Captain Doug

I have never ridden a tandem bike that I can remember. Today I not only rode a tandem but a tandem recumbent. The guy in the front is called a "captain," the guy in back is called a "stoker." Helen was my stoker for the first 25 miles of our ride from Florence, AL, to Pulaski, TN. It was a sweet ride! The trick on a tandem is learning to cycle as a team. The first technique is getting started. One of the best methods is for the stoker to stay “clipped in” at a stop. At “go” the stoker starts pedaling while the captain steadies the bike and gets clipped in himself. There’s constant communication from the front, “slowing,” “stopping,” “bump,” etc., with the stoker doing the hand signaling, navigating, reading, sleeping…

I hope you sense God’s pleasure in you today. I feel His pleasure when I ride my bike, when I carry the ice chest to the trailer in the morning, being a husband and a dad, in my work back in Orlando (always room for improvement but hey, life is a journey). What a joy to live for Him who gave everything for us!