We have been making our preparations for several months. It all started with an idea, a simple thought... A question, what would we do for adventure this summer? Not satisfied with the mundane, we had to do something to challenge our biking skills. The Rhine river would be a way to build on our previous experiences of the last two summers. Our first biking adventure abroad was in the Netherlands two summers ago, riding our Bike Friday tandem from a home base near Amsterdam exploring the countryside and neighboring cities. Then last summer flying to Paris and riding the same Bike Friday tandem to Amsterdam, a trip of about 400 miles with many challenges.
What to do? Ride the Rhine, from its source to its mouth, a distance of approximately 850 miles!
And so the research started. A book and then another, a digital book, navigation apps for our phones and tablets. Webresearch, and on.
It was time for a replacement of the Bike Friday. After months of searching, the internet did not reveal any used tandems that were set up for dismantling and packing for travel that were suitable. What to do? The other tandem that we owned, a Santana Cilantro that I had purchased used several years ago, could be modified with couplers and case but the expense and result would have been prohibitive. So a new Santana was purchased. The current model "Spirit", true to its name, is spirited. A lively bicycle that was a surprise. Expecting a bicycle much like the previous stable Santana we were surprised and challenged by its lack of stability. We were likely spoiled by the Cilantro and it's inherent stability. So the new Tandem is named squirly.
It arrived after a long month and a half wait, as expected disassembled in it's case.
It took several hours, but in the end I succeeded in assembling our new tandem.
And a pretty sight it was.
See this video about the Rhine Cycle Route
