Karon commented that we rarely ride the Cannondale anymore and I had to agree. While it’s fine on the flat, we now struggle on anything over a gentle gradient and it’s been putting us off taking it out. I had a ‘spare’ Bafang BBS01 250W motor in the shed and an old 36V battery that still has a bit of life in it, so I decided to see if I could fit it on to the ‘Dale.
Points to note fitting a BBS01/2 – Note that the supplied brake levers with sensors are only suitable for hybrids and MTBs with cable brakes, not road bikes with drop bars. Sensors to fit non-standard or hydraulic levers can be bought separately. Personally, I am ok with not using brake sensors and fitting them neatly to road levers would be a challenge. The motor will still operate without brake sensors/levers fitted. It’s quite easy to ride without the sensors… if you want to stop the motor, just stop pedalling.
Third party brake sensors. They are glued to the brake lever housing and a magnet is glued to the lever. When the brake is activated, the sensor cuts power to the motor.
It was actually pretty straightforward on our Cannondale but this is the fourth fitting of a BBS01 I have done. I first needed to remove the original stoker’s chainset and front derailleur – as shown in the videos. Once this was done the Bafang motor and integrated bottom bracket slides in from the drive-side. The cable guide under the BB made it tight but I used a rubber mallet to drift the motor into place and the rear gear cable was still free to move.
The original Cannondale BB was an ISIS drive and the Bafang is a square taper (diamond) as can be seen above and in the picture of the cranks below. The drive side uses the right hand crank that comes with the motor. On a solo the left hand crank would also be used, but on a tandem with left side timing chain, the stoker’s left crank may need replacing with a square taper crank and spider for the timing chain unless the original BB is also a square taper. I ordered a left hand tandem crank from Spa Cycles, square taper, black, 5 arm, similar to the unchanged pilot’s timing chain crank/spider, but the replacement spider was 110 bcd and the old spider was 104 bcd, so I also had to buy a 42T 5 hole 110 bcd chainring to fit the new crank/spider.
The Bafang cranks – note the square taper axle pattern. The stoker’s timing chain crank for the left side from Spa Cycles.
The Bafang DPC18 display with control buttons. This is fixed to the handlebar but can straddle the stem. It has a USB outlet to the rear which is handy if you use a navigation device or phone on long rides.I originally utilised the bottle cage mounts and a heavy duty zip tie to mount the battery on the downtube under Karon, but she lost her bottle cage. After putting the timing chain on, I realised there was enough space on the lower spar, so moved the battery and reinstated Karon’s bottle cages. I used rivnuts to attach the battery mounting bracket to the lower spar on the frame – see later in this article.The stock 44T Bafang chainring. I have not fitted the chainring cover. Fitting the motor meant losing the triple chainset. I do have an adapter in the shed for a smaller (down to 38T), though if we need to reduce the gearing a little, I replaced the 11-32 cassette with an 11-36. That enables us to keep the top end the same while extending the bottom end of the gear range. Having the motor means there’s less need for very low gearing.
Chain alignment isn’t really an issue when swapping out a triple chain-ring for a single Bafang one.
The replacement left hand crank for the stoker with 5 arm 110 bcd spider. 42T chainring on order. The insulated ‘lump’ on the wire anchored to the seat tube is the power cable that connects the battery to the motor. While one can wire the power cable directly into the battery bracket housing, I chose to add a connector between them. This makes removing the motor for maintenance or part replacements a lot easier.Typical rear part of the battery mounting bracket with cable arrangement. The pin type will vary depending on battery housing. It may come with a fuse as shown here, or the fuse may be housed within the battery. Without the additional connector described in the previous photo, it would be necessary to dismantle the mounting bracket and disconnect the battery lead for motor removal.I already had a spoke magnet for the trip computer for Karon (she likes to see speed and mileage), so I aligned the Bafang speed sensor to that. The single magnet will activate both. The speed sensor is an essential part of the system and if it does not align with the magnet and ceases to function, the motor will cut out after a couple of minutes.I kept the bars relatively clean by utilising a couple of unused plastic bar accessory clamps that I cut down and then mounted the controls and throttle alongside the stem. The wiring harness includes connectors for the brake levers/sensors which I have not fitted, so I covered the connectors with weatherproof tape and tucked them out of the way under the cross-bar bag.
