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.
Category: Photos
Tandemonium 2020
Tandemonium as Tandem Cyclists Highlight Cycling Road Safety
Fifty participants from Perth’s tandem cycling community formed a processional ride for road safety along the South Perth foreshore, as part of Tandemonium, Perth’s inaugural tandem muster for road safety. Hosted by the Western Australian Tandem Cycling Advisory Council (WATCAC) the event attracted a wide range of tandem and solo cyclists as part of National Road Safety Week 2020.
Read moreGreat Southern Tour November 2008
WATCAC’s country tour this year, took the tandems to WA’s Great Southern. It rained a lot, see Tandemtalk February 2009 for a full report.
As usual, we had a great welcome from the schools we visited and this year we received some great letters from Mt Lockyer Primary School, some some of which you can read here (apologies to vision-impaired visitors, but the letters are presented as images rather than text.)
Apart from visiting schools, there was time for sightseeing, socialising and even a paddle at the beach.
Mid West Tour November 2007
This tour saw the tandems visit WA’s Mid-West. Long uphill stretches, high temperatures and headwinds made this a challenging trip. See the photos page and read the full report in Tandemtalk February 2008.
South West Tour November 2006
Our annual tour took in the Southwest of Western Australia. Four days of cycling, fun and a little bit of promotion.
Day 1 – We travelled by train to Bunbury where we met Hab and Paul with the bikes and support vehicle. Our trip to Busselton included a stop at Capel Primary School where we enjoyed their hospitality and afternoon tea and gave a presentation on tandem cycling, blindness and the path to the paralympics. True to form, Pollock, everyone’s favourite guide dog stole the show. In Busselton, we caught up with our friends Josh, Duncan, Jane and Nev, having dinner and a good time at Albie’s.
Day 2 – Accompanied part of the way by Nev, we travelled the back roads through dairy country to Cowaramup where we stopped for lunch then visited the primary school. At the completion of our presentation, we rode to Margaret River for our evening stop and food, drink and fun at the Settlers’.
Day 3 – Despite the heavy rain overnight, the third day had great weather for riding. After visiting the Margaret River Primary School, we travelled to Dunsborough via back roads, visiting vineyards, potteries, breweries, chocolate factories and Simmo’s icecreamery. The route took us through forests and vineyards and everyone agreed that it was a top day!
Day 4 – This was our longest day in the saddle. After visiting the local primary school, we completed the 85km trip to Bunbury, arriving in plenty of time to catch the train back to Perth.
The whole tour was an outstanding success. Thanks to all members for their assistance in the presentations to the schools – this is a vital activity in our efforts to promote tandem cycling for the vision-impaired. Special thanks to Gaele, Hab and Paul for their contributions in transporting the bikes and driving the support vehicle.