Testing the Limits of Love on a Tandem Bike Across Two Continents
Testing the Limits of Love on a Tandem Bike Across Two Continents
(Bloomberg Businessweek) -- Our route—spanning 21 countries, 7,800 miles, and 15 months, from Tokyo to Switzerland— would have been ambitious even if we’d done it by plane. But from the back seat of a tandem bike with my partner of eight years leading the way, it was an adventure that would empower us for the rest of our lives.
The first month almost broke us. He worried about money. I was out of shape. The heat was oppressive. It was a constant building of tension, like ratchets on the gear. Then one day, on a busy three-lane road to Hiroshima, we fell into traffic. Hugo pulled me up, then got the bike, feeling the weight of both our lives.
Our apartment that night, overlooking palm trees, reminded us of our native Brazil. We drank beers and confessed frustrations, taking comfort in the view. We learned we needed more personal space and fewer rigid plans. I wanted less wild camping; he wanted a looser itinerary.
We became stronger, as a couple and as bikers. Our trials and tribulations—like a flare of back pain that left my butt exposed on an acupuncturist’s table in China’s Yunnan province—produced quirky and wonderful detours. We met professional weightlifters in Kazakhstan, toured the iconic Pamir Highway in Tajikistan, and cozied up for cocoa in tiny German bakeries.
Some days were agonizing. But quarantine, starting a family, whatever comes next—Hugo and I will have always done this extraordinary thing together.
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