I decided not to try adding brake sensors. I had them on an MTB but removed them after a while and found I hadn’t needed them. Generally, when you brake, you stop pedalling, and if you stop pedalling, the motor stops powering, so the sensors to cut power are almost redundant anyway and the extra cables etc. are just clutter.
The clamp, complete. The T section pulls out and the remaining tube can be cut to size.I also replaced the large plastic knob with a an allen bolt.After a test ride, I moved the controls next to the hoods and put the cables under the bar tape. With the throttle next to the stem I didn’t feel I had enough leverage when using it pulling away at a junction. Having the controls next to the hoods should allow me to keep a good grip and control over the bike and still make power level changes/throttle use.
Our first ride was short and all felt ok, but I wasn’t completely happy with the controls and throttle next to the stem. A second, longer ride confirmed that it was a little shaky trying to use the throttle to pull away at a junction, so on returning, I moved them next to the hoods.
The final piece of the retrofit e-assist: I swapped out the 10 speed 11-32 cassette for an 11-36. 36 is as big as you can go with the standard 105 rear mech without a hanger extension.
While the zip-ties to hold the battery mount in place worked ok, I didn’t like the look of the ties wrapped around the frame, so I removed the mount and put three rivnuts into the frame.
The rivets make for a much tidier and stable finish.No zip-ties! I also got rid of the others on the down tube which heldthe cable that runs from the motor to the bar-mounted display and controls, replacing the zip-ties with guides made from black ‘Sugru’ mouldable glue. I also used Sugru to form a seal on the battery mounting bracket where the power cables pass through the end of the bracket. It will help keep water out of the internals of the bracket in heavy rain.
An EAPC must have pedals that can be used to propel it.
It must show either: The power output – Bafang motors come with visible labels stating the output. The manufacturer of the motor – ‘Bafang’ is embossed into the motor casing.
It must also show either: The battery’s maximum voltage – both batteries are labelled by the manufacturer. The maximum speed of the bike – not marked anywhere.
Its electric motor: Must have a maximum power output of 250 watts. Should not be able to propel the bike when it’s travelling at more than 15.5mph.
EAPCs may have more than two wheels (eg. a tricycle).
This last point troubled me a little. More recently, on social media, I have seen that the Police have targeted e-bikes to check the maximum speed. OK, their focus may have been on Deliveroo and Uber Eats riders but there’s still a slim chance of the bike being checked, especially if we were involved in an incident/accident. The last thing I want is to have the bike confiscated due to a (in my opinion) minor but illegal feature.
While it’s handy being able to apply the throttle and boost the speed a little (up to about 20mph in favourable conditions), it’s not essential, so I decided to see if I could reduce the top speed of the throttle to the legal 15.5mph limit.
A little searching on the web and I found a pretty good video showing all I needed to know…
There are several videos on the subject but this is one of the better ones.
The first section deals with the amount of power delivered in each of the assist levels (in this case 9). Note readings will vary between each configuration.The second section deals how quickly and powerfully the assist kicks in.This is the bit I was interested in – the throttle parameters. I changed the ‘Speed Limit’ from 40kph to 25kph (15.5mph). Again, figures and settings in this image may be different from what is shown.
Borrowing Karon’s MacBook Air, I loaded the URL for the software, put the battery into the bike and turned it on then connected the cable, as per the video. I ignored the upper sections of the settings as I was only interested in the throttle section and there I changed the maximum speed from 40kph to 25kph (15.5mph). The ‘write’ was instant. After disconnecting the programming cable then reconnecting the cables on the bike I lifted the back wheel, set the power level to 9 (maximum) and pressed the throttle. The rear wheel initially went above 15.5mph as it was rotating freely without any load, but crucially, the power cut once above that speed and then settled to around a constant 15mph. Job done 🙂
There’s Government talk of increasing the legal limit of power of motors and possibly the top speed, but now I have all the necessary bits and links, I can make changes should the rules be relaxed in any way.
Following my escapade on the stairs and the resulting torn quadriceps tendon, I had the surgery to fix it on the 21st November. I was called in at around 11:00am and went down to the operating theatre at about 4:30pm. Following the op, they woke me in recovery at about 7:30pm and I was back up to the ward by around 8:30.
Back on the ward after surgery to repair my torn tendon.
