It Takes Two, Baby

Or, why I love riding a tandem.

Because you always have company on a ride.
Because you have to give it your all, not to let your partner down.
When your energy is flagging, you've got someone to pick up the slack.
When you are a stoker (like me), you get to sightsee.
You're the rearview mirror for the captain.
You catch up to the group on downhills.

I've realized all this many times before, but somehow, on today's ride it kind of crystallized. We were riding with a group for a birthday ride of a friends. Slogging up Camino Alto, the group passed us, but there we were, the two of us, working hard and getting rid of a bit of the chill that had been with us on the bike path.

Despite the cold, the ride was fun, and by and large, we did ride as a group. We headed out of Mike's in Sausalito and up to Fairfax, for a stop at the Fat Angel bakery for coffee and treats. Then we took a circuitous route to Mill Valley, where the plan was to have lunch at Taco Joe's, but, alas, it was closed. We headed to Grilly's instead, and that was just fine. I brought some peppermint bark for Annette for her birthday, and she shared it all around.

So, it was a fun day, and I was happy to be riding with my sweetie, never more than a few inches apart.