Autistic stoker.
 

Hi. I usually hang at the commuter board but thought I'd see what goes on here. The happy tandem pix are just great. My sister is my stoker and she IS autistic. (And you thought YOUR stoker was a problem. :twitchy: She enjoys it though. Esp. if going to breakfast is part of the trip. My wife has COPD and really can't hang. But the bike was bought just for my sis. Usually we ride under 10 miles. But we ride to several parks on the Delaware River. Very nice. Two problems. She screeches very loudly when startled or frightened, and since she learned to ride on a one speed Schwinn with a BENDIX brake, she tries to stop us by peddaling BACKWARDS. She does it LESS, now.:backpedal: Still it's good for her, and she needs the exercise. She turns 50 on Oct. 31. That birth date is probably NO coincidence.:innocent:

Welcome! Good to hear that you and your sister enjoy riding together. :thumb:



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Sounds fun. Got a pic of the bike, or an action shot?

My son is autistic and I do understand about stoker issues. Although he is high functioning, he does have his issues and can be frustating at times. We just completed the Seattle To Portand ride [STP] just last week in a day. We did spend some time training but our last century ride was terrible. He had a sore butt, aching legs, and just a royal pain in the ***. Our average speed [on any ride] is about 16 but on that day we only averaged 15. I was wondering if we could do the STP in two days let alone one [that I was planing on]. Well, the day of the ride was magical since we finished the first part in 5 hours and 20 mins [averaged over 18 mph]. The second half was a little slower but we finished the entire ride in 12.5 hours. It was a real challenge for us when we broke some spokes at the last 30 miles of the ride. My son was very upset and thought we would not finish. My son has issues with sudden changes and I had to calm him down and explained that we would finish [if the second wheel held up]. Although he had pain it was not nearly as bad as the last Century a few weeks before.
I also remember we went riding with other Tandems in the area [Evergreen Tandem Club] and one team fell over at a stop light. When the light turned green they were still on the ground but my son was telling me to go since the light was going to turn red. Kinda funny for me since I know him but he came across kind of rude. Either way he may not be the best stoker for everyone but he is for me.

There is a dad and his autistic son that I see riding on a rail to trail here in northern Baltimore. I find it SO heartwarming. His son appears to be happy and fit - as is the dad. I've been watching them ride on their tandem for about the last 5 years - the son must be close to his 20's by now. I have a few friends with autistic sons and I always relay this to them. I'm sure its a challenge - but riding a tandem is a challenge for any couple....
WTG Butcher and Fred!

"She's an excellent rider."

I have an ADHD son who is 12, he likes to ride the tandem, but boy he is bouncing all over the place, but he is enjoying his summer