Throughout the night they woke me every hour (not that I slept much) to check my vitals. The painkillers helped so I wasn’t too uncomfortable considering. The surgeon popped in early the next morning and said everything had gone well – he said my legs were in good condition because of all the cycling and that had made his job a lot easier. I now had a more solid leg brace and had to have the leg locked so stayed in bed for much of the day. The consultant, on his rounds said I could go home later that day. Before that I had to show I was mobile enough to go home, so went to the physio section on the ward to practice walking with crutches and getting up/down stairs. I coped ok, so they said there was no problem with me going home. I texted Karon and we decided that Cas’s car would be better suited so she picked up Karon first then headed for the hospital. In the meantime, once I had all the meds I needed, which took a while to get together, they wheeled me down to the main entrance and out to the car.
The journey home was a bit painful, especially getting in and out but it went without any problems. The leg brace has to stay on for 2 months. It has locks both sides that must be engaged – initially at all times, but after a few weeks I could unlock the leg when sitting, to allow me to bend the knee a little and start to work the rejoined tendon.
Locked and loaded!
A return visit to the fracture clinic followed a couple of weeks after the op and a nurse removed the bandages and cleaned up the wound before applying a new dressing. A week later I removed the dressing. Another week passed and I went for my first physio appointment. Christmas came and went and early in January I went back to physio.
Around Christmas time I stopped wearing the brace at night, which made sleeping so much better. I am pretty sure it helped too, as my leg had time to recover from the constant pressure of the brace bindings. I saw an improvement in discomfort and mobility as a result.
Progress was good, the wound was healing nicely and I had almost 90° movement in the knee, though it felt very tight. I went for a few walks, initially with the leg still locked, but then I released the lock to the 30° limit. It allowed me to walk almost normally (as much as one can with a leg brace), bending my knee a little and removing the need to rotate my hips. The 30° lock ensured my leg would not fold completely if my knee did give out.
As of Jan 5th 2024.
On 23rd of January, after 9 weeks of wearing the brace I was signed off by the surgeon and was told I could ditch the brace. The following day I had physio and tried a static bike – I could not quite get to the top of a pedal rotation, but I felt it wouldn’t be long before I could. Once home I set up my road bike on a supported roller and sat on. Top of the rotation was possible with the flat of my foot.
My road bike set up on the roller.
The next day it gave it a tentative first go…
Within a few days I was comfortably spending 15 minutes on the bike. Interestingly, my knee felt much better after a session on the bike – more supple and less uncomfortable.
Late in February Karon and I took the Pino out on a Tandem Club ride and lunch. I didn’t use the SPD clips, staying on the flat side of the double-sided flat/SPD pedals but had no issues. We had to work the motor a bit harder on the climbs to take pressure off my knee but by the end of the day we had cycled 30 miles with no ill effects.
A couple of days later, back in physio, my exercises were changed to help improve and strengthen the hamstring behind the knee. I have another physio late in March but think this may well be the last visit I need as the knee feels pretty much back to normal – apart from using the stairs where I still need a little support.
Friday 10th September started like most days by taking Karon a cup of tea at 08:30. I put the tea on her bedside table without waking her, then went into the bathroom. The dog next-door barked… usually a sign the postman is outside. Looked out the window and sure enough, he was there walking away from the house. Assuming we had post, I ran downstairs. The stairwell was dark and I misjudged the last step onto the landing, thinking there was another step.
No. The result was I slammed my right foot onto the landing expecting it to travel another 6-8 inches. There was an audible (even without my hearing aids) ‘snap’ or crack and the pain just above my right knee hit. I have never experienced pain like it. I was shouting out and writhing around half-way down the stairs. It seemed to go on for minutes. The noise woke Karon. I must have passed out briefly as I was unaware of her passing me. After things settled a little, I dragged myself back upstairs and onto the bed. Passing the mirror I was as white as a sheet and dripping with sweat.
Spot the difference. My right knee is no longer symmetrical with the left.
Once prone the pain eased somewhat though it was still enough to make for the odd gasp and I was still shaking. I knew there was damage to the knee and I knew I wouldn’t get into a car, so I called an ambulance. Being non-life threatening, it took a while – about two and half hours – before a team from Reading turned up. Luckily the male member was a strapping lad who, after all the usual checks and some pain killers, propped me (virtually carried) down the stairs and then out into the ambulance.
