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Tandemonium 2022 – Teaming up to celebrate WA Bike Month!

October was WA Bike Month and WATCAC joined Western Australia’s cycling community to celebrate big time!  The Western Australian Tandem Cycling Advisory Council (WATCAC) hosted its second tandem muster, supported by the WA Department of Transport and WestCycle. Emphasizing the accessibility of tandem cycling, it was an open invitation extended to all comers. The event was made possible by Perth’s blind and vision-impaired tandem cycling community.

On Sunday morning 30th October the South Perth foreshore came alive as tandems came from near and far to join the celebration.  We even had a unicycle! A particular highlight was a 1930’s Aussie Tandem brought along by the WA Historical Cycle Club.  This provided passing foot and cycle traffic with a great starting point to engage with Perth’s tandem cycling community and have a chat over a free coffee from Pedaling Beans espresso coffee stall, a popular focal point!

Visitors across a wide range of ages dropped in to see a great display of bikes and to try tandem cycling. As well as people to chat to, the morning program involved a basic introduction and demonstration of tandem cycling and then a tandem ride.  This invariably culminated in smiles all around, as visitors completed riding a circuit around local paths and parks. Meanwhile our regular tandem cyclists exchanged stories and discussed riding experiences and tandem cycling exploits. Some even took to our special challenge course to add to the fun of the fair.  Thanks to all our participants for coming along and supporting our event!

We’d like to extend our special thanks to WATCAC members and friends whose involvement made the event possible.  Tandemonium 2022 tandem muster was supported through WA Bike Month grant BM22-14 from the Western Australian Department of Transport, administered through WestCycle. Thanks also to Pedaling Beans for wheely great coffee and local photographers Caroline Trenfield, Manda Barker and Stuart Meacham for fabulous photos.

A close up view across a long alignment of colourful tandems, on display at Tandemonium 2022.
A tangle of tandems at the 2022 tandem muster on the South Perth foreshore on 30 October.

 

A pilot and VI stoker approach the tandem muster meetup place, passing 2 signs with directions.
Signs point to tandem fun at Tandemonium 2022.

 

Family members ride two tandems side by side, two small children can just reach the pedals on the back.
It was a fun family morning and the kids couldn’t wait to have a go on the back.

 

A tiny tot arrives riding in the stoker position, with feet balanced on the top tube.
The one on the back is not pedaling, but she sure will when the legs grow longer.

 

Two cyclists lean on their tandem, watching the activities of the morning.
As the morning got going, the bikes and riders were rolling in.

 

A man and woman are preparing to mount a tandem and go for their first ride.
Visitors to the event were keen to have the experience of riding a tandem together.

 

People are standing around a small cycle-mobile coffee cart, chatting and drinking freshly brewed expresso.
The Pedaling Beans coffee cart was a focal point for many of our participants.

 

People are standing around the collection of tandem bicycles spread across the foreshore lawns.
The numerous tandems on display provided good reason to chat.

 

Four people standing next to a green Dawes touring tandem are discussing the pros and cons of different tandem seating positions.
One thing better than chatting over a coffee is chatting over a tandem!

 

People stand chatting behind a large array of tandem bikes lined up on the lawn of the South Perth foreshore.
Tandems of all types were mustered for Tandemonium 2022.

 

Three people admire a rebuilt historic Aussie brand tandem, dating from around 1934.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T was the word as visitors read of the exploits of Aussie Tandem cyclists Billy Read and Gordon Jones who rode Perth-Melbourne-Sydney to cross Australia in 1933 on a tandem like this one, in a record time of just under 23 days*.

 

A group of walkers dressed in bright underwear were collecting donations for cancer research and stopped by to check out a bright red tandem.
Some of our visitors to Tandemonium 2022 stole attention away from the bikes, all for a good cause.

 

A father and child are negotiating witches hats on a tandem as they ride across the grass.
This team of two put on a good show to successfully tackle the tandem challenge course…

 

A young stoker balances no hands on a moving tandem, using a pool noodle to take a shot to drive a fluffy ball, during impromptu tandem hockey.
… they even managed a shot at goal!

 

Around 30-40 tandem cyclists of all ages are standing and waving with arms raised, around 20 tandem bikes of all shapes, sizes and colours are lined up in the foreground.
Here are the die-hards for the wind-up photo at the end of the morning, proving that being part of Perth’s cycling community is a fun-filled way to enjoy the great outdoors.

 

Links and further reading:

For over 30 years the Department of Transport has coordinated Western Australia’s annual celebration of bike riding.  Read more here:

In October there were over 40 events happening across Western Australia to promote and encourage bike riding for transport, fun and a healthier lifestyle.  Read more about these WestCycle supported events here:

* Find out more about Read and Jones’ 1933 trans-Australia ride in this great article by Jan Lonsdale.  Stoker Gordon Jones lived on to an amazing 102 years.