If there is one thing Johanna and I like more than riding a bike it’s riding a tandem bike. After getting back from our trek, we discovered that our hotel had a bike for rent that, while not a true tandem, was in fact equipped with a rear seat and pegs to support the passenger’s feet. Daylight was waning, we were hungry, and the restaurant we hoped to eat at was on the other side of town. So, we elected to give it a go.
Full of enthusiasm, we snapped multiple still pictures of the two of us straddling this beast of a bike. I must confess that I was hesitant to take so many pictures before we had actually successfully ridden anywhere. But alas, if there is one thing that Jo and I like more than tandem bikes, it’s taking pictures of ourselves on tandem bikes.
After an overindulgent number of staged shots, we were on our way. Wobbly at first, we managed to stay upright as we ventured out into the flow of traffic. I was pedaling while Johanna relaxed, and yes, took more pictures. I thought the left pedal felt a bit rickety, but figured it was just a little loose and thus we pressed on. A few more tedious, slightly uphill blocks and then it happened. Right in front of a group of Thai “dudes” hanging out in front of a shop, the pedal dropped away and clanked along the pavement. I staggered us to a shaky but ultimately non-traumatic stop as our ears were filled with the sounds of laughter coming from the “dudes”.
However, what happened next was one of the cooler things we experienced. Two of the dudes came over with pliers and attempted to help us fix the pedal. When they realized that the pliers were not the proper tool, one of them went back for a socket wrench. This time they were able to at least help us get the pedal to stay affixed to the bike. Enough so at least that hopefully we could limp back to our hotel.
Against the protestations of every control freak bone in my body, I agreed to let Jo drive on the way home. Not surprisingly, she did great. Truly the most remarkable thing of all was that despite propelling both of us along on a broken bicycle through moderately heavy traffic, Johanna still managed to look as beautiful and poised as a runway model. I guess that would be another reason why I married her.
About a block from our hotel, we realized the nut that holds the pedal on had come off for good and the pedal would be next. Alas, defeated, we walked the weary bicycle the rest of the way home. Our new Canadian friends enjoyed a laugh at our expense as they had witnessed us setting off from the hotel triumphantly not more than fifteen minutes earlier.
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