In A&E Basingstoke I was handed over pretty quickly and about a half hour later passed into the ACU area. A couple of hours later the x-ray showed no broken bones but they couldn’t ascertain the damage to the knee tendons, partly because I couldn’t bend it enough for a thorough assessment. It being a Friday and now mid-afternoon, it was too late for a non-urgent trip to the fracture clinic, so the nurse said I could go home and the fracture clinic would get in touch early the following week.
In A&E the knee had swelled up a bit, but at least the pain wasn’t too bad now.
Eventually I was fitted with a leg brace then wheeled out to the main entrance for Karon and Cas to pick me up. Cas’s car is more accessible than Karon’s little MX-5!
At home with the leg brace. So glad we have a sofa with extendable leg props.
True to their word, I was contacted and told to turn up at the fracture clinic Thursday. This meant another long wait – about two and a half hours past my appointment time – but eventually I was seen and quickly assessed by one of the Registrars who confirmed what I had initially thought. A torn or partly torn quadricep tendon. Surgery is needed, so swabs for MRSA were handed over and the trauma team will be in touch for the knee to be repaired, hopefully sometime this coming week.
Then I can take my first trip along the long road to recovery.
My small collection of frogs done over the years. The two on black are digital paintings, created in Adobe Photoshop and the bottom left was drawn in pen & ink then scanned and coloured up in photoshop.
Meeting up with our (mostly) German tandem friends and spending a festive weekend riding out from Bad Salzuflen into the surrounding countryside and to the nearby towns of Herford, Bielefeld, Detmold and Bad Oeyenhausen.
Tandemtreffen attendance is usually by way of invitation, as previous participants, or through introduction by regular participants. The meetings take place over the weekend of the Ascension (and ‘Father’s Day, or Vatertag’) in Germany which falls in May. I dare say some folk go to church on Ascension Day but most seem to celebrate Vatertag by loading up a small trolly with beer and a music system and wandering off into the countryside to dance to the tunes and empty the trolly – which can then be employed to transport the most inebriated back home.
The Tandemtreffen organisers (volunteers from within the group) start planning early and once a location for ‘base’ is decided will arrange with a hotel to host the group. The majority will take a room and half-board while one of two may use camper vans and join the group at breakfast in the hotel. Routes are divided into short, medium and long to cater for the varying abilities of the tandem teams but the rides usually meet up at lunchtime or at a coffee-stop during the day.
After the day’s ride, in the evening the group will meet in the bar or usually, an area set aside, to socialise ahead of dinner. After dinner we transfer to a meeting room or community area where the following day’s rides are discussed and then one or two presentations from individual teams about a previous tour they may have undertaken.
The rides always take in local places of interest and by the end of the weekend you’ll come away with a very good impression of what the area has to offer. On the final day – Sunday – those that have further to travel may set off for home but there’s usually a ride organised to a local attraction for those who want to tag along.
These weekend aren’t cheap by any means, as we travel from home in the UK. Ferry fares and intermediate overnight stays plus the cost of the weekend stay at the hotel and bar bills etc. all add up, but the enjoyment factor is huge and its great to meet up with teams that we have got to know over the years.
We left 2022 with me writing off my car. It took a few months to sort out the insurance to the point where I could replace it with one similar but by March I was back on the road.
Riding in the early months is a lot less frequent but we still managed the odd ride out on the Pino and when Karon’s car needed a service, I dropped it off in Newbury and used my Brompton to get back home.
An early ride in the year as we leave Chineham. Karon checks her blood sugar levels after a ride into Basingstoke.My Brompton and the River Kennet.I also helped out at a couple of Trailbreak events, pre riding and checking much of the course. this one was out of Woodcote, near Reading and I’m about to drop into the Thames Valley.
Early in March we went to spend a few days in Tenby, taking the Pino so, weather permitting, we could ride.
Tenby. So much nicer out of season without the crowds.At the start of the Phil Hampton Memorial ride – Karon is well wrapped up against the elements.Helping out at another Trailbreak event. This was on the Ridgeway.
At Easter we drove up to Rutland for the Tandem Club Easter Rally and AGM there. The weather was ok for most of the weekend and we got a few rides in, staying in a lovely pub in Exton.
