ExperiencePlus! Blog


Why I Bike: Episode 10

Jerry and Dick Smallwood (ExperiencePlus! Customers and Tandem Riders Extraordinare)

Riding a bicycle through a countryside that is completely new to you is a strange Jerry and Dick Smallwood riding in Sicily.and wonderful experience.  Everything is fresh – the sights, the sounds, the smells – every turn in the road is the beginning of a new discovery.  It is just so much a complete experience as compared to other forms of transportation, most of which involve encapsulating and insulating you from the sensory smorgasbord awaiting you on a bicycle.  Another big plus is the ease with which bicyclists can meet the local populace.  And the speed of the experience is just about optimal:  slow enough to allow the full enjoyment of each scene, but fast enough to cover a wide sampling of what the countryside has to offer.

We have been touring for 27 years, all of it on a tandem and have found that there are some unique advantages to this form of bicycling.  First and foremost, we both tend to arrive at the end of each day’s ride at the same time.  Also we have only half as many flat tires as most couples.  And then there is the opportunity to give each other advice on a whole range of topics throughout each ride.  We are both looking forward to many more tours with ExperiencePlus!