If you were anywhere between Hoddesdon and Norwich last weekend, you might have seen a peculiar sight navigating the Hertfordshire hills: a six-man tandem.
That’s six seats, twelve pedals (one of which broke off mid-ride), and one steering wheel, manned by eleven rotating volunteers, who each took turns to push the bike up the hill, cover breaks and wait it out in the support vehicle tailing the mission.
Over two days, the men from Hoddesdon Round Table covered a total of 160 kilometres, raising money for The Brain Tumour Charity, in support of fellow tandem cyclist Paul Martin, who was diagnosed with an astrocytoma brain tumour in 2021. They’ve so far raised over £20,000, and are aiming to hit £25,000 by the end of the month.
“It was really important to support him,” Tom Culley, the Media and Public Relations officer for The Hoddesdon Round Table, told me. “Having watched him fight that battle for the last four years… It’s something incredibly close to all of our hearts.
“It’s been around for what we think is over 30 years,” Culley said, unable to fully recall the bike’s mysterious origins.
“It was custom built by another Round Table, and we were able to get our hands on it for this particular challenge. And there was lots of work to be done.”
“We broke the front visor on it as well… so it had a bit of a journey before we even set off for Norwich,” he remembered.
“In fact, when we started the journey, we were only about 150 metres away from our start point, and the chain between the second and third cog snapped entirely. So we moved the chain from first and second onto second and third, which essentially meant that the pilot who was steering had no chain and no way to pedal, so they were just kind of coasting the whole way there.”
The role of the first rider then became one similar to a cox, manning the ship from the prow of the tandem.
“The other five were putting in the power in the engine room, if you like,” Culley explained.
“So much of that challenge was about communication and the team knowing what was about to happen. There’s an awful lot of weight beneath [the cyclists] that if that weight ends up on top of them, could be really quite painful. So, you know, just being at the front saying: Okay, let’s get the gas back on, we’ve coasted down this hill, let’s get the gas back on, and just getting everybody together was really, really important.”
The cyclists spent around 12 hours each day riding, averaging top speeds of around 8-9mph, though setting off was often one of the hardest parts of the day, requiring a precise combination of movements: “It’s like steering a really, really heavy motorbike at low speeds.”
Balance was the most important ingredient in an accident-free take-off, the riders needed to slowly push-off, so the man at the front could steady his steering. As the bike gathered speed, the tandem would be supported by a few men, ensuring those on the bike didn’t topple off during the launch.
But when it came to navigating turns and – most frighteningly of all – roundabouts, there were firmer rules in place.
“Rule number one was, just do not lean, do not lean anywhere. Everyone just sit nice and upright and just keep pedalling.
“We did have to be sensible with the corners we could get around, especially in training. There were points where we’d try to take a roundabout, but it was just too small to get round, at which point everyone quickly jumped off and was pushing it around, and was thanking helpful and patient drivers to let us go.”
The group of men who set out to complete this charity bike ride inspired by their friend, Paul, all met through the The Hoddesdon Round Table, a fundraising and community building organisation for men.
“I knew a couple of the guys already before I got involved,” Culley, who joined in 2022, said.
“I didn’t know Paul, but we became – and everyone else who I’ve met for the organisation – really, really close friends.”
They meet twice a month to try things they might never get a chance to do normally. They went to a gin tasting tour last month, and rafting another: “I’d say it’s not an organisation that kind of just goes down to the pub twice a month or anything like that.”
“Without being too cheesy, it’s a family. Everyone’s got their head down [on the tandem], but there was some real laughing and joking going along the way. But equally, we’re really looking out for each other, making sure they’re feeling okay, making sure they’re hydrated.”
“This hasn’t just been about the last two days. It’s been weeks of planning, practice rides, fixing the bike over and over, and even patching ourselves up along the way,” Culley concluded on an Instagram post, the highlight reel of the weekend of technical tandem riding flickering in the screen above.
“Blood, sweat and tears have literally kept the chains moving. We set out to do this for Paul, for our @hoddesdonroundtable family, and for @thebraintumourcharity.”
The Hoddesdon Round Table have so far raised over £23,00, but they 7% off their target, and are still hoping to raise more in the coming month. You can click here to donate.