Boutique room with a bath. No I didn’t sleep in it, we just off loaded the excess bedding into it.The Fox and Hounds in Exton.April and the weather is improving (getting warmer). Out with the Tandem Club in Oxfordshire.
At the end of April we headed for London with the Pino and checked in to a Premier Inn in the Docklands area. Next day we set off early on the bike to attend the Tweed Run. It’s an expensive ‘Day’ out with tickets now £50 and a couple of nights in a hotel, but we think it’s worth it.
Tweedsters getting ready for the Tweed Run.Tea Stop in Lincoln’s Inn Fields. The group nearest came from Germany… just for the Tweed Run.
Tweedy picnic at St.Pancras Gardens.
Me and the Pino dressed up for the Tweed Run.
In May we headed for Germany, near Bielefeld for TandemTreffen ’23 which takes place over a long weekend. We all stayed in the same hotel and ate together at breakfast and in the evenings after which there were presentations and socialising. It’s a very enjoyable weekend.
All the Pinos that took part in TT23 together in Bielefeld.Socialising after dinner in the Hotel at TT23.
After TandemTreffen finished, there was only a week before the International Tandem Rally (ITR) in Scaër, Brittany so we drove there, stopping for two nights each at Eijsden on the Dutch/Belgique border, Amiens and Mont St. Michel.
The River Muese at Eijsden. This side is The Netherlands, the other, Belgium. We spent our ‘spare’ day taking a morning ferry – the little boat on the right – across to Belgium then we cycled in to Maastricht, coming back down the Dutch side.
The Cathedral at Amiens. We stayed in a lovely B&B in the wetlands formed by the river Somme to the east of the city. Rode the Pino in, first visiting the Jules Verne house then the Cathedral. We left it too late to find lunch and needed up at a KFC of all places – never again.
Mont St. Michel. Our hotel was about 11 miles away, along the coast to the east, near Pontaubault but there was a great cycle route right to the visitor’s centre where we left the bike and took one of the free shuttle buses. We had tickets for the Abbey too. It was very crowded which detracted somewhat. Great views over the bay from the top and we even managed a drink in one of the busy bar/restaurants off the main street (staircase).Home for the next week at the ITR.The first two days in Scaër were carnival, so we walked the town and took in all the sights and sounds.Passing through the town was a Velo Verde, which we made good use of. Away from this the terrain was tougher with dumpy hills to the south and big long ridges to the north.On the rest day we drove with friends to Concarneau on the coast, only about 40 minutes away. We wandered the old walled harbour area and had a nice lunch there.Chapelle Sainte-Barbe du Faouët – the pre-planned rides took us in all directions out from Scaër and we could always find a café or bar for a break, though we also carried picnic lunches so we could stop where we chose.Karon among some of the other participants at ITR 23. The week finished with a group evening meal in a nearby village.
At the end of the ITR we had five days before our return ferry, so we drove to the North Brittany Coast – the pink granite coast – and spent a couple of days exploring along the coast on the Pino. This was so much better than relying on the car, as many of the little coastline lanes were one-way and car parks were limited or charged, but with the bike we could go wherever we wanted.
Inland from Guirac Peros on the pink granite coast, our first destination was this prehistoric barrow.Back at the coast. The coastline was rugged with rocky headlands and some lovely flat beaches.Where we turned back on the bike the first day, we drove to on the second, parked up in a free car park a little inland from the beaches then continued our cycle ride west along the coast. Here the granite blocks were bigger and more commonplace. The second day started off a bit overcast and gloomy but it brightened up in the afternoon.
After a few days at Peros Guirac we headed for the town of Granville on the Cherbourg Peninsular. Our Hotel was right next to the beach but with no car park as such, we dropped off our bags then I parked up in a free area by the old port/harbour – a 10 minute walk away.
Room with a sea-view. The beach at Granville. We decided to leave the bike in the car and wander the town on our free day. Even though it was early in the season, there were enough places open for us to enjoy a drink and food. There was a restaurant under the hotel but breakfast was extortionate and they were supposedly fully booked for the evenings. It was our gain, as we found a lovely little place doing authentic French dishes at a very reasonable price. Down by the port there were a few seafood restaurants open too, serving huge bowls of mussels and fresh fish dishes.
After a couple of nights in Granville we took a midday ferry back to Portsmouth. The next few days were spent sorting out all our washing etc. from being away for almost a month.
