Hey folks! Tikkun Olam is Hebrew for “world repair”. It has come to signify things that you can do to make the world a little better. We were thinking of ways that one can help repair the world on a tandem bicycle. Here are a few ideas, but we would love to hear what you do on your bike to make the world a little nicer.

Turkey Bike – every year we participate in a bike ride on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. We ride to a grocery store, buy two frozen turkeys and then pedal to a food bank to donate them. We carry the 30 pounds or so of bird in panniers on our bike. We usually have to bundle up because riding on a November morning in New Jersey can be downright cold. We normally do it with a large group organized by a local bike shop. This year, though, with Covid, there is no scheduled ride. We may do it alone or offer the ride to our local tandem club. It is our official start to our holiday season.

Riding With a Blind Stoker – If you live in the NY metro area, the non-profit In Tandem organization runs weekly rides in Central Park on tandem with blind stokers. They even own a fleet of tandems and give lessons on how to captain. Covid and cold weather make this an activity to do in the future. Last year, we rode our triplet and had a great time meeting wonderful people and giving a few visually impaired riders a chance to soar through the car-free NYC Central Park loop. If you live in the NY area, we highly recommend doing this. If you are not in the NY area, the Blind Tandem Cycling Connection, can help link you up with a blind stoker. This can be something to look forward to after the pandemic.

Running Local Errands by Tandem – we like to ride with a purpose. Sometimes it’s to mail a letter or a package, other times to pick up a few items at the local farmers market or store. I’m an avid knitter and the knitting store is about fifteen miles away. We have ridden there on several occasions to pick up yarn or other supplies. Running errands by bike is a great way to get some exercise while lessening your carbon footprint.

We would love to hear what you and your tandem are doing to repair the world. Email us at www.adventuresintandem.com.

Happy Thanksgiving!

-Caren and Mike Bianco