rechelle's lifelyrics

Two years ago, Ray & I went on an epic road trip with our tandem bicycle in tow (on the top of his Ford Explorer). This trip was a celebration of 35 years of marriage, and our first time crossing the US/Canadian border. We scheduled stays in Washington, USA, Vancouver Island, BC, Vancouver, Canada, and the San Juan Islands in Washington, USA over 11 nights — and 6 days of rides — on epic trails, every other day. Before we started our adventure, we watched a LOT of YouTube videos, previewing each trail, and getting a feel for each place we thought we might like to stay. We really appreciated the content on YouTube, because it offered considerable help to our decision-making while we were planning this “once-in-a-lifetime” trip. Coincidentally, this was a few months after I retired, and I realized I could learn the video editing software Ray had been using to create travel videos for his YouTube channel. So, in retrospect, creating Tandem Adventure videos from his OSMO camera became an unintended (but welcome) part of my “dream job” in retirement!

Last year, we didn’t do a big tandem bicycle adventure, but we did manage to accidentally participate in part of the North West Tandem Rally. We stopped at a winery I had never noticed on the way to Toledo, and met a couple who noticed our tandem on the car. The couple were participating in the rally, and encouraged us to stop off at the hub in Corvallis after our Friday afternoon ride out to the coast, to see about joining in the remaining rides. We completed our “Toledo to Newport” out & back ride that day, and on the way home, Ray insisted that we drive by the tandem rally at the fairgrounds in Corvallis. We agreed that we would return the next morning to visit the booths of merchandise they had set up, and find out if we could sign up for the ride on Sunday. When we went on Saturday, we met a couple who were married on their tandem, and had been riding, happily, together for over 30 years. Sandi was a concert violinist, who treated me to a private mini-concert in their beautiful motor home, and Mick is a physician, who taught me about the importance of riding on the bicycle saddle without chronic numbness or pain. He used a lot of technical terms I didn’t understand at the time, but that conversation has continued to teach me as I have sought out solutions for something I suffered for many years without taking it seriously! I learned later that he was telling me that numbness from pressure on the peroneal nerve should be detected and avoided immediately. After years of continuing to ride when I had that sensation, I finally understood: Stop riding, Get off the bike, and Make adjustments so the problem is not happening during a bicycle ride.

This summer, Ray and I have done a lot of communicating to try to address problems I’ve been experiencing during riding our tandem – and my single bicycle. We finally decided to get a bike fit (a pretty big financial commitment, but well worth it) for me just a couple of weeks before we were scheduled to leave on a “Road & Ride Trip” up through eastern Washington, into Idaho, and tapping into Montana briefly for the Hiawatha trail. We had such a wonderful trip, and I created 3 videos of our 3 rides during our road trip that you can view on Ray’s YouTube channel (links to the videos can be found at the end of this article).

We have been riding tandem for about 6 years, and cycling together since before we were married 37 years ago. I want to share a few things about what I’ve learned as a result of my bike fit with Jay at Hutch’s Bicycle in Eugene, OR, from Jenn at the TREK store in Kennewick, WA, and from the physical therapist who fitted Ray for his new bicycle shoes at the TREK store in Coeur d’Alene:

1. Women have a –much– higher tolerance of pain than men (presumably because we are built to bear children, which is extremely painful, since Eve did that thing that brought the curse upon all of us afterward).
2. Everyone riding a bicycle should be riding = not ON the bike, but IN the bike = as an integral unit of each part, human, and mechanical, harmoniously operating together. (This is a visual I never captured in all my years of riding by myself, or in tandem!)
3. Wear padded shorts/pants – with no underwear or other obstruction – even if it’s going to be less than 20 miles of total riding distance!
4. Always use anti-chafing cream between you and your bicycle clothing of choice. Always.
5. Women have VERY different needs for anti-chafing than men!! Think about the differences in our anatomy. Where else, on anyone’s body, are there so many tender folds of skin than the lady-bits of a woman?
6. Mint or menthol can add to irritability for a woman. The same product, and inevitable sensation, will not have the same effect on a man’s anatomy (think about the fact that his exposed anatomy is not adjoined to an opening to his very delicate and sensitive parts!).
7. Jenn introduced the amazing, very effective, and extremely un-irritating product, Ruby’s Lube (produced and distributed from Colorado) that only contains 5 completely natural ingredients. It is recommended for: Not only a woman’s need for anti-chafing in sports activities, but ALSO for the comfort of our babies with diaper rash!
8. If you are cycling on a regular basis, PLEASE get shoes that fit right! I finally got new cycling shoes when we were at the TREK store in Kennewick, WA, and realized I had been riding for many years with clip-shoes that were too small for my toes!!
9. If you have flat feet, get a little support for your non-existent arches! When we visited the TREK store in Coeur d’Alene, the lady who fitted Ray for his new shoes taught him that his problem of his toes flexing upward (which always made him feel like he needed to wear a “larger-sized” shoe) was the result of NO arch support. He never thought he could use arch support since his feet are so flat! As soon as she added the mildly supportive arch insert, his toes relaxed down into the shoe, and he was very comfortable pedaling with a bit of support where he never knew he needed it.
10. Pay attention to the things that your body tells you during your time out on two wheels. Riding your bicycle should be an enjoyable experience. If you have issues, ask questions, seek to understand, and find ways to make it a better experience!

Motion is Lotion, and there is so much we can appreciate in the wondrous world around us, while pedaling together, or in our own solitude. We can see twice as much (if not more) than if we ventured out, on our own two feet, within the same amount of time – and – exponentially more than if we were in our cars, a boat, or on a plane. We hear the sounds. We feel the grades of the hills. We see the animals and plants. We smell the environment as we pedal through it, and we experience the landscapes in a way that stays with us in mind and body.

Ray and I love to experience new places on our tandem bicycle together, but I just want to encourage everyone to get out there – in the way that is right for you. Get out there, and experience the wonders of nature and this world while you have the strength and time to do it. Just get out there, and enjoy it!

Check out my travel videos on Ray’s YouTube channel:

Sacagawea Trail

Hiawatha Rail Trail

Coeur d’Alene Rail Trail