On my birthday, in June, I helped out with one of Trailbreak’s organised rides, manning the car park then going out to help at one of the water/food stops. The Start/Finish was at the Ramsdell Brewery, and the shop was open, so I came home with a half-dozen beers.The day after my birthday I was in Burton-on-Trent for the wake of my ex Troop Sergeant Major during my time in the Artillery in Lippstadt, Germany. He had been living in Spain but there were so many old colleagues and family back here and this gave us the opportunity to say our goodbye, meet his family and talk about those times.Karon and me taking part in a New Forest 10-mile Time Trial and fund-raiser. Of course, we wouldn’t normally do such a thing, as we are far from fit or fast! At least we didn’t have the slowest time…just!Mexican themed get-together at ours. An afternoon spent enjoying each other’s company and mostly eating Doritos.In early August we rode to Stratford-upon-Avon for the National Tandem Rally (NTR). On the way there and back we stayed in B&Bs but camped for the week once there. Weather was mixed with torrential rain on a couple of days and glorious sunshine on others.Out with friends on the NTR near Stratford-upon-Avon.Camp Bending at the NTR on one of the better days.On our way home from the NTR we passed through Blewbury, stopping for coffee and cake in the farm shop there, then crossed the Downs through the Churn estates.Making use of the September ‘Indian Summer’, riding the Test Valley Way to Mottisfont House National Trust then returning up the other side of the river.The Test Valley.We led the September ride of the Tandem Club’s Thameswey Group. We started at the Control Tower on Greenham Common.
Our Pino is a 2011 model with square taper cranks.
The freewheel is on the left side of the ‘Captains’ crankset. Ignore the motor slung under our Pino, removal of the cranks and freewheel is still the same. Before removing the crank, take off the pedal.
Removal of the cranks is similar to the video below (not mine). You’ll need a crank puller – the video below shows the tools and how to use them to remove the crank.
Once removed the inside of the crank and freewheel looks like this.
It’s best to remove the chainring at this stage by undoing all five chainring bolts. The chainring will then come away from the crank assembly and it’ll look like this.
Image Bob Gulliver
To you’ll need Park Tool FR-6 – available through bike shops, Amazon and eBay – and a clamp to hold it in place before placing the crank in a vice. You can make up a clamp using a long bolt, washers and a nut. It just needs to be finger tight to prevent the tool slipping out of the cut-outs on the freewheel. Rotates anti-clockwise to loosen.
Park tool FR-6
My clamp for holding the tool in place on the crank.
Placing the tool into the crank using the clamp to hold it in place…
Use a spanner to turn the tool anti-clockwise. You may need to use an extension for leverage. Once loose the freewheel should spin off easily…
Once the freewheel is loosened just continue to rotate the spider anti-clockwise while holding the crank.
You can now undo the five allen bolts and remove the spider from the freewheel. The image below shows two freewheels. The top one has the threaded sleeve that has come off the crank. If the sleeve stays on the crank, it will look like the bottom one.
The freewheel can be dismantled to grease the bearing by turning the cover plate anti-clockwise.
The stock freewheel has three pawls. Use a light grease to ensure the pawls can move freely and engage properly. Because of this, take-up is often a little slack. This, and that the Hase Freewheels are expensive led me to look at an alternative using a better quality freewheel. Unfortunately, I could not find any good quality flanged freewheels on the internet, so I decided to use a sprocketed freewheel and make an adapter plate to attach it to the spider and crank.
I wanted to use an 18T BMX freewheel sprocket – the Halo Clickster – as it has six pawls and is a better quality freewheel.
I could use bolts evenly spaced in the saddles of the sprocket to hold the freewheel in place and prevent any rotation.
I drew out an adapter and had one made at a local engineering firm. One of the guys turned it around very quickly and it cost me £15.The finished adapter with the freewheel and chainring in place. The freewheel here is a cheap one I used before committing to buying the more expensive ‘Clickster’. I have this as a spare.The adapter and freewheel back on the bike. This is a big improvement over the original freewheel. With six pawls and more bearings the take-up is very quick.
