Comments on: 2016 RAWROD Ride Report Part 3: Adventure Enough

By: Mark in Bremerton

Mark in Bremerton — Sat, 21 May 2016 16:27:20 +0000

Regarding tandems… We’re riding ours. A lot. No therapy in our future (over that anyway).

You can tell when the other person is slacking or applying power, no way to hide.

Getting the coordination for standing, stopping, and other bike handling skills is the best part. Real teamwork.

Here is what I’ve learned: The stoker has to have unwavering trust in the captain. The captain has to continuously earn that trust.

I’d LOVE to hear Heather and Kenny’s story. Do it!

By: Jimbo/Rumpled

Jimbo/Rumpled — Thu, 19 May 2016 22:48:22 +0000

@Shugg McGraw – In my mind, Kenny and Heather would have been closer to crying than laughing when they got to the booth.

By: Jeff Dieffenbach

Jeff Dieffenbach — Thu, 19 May 2016 21:20:02 +0000

I’m picturing a Camelbak with two “straws.”

I know that the cadence is linked on a tandem, but can’t either person do essentially no work other than allowing their feet to be pulled around by the pedals?

By: wharton_crew

wharton_crew — Thu, 19 May 2016 17:31:40 +0000

Actually, I’d like to request a write-up from Kenny on this ride….for a couple of reasons….

1. They were riding a tandem? Is their relationship strong enough to withstand a 100M tandem bike ride in the wind? Unless they are perfectly compatible riders, one of them was doing more work than the other – which leads to bitterness and couples counseling 90% of the time.

2. When the sand-blasting was really bad, did Kenny do the ‘chivalrous’ thing by riding behind Heather to ‘power the bike’ while really just using her as a human shield?

3. What happens on a tandem if you’re going up-hill and one of you needs to stand up to pedal, but the other one can’t/won’t? How do you keep your cadence aligned??

4. On a tandem, does the person riding behind ever sneak a drink from the front-person’s camelbak? I would do that….

Kenny – we need answers….and a picture!

By: Shugg McGraw

Shugg McGraw — Thu, 19 May 2016 09:19:38 +0000

I expect they laughed when they got to the booth and found out it was a free pass day.

By: Mark in Bremerton

Mark in Bremerton — Wed, 18 May 2016 23:04:10 +0000

And, you just convinced me to go get ready for the group hammerfest. Because I’d kick myself later if I didn’t go. Thanks!

By: Jeff Dieffenbach

Jeff Dieffenbach — Wed, 18 May 2016 19:38:00 +0000

Wasn’t the absence of their vehicles at the parking lot when you got back something of an indication that they’d bailed on the ride?

Their vehicles were still there. They hadn’t bailed on the ride, they had just gotten way further behind than we would have expected possible. – FC

By: leroy

leroy — Wed, 18 May 2016 18:51:27 +0000

My dog won’t stop pestering me until I ask if you’re marketing the hair replacement system you’re modeling in that last photo.

He says it’s not for him. It’s for a friend.

I told him he’s not fooling anybody. He’s the one who sheds.

And anyway, I wear a cap.

By: Leedo

Leedo — Wed, 18 May 2016 18:13:57 +0000

Whatever happened to Ryan and Jaaooaoooeooeooeoo?

They finished about an hour behind The Hammer and me. – FC

By: Casey

Casey — Wed, 18 May 2016 17:45:07 +0000

I may have missed something of the story. When they went back to the beginning to get their passes and/or money for the tool booth (that they ended up not needing), did they stop for the day? Or did they end up finishing the route after all?

This is a terrific question, and I should have answered it in the story itself. Short version: after they returned to get money and passes, they re-started the ride. By then, however, they were already more than an hour behind us. I’ll include a PS at the end of the post with more details. – FC