a little rather than seeing how slow I could go. I used to ride my roadie on these rides, but it was frustrating. I had a hard time keeping my moto at speed, and I was not feeling like I was "earning the ride."
I started riding my mtg on the rides and it was a huge improvement. The added weight and rolling resistance from the fat tires slowed me but gave a sense of accomplishment. But the real satisfaction came when I got the ideal to gently "push" my wife along. Both of us got a real workout and a lot more enjoyment from the ride.
Now I now that it is far more enjoyable for both of us if I give her a "gentile nudge" as we go on the more demanding rides than if I try to play the hero and pull. Our future rides will be more enjoyable for both of us!
It was a real "win - win" for both of us.
What puzzles me is why we can't seem to do this well on the tandem.
We really enjoy the meetup rides on the So Flat area on tuesday and wednesday nights but since she doesnt' ride as much as I do, she tends to fall behind. This was not a big probelem when we ride the tandem as I can usually keep us in the B group.
Lately, however, she was not able to ride and it showed. She would always be at the back of the pack struggling to hang on. I tried pulling her, but it's very difficult to judge when I'm going too fast.
Last night I tried the simple "hand on the back" techique, I was surprised how easy it was to push her along at 3 or 4 mph faster even w/o a draft. This enabled her to enjoy a ride much more than she otherwise would have. I enjoyed it more because I" was working" a little rather than seeing how slow I could go. I used to ride my roadie on these rides, but it was frustrating. I had a hard time keeping my moto at speed, and I was not feeling like I was "earning the ride."
I started riding my mtg on the rides and it was a huge improvement. The added weight and rolling resistance from the fat tires slowed me but gave a sense of accomplishment. But the real satisfaction came when I got the ideal to gently "push" my wife along. Both of us got a real workout and a lot more enjoyment from the ride.
Now I now that it is far more enjoyable for both of us if I give her a "gentile nudge" as we go on the more demanding rides than if I try to play the hero and pull. Our future rides will be more enjoyable for both of us!
It was a real "win - win" for both of us.
What puzzles me is why we can't seem to do this well on the tandem.