Like many, covid restrictions really put a bit of a damper on all our plans for the year and we spent the early part of spring riding locally when we could, just taking a flask and some biscuits out so we didn’t need to stop at any cafés etc. In April we managed to get Holland and Cas into the garden to sit and catch up. It was warm enough by then to sit outside. Holland worked in a shop all the way through the worst of the Covid, so was at risk and a risk to us but I’m happy to say that he never managed to catch it. Cas suffered both mentally and physically after being made redundant at the end of the furlough scheme, even though they had worked all the way through. It hit their self-esteem badly and the inactivity it led to meant they put on quite a bit of weight. Too much, considering their health issues. However, a long time friend who we’ve known since she was about 10 years old is now a fitness trainer and specialises in people who not confident, are pregnant or simply don’t want to/can’t go to a public gym for a variety of reasons. Cas gets ‘mates rates’ and Erin has benefitted too, as I think they spend as much time talking as they do exercising!
Karon with the Pino on White Hill – next to Watership Down, on one of our local rides.
Also in April, I undertook a few charity rides, raising money for Postrate Cancer Research. It was prompted by a few of my old Army mates being diagnosed. As we were all ex-56 Battery colleagues, it was decided to ride/walk/run/swim distances of 56 units. I completed 3 x 56 mile rides, others swam 56 lengths of the pool or walked or ran 56 miles during the month. It got me out and I rode alone, so had some ‘me’ time to contemplate life, the universe and all else.
About this time I decided to sell my recumbent trike. I found it difficult to ride as I wished, as my pacemaker needs some upper body movement to know when I’m active and increase my heart rate accordingly. Sat in the recumbent chair, my legs were busy, but my upper body not so. I was constantly struggling as my heart rate just wasn’t fast enough. Yes the electric motor I had fitted helped, but it seemed pointless to rely on it, as riding a ‘normal’ bike I have far fewer episodes like that. Anyway, I sold it to a lady (ex-services) that now has long covid and has mobility problems, so I think the trike will be useful to her.
Prosecco picnic with the Nutty Tandemers. A great long weekend in Scotland.
In June ‘21 we had our first trip away with the Tandem, driving to Callender in Scotland, staying on a holiday campsite (in a mobile home) and meeting up with another two couples to go out riding together. By this time restrictions had eased somewhat, so it was easier to stop for lunch and socialise in the evenings.
It was a lovely long weekend and the weather stayed kind. The scenery in the Trossachs was lovely and it was great to ride in new places with toatlly differnet landscape to our local lanes, which we now know every single inch of! Our friends are great Prosecco advocates, so there were plenty of stops for Prosecco picnics. In the evenings we took turns in entertaining the other couples and on our last night we all went out to dinner together to a local hotel.
On the way back home Karon and I stopped off to ride and bag some BCQs – a national cycle treasure hunt and we called in to see friends in Dumfries and Galloway. Later in June we took part in a 10-mile time trial in the New Forest – another fund raiser, this time for ME research. We started riding out with the Tandem Club and managed a get-together with long standing friends to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries.
New Forest time-trial in aid of ME research.
In August the Tandem Club laid on an impromptue rally on the outskirts of Nottingham. We stayed the week with some friends in the town. They had helped organise the event, so we just tagged along with them and never missed any of the activities etc. We were featured on the local BBC News website and they used one of my photos. Also in August we headed over to East Sussex and Kent to collect some more BCQs and complete the SE area of the UK. Once again it was good to be out in new pastures.
The Pino in Nottingham during the National Tandem Rally
Normally in October I would have made my annual pilgrimage to Germany, back to Lippstadt where I was stationed all those years ago, but this year, I met up with just a few friends and their spouses to go on a walking tour in London. Our friends had organised the ‘Jack the Ripper’ tour, which was interesting and not too gory. Fascinating to see some of the old streets and architecture that has changed little since those times.
Some of my paintings and digital work over 2021 with a few earlier pieces to complete the matrix. My DeviantArt site
Just before New Year ‘22 we drove to Blewbury and met up with three cousins and their husbands/wives. We sat in the Red Lion and had lunch together and did some catching up. Family get-togethers are a rarety these days as most of the older generation that used to regularly get-together are no longer with us.
Christmas at home 2021.Cousins get together in the Red Lion, Blewbury.
Covid prevented us from going to Spain early in 2022 for some winter sun, though it would have been nice to escape for a while, the hassle of travel at that time of restrictions was just not appealing.
