Quad-Tandem Bike Teams Are Racing Down the West Coast for Mental Health Awareness
Two quad-tandem bike teams climb up a hill in Northern California. One is made up of Canadians, and one of Britons.
This isn’t the start of a joke—it’s the tour-style fundraising race currently taking place from Portland to San Francisco to raise money for mental health programs.
Team Canada is made up of members of the Tandem Tour Foundation, a foundation that raises money and awareness using quad-tandem bikes. So far, the group has completed two epic journeys: first in 2010, when the group spent three months cycling across Canada to raise $35,000 Canadian dollars, and then in 2014, when they rode from Vancouver to Tijuana, Mexico to raise $15,000 for lung cancer research.
Now, four years later, they are back at it again.
“We originally joked about doing the first ride, and then we found a place that made one, and it was a nice way to get attention for our cause,” Team Canada captain Jeff Belanger told Bicycling over the phone. “It seems to take us on average four years to forget the hardship we faced on those roads, so here we are in 2018.”
Experience is not necessarily on their side this time around. Team Great Britain—made up of 22-year-olds with a racing background—originally reached out to Team Canada about renting their bike. After a discussion, they decided to race against each other, instead. They set up rules, sourced a promotional bike from a company in Eugene, Oregon for Team Great Britain, and the first ever Quad Tandem World Championships was born.
“These lads are competitive, but we are up for the challenge,” Belanger said. “Team Great Britain has an average age of 22, and 30 to 40 pounds less on the bike, whereas Team Canada has an average age of 32, and all of that added weight. They race competitively, and we don’t get on the bike everyday. But we are competitive, and I want to win.”
The race is set up in a stage format, with each day of the two-week race averaging between 30 to 60 miles. While the goal of any race is to win, the core reason for the quad tandem bike race is to raise money. They are working to reach their goal of $50,000 for To Write Love On Her Arms, a non-profit based in Florida that helps people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicidal thoughts, and Mental Health Research U.K., which funds mental health research projects.
“Every rider here, each one on the bike, has a connection close to us whether that is a family member, a friend, or themselves that have struggled with mental health,” Belanger said. “That is why we are out here racing quad tandem bikes.”
That’s where the race-specific rules come into play. For instance, when a team breaks down—say, a tire is blown—one team member can make the repair, while the others try to flag down people to take photos with or make videos. If that person uses the hashtag #quadcup in a post, that team gets six minutes off their cumulative time.
The race is currently on day 12, and will finish on September 29 in San Francisco at Pier 39. It culminates in an event from 3 to 6 p.m. in one final effort to reach their goal. (For those wishing to donate, you can find their fundraising page here.)
The teams are tired, but determined to compete to the end.
“These races are intense,” Belanger said. “The terrain we are going through, the climbs, the turns, are intense. It is definitely dangerous out here, and there is risk for safety, but we are here with a shared focus of raising as much money as possible. It’s a beautiful group we have that is genuinely here for a good reason, so it’s a magical feeling being on this trip.”
Even when the race ends, it may not be the end of the Quad Tandem World Championships. Many quad teams have reached out, and they even met a team from Brazil that wants a shot at the title and to join in on the event.
“We’re definitely learning a lot this year in how it all works out but there is definitely something here for future tandem races,” Belanger said.
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