Rowan

Ooooo, ain't that the truth. I rode with a couple several times. She was high maintenance to the point of exasperation. She didn't realise her whining made the riding so unpleasant. When the conflict and less-than-comfortable atmosphere was mentioned by me once, I got "Oh we're over that... " The trouble is the people around didn't get over it that quickly, and it didn't take long for her to find something else to whinge about to her partner. And it continued on into camp.

One thing that I and Machka have found very important is to remain well nourished. Having ridden together on several big randonnees and touring, we pretty well know when each is getting low on energy, because the tempers begin to unravel. We figure if we are going to stand arguing on the corner of a big city about which direction to take, we might as well sit down and have the argument with an ice-cream or something; funny how the argument seems to melt away with each lick of the cone. Of course, in the middle of nowhere, an energy bar or slurp on an energy drink is needed.

One of the issues that does arise, and Machka alluded to this, is the difference in riding speeds. It is extremely rare to have two people who are comfortable riding at the same pace, unless there is some "handicap" introduced into the equation. It can be difficult for the slower rider to accept that they will be riding alone for much of the time, at the back of the two-person pack. And it can be equally difficult for a faster person to understand that the other one needs a good rest on arriving at a stop point, rather than moving on immediately to the next segment because the faster rider is ready and raring to go on their next personal challenge.

It's a balancing act... those compromises I mentioned before become important, especially those given by the faster, fitter rider. Flexibility in scheduling of tour legs is something that also is needed to overcome issues such as tiredness, illness or disillusionment; look for alternative transport or easier routes at various points along the way. It worked well for us in Europe last year. And importantly, schedule in plenty of rest!

I think, on reading many journals, that the most successful partnerships involve compromises, common goals and mutual enjoyment from their achievements and what they see and experience.

Of course, much of the negative issues become somewhat moot if a couple is on a tandem.