We stayed local and it really was a repeat of the year before with us just riding locally on the better of the early spring days. However, in April we did manage to get away, up to Hull for a weekend, for an Army reunion. It was good to meet up with some of my (now) old colleagues from those days back in the 1970s but also sad to find out several had succumbed to covid or other ailments since we last met. Karon and I stayed in the area afterwards for a few days and went out riding… yes, to collect a few more BCQs.
56 Battery Royal Artillery reunion in Hull in April 2022
In May we decided to take the plunge in continental travel again, and drove to the Saarlaand in Germany to attend a long-weekend tandem meeting we had been invited to. The place we stayed was very near the French and Luxembourg borders, so one of our rides passed through both countries. Some of the scenery was spectacular with steep hills overlooking the River Saar – very picturesque.
One of my holiday sketches from Siena ended up on a book cover.
In June we went through the trauma of having a new kitchen fitted. It didn’t go particularly smoothly, but we got there in the end, and the new kitchen does look lovely.
Karon and Holland on Glastonbury Tor.
Over the year we had several trips in to Newbury as Karon had a series of private dental appointments to try and save her teeth from the effects of her auto-immune disorder. It was an expensive course of treatment and not one we had really planned for in retirement, so our savings took a bit of a hit.
Riding with Dutch and German friends alongside the river Saar in Germany, May 2022.
In July, we had another trip to Germany, but this time we cycled all the way – to the International Tandem Rally which was being held near Osnabrück. We used the trailer and cycled from home, first north towards Milton Keynes, then east for Harwich. It took us five days to get to Harwich and then we had an overnight sailing to the Hook of Holland. Four days to get across the Netherlands and just the one to reach the campsite where the rally was taking place. We stayed in a small holiday home on site and went out with friends each day to explore the surrounding countryside and visit nearby towns. At the end of the week, we packed up the bike and trailer and cycled home again, reaching home on the 16th of August after leaving on the 20th July, so nearly a month away. Once again (like when we cycled through France in 2019) it was very hot with a couple of heatwaves in that time.
On our way to Harwich for the ferry to the Hook of Holland, July 2022Scenery during one of our International Tandem Rally rides in Germany, August 2022.
In October we drove up to Scotland to visit friends and relatives, staying for just a week up there but managed to see some of Karon’s Aunties and Uncles, my sister and brother-in-law and some very good friends who live in Dumfries and Galloway. Unfortunately, I managed to pick up a bout of covid on the way back from Scotland. Luckily I was only bad for a couple of days and laid up for a week.
Karon on Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh, October 2022.
In November we attended an old Army friend’s wedding in Kent and had another good get-together.
Karon and friend Ida at the Kent wedding.
Christmas was fairly quiet for us, with Cas and Holland coming for the day. Cas stayed over and Holland walked home as he’s less than a mile away. 27th December Holland was not well – with severe neck cramps and spasms – and he asked me to drive him to A&E. It was dark and wet and innexplicably, I missed a red light, which resulted in a car crash. Though both Holland and myself were ok from the accident, the car is a write-off and the occupants of the other car had some injuries, but nothing life-threatening. Not a great way to end the year.
Christmas Dinner night out locally, with friends.
So, I am without a big car at the moment, which means no travel with the tandem. At least we had decided not to go to Spain again, so there are no up and coming trips in jeapordy. Hopefully everything will be sorted by mid-May when we are due to go back to Germany for the annual tandem meet their. We will stay on the continent after, as the International Tandem Rally is in Brittany this year, a week later. Then in August we have the National meeting in Stratord on Avon. We’ll cycle there from home and camp for the week.
Not a good end to the year.
That brings me up-to-date. Not a brilliant year but we have managed to get away and have added some good memories to our cache.
Video clips from our ride from home to the International Tandem Rally at Tecklenburg, near Osnabrück, Germany, a week there cycling with The Tandem Club, then our return trip.
In all we covered just over 1,000 miles and were away from home for 28 days. To avoid cycling through London, the most direct route to Harwich from home, we headed north first, almost to Milton Keynes, then turned right and headed east, across the country. Along the way we collected BCQs (British Cycle Quest). We did the same on our return journey, but a little further south.
In The Netherlands we followed routes suggested by a Tandem Club member who lives there, and as we all know, local knowledge counts for a lot. Some days were too hot to be honest, but we only had two days rain, and on one of those we chose to take a rest – it was the day before we started heading home.
