It takes two to tandem

A year in 20 photographs 7/20 – a cycling holiday on a tandem in the Dolomites

Today’s photo is another from season guiding with Marmot Tours on their cycling holiday to the Dolomites and Stelvio

On this day they were nearing the end of the Sellaronda circuit and were riding in the rain up to the final climb of the day, Passo Gardena.

This couple from the USA were in their late 60s and cycled worldwide on their tandem together. It was amazing to watch them pedal up the mountains together. They were in perfect synchronicity both physically and in their attitude. Even on the steepest climbs, such as the northern side of Passo dello Stelvio, they had a big smile on their faces. The Northern approach to Passo dell Stelvio has forty-eight tight hairpin turns over the 23.6 km duration of the climb. So it makes an interesting challenge when negotiating a tandem around each corner. They took such climbs in their stride and even more surprisingly flew down the descents on the other side with total control and mastery of their machine.

On a bicycle made for two

Riding a tandem with anyone is difficult. Even more so when your riding partner is also your life partner. I can imagine that tandems have been the cause of many an argument between couples. You literally cannot get away from your partner even for a second. The two key aspects to learning to ride a tandem are mastering not falling off, and not falling out. This couple were complete experts at this. When not on the bike with smiles on their faces they walked together hand-in-hand and even held hands at dinner. They had been married for over forty years and still looked like a young couple in the throes of first love.

It seemed they had boundless joie de vivre for their activity and each other.

The tandem is a Calfee Tetra Adventure Tandem with SS couplings, allowing the bike to be folded and easily transported for a cycling holiday.

Join Skinny Tyres on a cycling holiday in 2025