NOTE: Most Through Your Eyes World Tour Routes are based on USBRS routes. They are designed for experienced adult cyclists, defined as those 16 years of age or older with at least a few years of bicycling experience. Route conditions will vary.

Intro

Are you ready to take on the critical role of piloting me and the tandem? This post will give you an overview of the pilot experience, highlighting the significant responsibilities that come with it. If you choose not to pilot, I hope you will enjoy following the adventure that I, the pilots, and other participants will share.

This guide will cover the steps of being a pilot, from signing up to getting home. The most crucial aspect of this journey is communication on both sides. Your active participation in communication before, during, and after the ride is vital to ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience for all. We will coordinate with you on locations to start from and appreciate your input on our route.

Before The Ride

Before we get started, you need to sign up if you haven’t already. When signing up, you can click on the destinations/dates you want to pilot in. It will then show two rides for each destination, one into the city and one away from the city. You can pick the segments you want to pilot and submit your registration.

After you register, relax until we reach out. As I said, communication is essential. We will coordinate with you on the starting location. We are considering meeting at local bike shops, parks, and trailheads, but we would like your feedback. We would also like it if you could help refine our path and add points of interest along the way. We do not live in the destination city, so we only know some of the factors in the area and look forward to your input as we finalize the route.

You will need a way to get to the starting point, such as someone dropping you off, driving yourself, or maybe riding your bike. We can put your bike on our car rack and take it with us if you ride it. We will not be driving your car or riding your bike, but we need to know if you need us to take a bike or if you need us to drive you somewhere after your ride.

Once you arrive, we will take time to get to know each other and any guests you bring before the ride.

Starting The Ride

Before we start the ride, we need to provide you with an orientation on how to ride the bike. It is similar to riding a regular bike, but some things differ. For example, we do have a torque-based pedal assist if you would like to use it. This means, the harder we push, the more the pedal assist will work. There are four settings: Off, Eco, Normal, and High. The bike’s balance is also different from a regular bike; it is a tandem, and you must be conscious of where the boom is. The boom is where I will be pedaling.

As I said before, communication is essential while we are on the ride. When on the bike, I can only pedal forward when the pilot pedals forward. Unfortunately, I am not psychic, so I can’t tell when you want to stop pedaling unless you say, “okay, hold.” We will go through some essential communications while doing the orientation.

During The Ride

We will pedal as a team to our destination, relying on different phrases to coordinate our efforts. Beginning each phrase with “okay” gives me a heads-up and delays the action so we can act harmoniously. “Okay, ready,” tells me you are ready to go. “Okay, hold ” lets me know you want to stop peddling. “Okay, shifting,” tells me to pause for a change in gears. “Okay, crossing,” will let me know you are preparing for a stop at a road crossing. Finally, “Okay, pedal,” indicates I should begin pedaling again.

If there are any points of interest along the route, I would love to pause and learn what draws you to them. After all, I want to see the world through your eyes!

If anything goes wrong or we need help on the route, the SAG Wagon, our support and gear vehicle, will meet with us to assist. The SAG Wagon will also drive ahead of us on the route and relay conditions, concerns, and guidance back to us.

Ending The Ride

Once we get to the city, we will meet the SAG Wagon. We will say our goodbyes and the SAG Wagon will take you back to the starting point if necessary. Or, if we took your bike with us, you could ride it back to your home. Rest assured, we have your back every step of the way.

Backup Pilot

We understand that things can come up, like sick loved ones, accidents, work, etc. We have decided to add an option for someone to be a backup pilot. If you are the backup pilot, you should be ready to ride that day. If you want, you can even ride alongside me and the pilot. We will reach out as soon as possible if we need a backup pilot to be the pilot on a segment.

Filming

As a heads-up, we will film our interactions, your insights, and moments to post on social media and other platforms for a global audience. Please be ready for filming and the grand adventure we will experience together.

Josh Taylor – signing off.