We Survived!!!

Saturday was a successful day on a few fronts...mainly the fact that Mindy and I survived, and are still talking to one another:) Looking into tandem bikes, we headed 2.5 hours away to the nearest Co-Motion tandem dealer, for a test ride, and to ask the experts all the burning questions I had.
This particular dealer was a nice couple that had been riding and selling Co-Motion tandems for many years, and at one point were wheel builders for Cervelo (my retired solo ride). Co-Mo has a few choices for us int he bike department, in regards to looking great, but most of all, going fast!! The unique issue is that i am taller then the usual stoker, and Mindy and the rest of my captains are a wide ranging size. The dealers informed us that there is no real issue with the sizing, and worst case sceneria is an extra 450$ for a custom frame size. Tack that onto a 10 thousand dollar bike, and it isn't a big deal.
Off to the test rides!! First honours were myself and the gentleman going around the block on the tandem... and i'm very happy to say that i felt very comfortable. All those years of emergency riding, and accidence avoidance bike handling, has given me a fairly exceptional feel for the bike and how they move and react. Next up was Mindy and the wife...I made sure Mindy went on the back; after all she needed to knwo what it was like from my point of view. She came back with a new repsect of trust and how giving up a lot of control can feel. Now it was her turn to drive...hmmm, lets just say i am very happy she didn't dump their very expensive bikes... It was a wobbly and very nervous start, but she soon got the hang of it....and after a trip around the block by herself, she got an even better feel for the bike. NOW, let's put it all together...Mindy and i set out for a ride...
Let's just say communication is HUGE on tandems, and I think it comforted Mindy when i helped talk her through a few things..... another wobbly start, and we were off.
The funny things about tandems is that you can put as much or as little effort into the pedals as you'd like...when Mindy told me to stop "pushing", i had to show her that i wasn't, and what it was like when i DID push... All and all, a very good but short day on the bike.
Mindy walked away with a new respect for my world, a healthy respect for the tandem, and the fact that it is harder then it looks; in her defense though, the handlebars were definatley not set to suit her, which absolutely affected her control. Get some base bars and aero bars on there and she's rockin'. I walked away with a couple things:
1) I am very happy at how natural i feel on a tandem(hmm, it's like my body was preparing for this day?)
2) I know that teaching my captains how to pilot the bike properly is paramount, for OUR safety
3) I was VERY excited at the fact that when Mindy went lower on the handlebars, i could see over her head...gave me a bit of the feeling of riding my own bike again.
I think since it has only been 6 months since my last solo ride, my body isn't shocked or amazed at the feeling of being out on a bike...it is just going to learn that it gets less control over the situation.

NOW, waiting this week or next for the grant to come through, fingers crossed!!!