rechelle's lifelyrics

Recently, Ray and I attended a portion of the 2024 Northwest Tandem Rally in Corvallis, Oregon. We met a couple, Mick and Sandi, from Canada who have been riding tandem bicycles together for over 40 years! In our conversation, I learned that my seat and handle positions have caused a lot of undo suffering that must be avoided in future rides! I told them I often have to stand up during rides in excess of about 20 miles because my “lady bits” (their conversational name for the female anatomy) go numb. Mick shared his knowledge from being a physician (with all of the associated medical terminology) to explain to me that this should never happen while riding, and that it is serious. He told us if numbness like that ever happens again, we need to stop the ride immediately and figure out what adjustments need to be made.

Wow. We have been riding tandem for 5 years, but never realized the gravity of the situation! We came home from the rally with a big zeal to learn more about proper seat and handle bar positioning. One of the most helpful videos we watched was by Jourdain Coleman called “I’ve Been Suffering For 3 Years // Full Professional BIKE FIT.” Ray replaced my handle bars, and adjusted the distance between the seat and bars on both of our saddles. We went on a test ride last night, and both of us are much more comfortable than before. Mick told us when we ride, we should not be thinking about the seat, or feeling any stress points. Then, the videos we watched to learn more emphasized finding the point of balance for your specific body, and then making sure you are simply spinning – not stomping on the pedals.

When we first started riding tandem, my focus was on being a good Stoker (the person on the back of the tandem) for my Captain (the person on the front, who has control of steering, shifting the gears, and breaking). We learned techniques of communicating, starting & stopping, and balancing our effort levels according to our heart rates. We have found it is imperative to be consistent so that we know what to expect from each other. We want to function as one as much as possible.

As far as comfort on the bike, we’ve had a few game-changers like when Ray found a really good Italian-made seat specifically designed for females and then added a shock-absorbing seat post. A couple of years ago, every time we rode more than a few miles, my right foot would fall asleep and then be in terrible pain. We finally stopped mid-ride, and Ray moved the clip just one or two millimeters on my shoe. I couldn’t believe the difference it made, and I stopped having pain in my foot! So one thing I learned from that experience that is truly carrying over to our recent learning curve is: Millimeters Matter. Whether you’re the Captain or the Stoker, it’s really important to find the right positioning of each part on the bicycle in order to be the best riding partner you can be.

p.s. Here is the link to the video I mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnGSLC9FtNI

p.s. I’ve uploaded a new “Rechelle’s Ruminations” from 2009 when we used to mountain bike as a family! Check it out here: https://rechellelifelyrics.com/rechelles-ruminations/