Doe’s your stoker Yawn?
Well mine doe’s as I found out on last evenings ride. A very lovely sunny evening which took us up onto Dartmoor, with lovely views across Plymouth Sound, Devon and Cornwall.
A very nice rapid decent, full of action and excitement off the Moors, back in through Saltram House grounds, again very peaceful, very quiet going through this part of cycle route 27, hardly a soul about., beautiful.
We chatted most of the ride like we normally do.
When out of the blue I suddenly hear an almighty YAWN, yes a very big YAWN.
I said to her was that a yawn? “yes” came back a sheepish reply. Several more were to follow. Yawns that is.
And my stoker had a bonus of having a nice relaxing day off!
I then said “we are now turning left” to see if she was still awake, as we could only turn right.
I was then told in a very stern voice from behind “ You mean right!”
Yes she was still awake. Only just though.
We stopped at Capt Jaspers for tea and cake as we usually do, bit of a ritual, as by now it was getting dark and cold.
On the return leg back home no yawning but plenty of screaming, not by me, but by my stoker.
It was my way of dealing with her Yawning.
It worked, what other ways have you got of keeping your stoker awake?
I don’t yawn but I do day-dream, Captain finds the best way to wake me up is to shout at me.
My main failing is that I forget to ring the bell - we ride to work on the canal and have to go through some tunnels and one day we’re going to meet someone and then I’ll get a rude awakening!
Obviously your captain can’t be riding very adventurously, probably boring you might say.
Thats why you can and do day dream.
My poor stoker has to keep shouting at me.
“ Go careful”
“ Watchout”
“ We cannot keep pedalling around a roundabout cos my pedal will touch the ground”
To which I duly take note
and carry on riding carefully watchingout and pedalling around roundabouts, at speed.
Only on a few occasions has this not worked.
There’s no point shouting orders to go slower, stay further away from the canal edge, or mind the traffic he just laughs and carries on. He’s had 30 years experience on a bike - I’m only just getting to grips wih SPD’s on my solo bike.
I must admit the canal ride to and from work isn’t the most exciting (apart from the tunnels that I’m VERY worried about) there’s too may old ladies with dog leads stretching across the path, numpties wandering around in a dateless fashion and out of control teenagers doing their best to knock us off to really get a speed up.
On a weekend we get more adventurous, and I quite often ask if we can get off and walk but usually get told “it’s nothing to worry about” so just hold tight and close my eyes - when I start hyperventilating he knows I’m VERY scared.
Instead of hyperventilating just SCREAM, very loadly.
Unless, like me he has a deaf ear, or two.
Yes then you would just have to hyperventilate.
Even after thirty years experience you can still fall off.
Just enjoy riding the tandem. Try and ask to be the captain for a change.
that might work. See if you can make him hyperventilate.
Well so far only I have fallen off the tanden - 3 times now! Captain manages to get his foot on the floor, and after checking I’m OK - laughs at me.
My most spectacular fall to date was outside the passport control at Belgium docks, to this day neither of us know how it happened - maybe the Belgium Beer was to blame? The passport officers came running out of the hut to pick me up as I lay on the ground in the snow laughing.
Whilst I was gazing about this morning I saw 2 blokes in full camaflage grear (including hats) underneath some camaflaged netting beneath a tree. There was the police helicopter hovering above. Mad or what?
Doe’s your stoker Yawn?
other ways have you got of keeping your stoker awake?
Obviously your captain can’t be riding very adventurously, probably boring you might say.
Instead of hyperventilating just