landstander

I've been cruising the 'hood with Judy (my autistic sister-in-law) for
about 3 weeks now, getting used to riding a tandem... a new experience
for both of us. Two days ago the time finally seemed right, so we
went to a local bike trail for our first extended ride. I promised
y'all a status report, so here goes!

I'll start with the bike. We ended up purchasing a 2005 Raleigh
Companion, which seems to be performing admirably. The only problem
so far has been the adjustable stem which the bike shop installed...
despite my best efforts it keeps working loose, allowing the front
handlebars to wobble up and down. It may just need a dose of
thread-locker, but I'm planning to let the bike shop handle it (it's
due back for the 30-day adjustment next week ).

The trail is roughly 3 miles from our house, and it took us about 15
minutes to get there. We rode most of the way (don't have a trailer
which can accommodate a tandem), but walked along 2 of the busier
roads which I didn't think Judy's quite ready to ride yet. Once there
we did a round trip of approximately 12 miles, with a few breaks when
she decided that her legs were getting too sore. It was a pretty
relaxed pace, even for a multi-use trail, but I expect that we'll get
better with practice. We both had fun, and that's the important
thing.

About halfway through the ride, she started getting nervous... began
talking softly to herself almost nonstop, and worrying that I'd be
upset. She's somewhat prone to that sort of thing at the moment, as
she's amidst a major change to her medication. I don't think the bike
ride itself really had much to do with it, although it's relative
unfamiliarity might have helped to trigger the episode. In any event,
I kept reassuring her that she was doing fine (which was quite true),
and we managed to ride back to the entrance without any real trouble.
We walked home from there, because her legs were rather sore at that
point.

Judy says that she does want to ride again, but I've promised that
we'd wait a few days for her to get over the soreness. I'm planning
to make a few small adjustments, however.


* She's asked for a portable radio, because music helps her to stay
relaxed. Normally I'm not thrilled with the idea of a cyclist with
headphones, but in this case I think it's probably justified (as long
as she keeps the volume down)... in any event, I'll be the one at
fault if it turns out to be a bad idea. We went ahead and bought her
a Zen Nano Plus (MP3 player / FM tuner, with 1 GB of built-in storage)
last night, along with a pair of wrap-behind headphones. It's got an
armband case, and seems like it should work well as long as we're
careful to tie down the excess cable so it can't snag.

* I installed a bell on the stoker's handlebars, so she can be the one
to warn pedestrians of our approach. It may not sound like much, but
it gives her something to concentrate on.


Weather permitting, we plan to go back to the trail on Saturday. I
have high hopes!

malkin

landstander

Thanks for the update. I'm interested in your experience because I work at a school for kids with autism.

As a new stoker myself, I can relate to some of her anxiety!

I think it's wonderful that you are riding with her. If you'd like any advice from the 'autism professional' side just let me know.

Guest

That's such a great story and you're a great person for taking your sister-in-law out and having the patience to work with her. I wish there were more out there like you.

Koffee

Daft Punk

You gave Judy the responsibility of ringing the bell. Cool...real cool.

Thanks for sharing your experience with us, landstander.

Peace.

Marco

zonatandem

Great ride/story! Do it again!

Brian

Sounds like you're doing everything right, and a great guy as well. My only concern is that her music might be so loud she can't hear you call out bumps and stuff.

landstander

I just might take you up on that!

landstander

I must admit, I'm a bit concerned about that as well. We'll be taking things nice and slow tomorrow, at least until we see how well that works out.

Keeping my fingers crossed!

Brian

If you can adjust the balance, maybe have one ear lower than the other?

mtbcyclist

I'm impressed landstander. Wish more folks were like you. Just think if everybody in the world was as kind and as generous as you.

Maybe you could have her just listen to music in one ear and listen to the road and you in the other.

Keep up the good work and keep us informed.

landstander

We'll give that a try. Also, it's been suggested that I check out the Tandem-Com. It sounds like it might well address all of my concerns, although I don't think we have the money for it at present. Something to keep in mind for a few months down the road, tho.

malkin

If the radio works to decrease her anxiety but interferes with the ride, there are things you can do to decrease her reliance on the radio. It sounds like she has some good awareness of her issues and some good strategies.

By taking her riding you are stretching her a bit, and she might need to expand her coping strategies to go with the new experience.

HereNT

I wonder if you could get a handlebar radio or something, so she could hear the music without blocking out everything else.

And what all the others said about how cool what you're doing for her - you rock!

DocF

What a great thread! I'm impressed with your efforts and with the support shown here. Keep working with Judy. it sounds like she wil adapt.

Good luck,
Doc