Friendship forged on a bicycle built for two

“Tandem biking is a bit of an art and a science” says Warragul cyclist Tony Seymour. “It requires two riders to pedal in sync and sense when and which way to lean.”

The combination of art and science allowed Tony and St Paul’s Anglican Grammar student Ed Dabinett to complete the Great Victorian Bike ride held last month from Robe in South Australia to Torquay.

Tony, 63, has been a diabetic for 56 years and in the last decade has suffered from a loss of vision due to a condition known as diabetic retinopathy.

For the past eight years Tony has become involved in tandem cycling, riding on the back as a “stoker”. Tony caught the tandem cycling bug thanks to an association with a group called HypoActive. Hypoactive is a charitable organisation which aims to inspire people living with Type 1 diabetes to remain healthy and active.

Tony was keen to complete the Great Victorian Bike Ride to show vision impaired and otherwise disabled athletes that such a feat was possible. Unfortunately, Tony’s regular pilot was unavailable for the 10-day, 652 km ride.

Tony put the word out on Facebook and from the moment 15-year-old Drouin cyclist Ed Dabinett put his hand up to assist and an unlikely friendship began.

Ed (who is in year nine) has already risen to the ranks of B Grade in the Warragul Cycling Club, where is the only junior rider.

Tony has no vision in one eye and just 70 per cent in the other so the only way for him to undertake such a ride is through the trusting relationship that successful tandem cycling requires.

Ed and Tony had only two weeks to get in sync. “Not only do you both have to make an effort in pedalling,” Ed said “but because you are two people on one bike you have to be able to sense which way the other person is leaning and adjust your own balance all the time.”

Tony is a huge admirer of Ed and it is easy to see why. “Ed has a sense of humour and maturity beyond his years which is very comforting when you are trusting him to steer you down a hill at more than 35 kilometres per hour.

“Flying down a hill when you can’t see causes me a fair bit of anxiety and nausea at the best of times,” said Tony. “However, once we got the hang of it and I got to know Ed and what a sensible and great bloke he is, my nerves were much better.”

Fourteen tandem bikes participated in the ride which has more than 4000 riders in total. Tony and Ed’s tandem bike was one of the faster ones with the pair averaging close to 25 kph each day.

As well as having to cope with the typical extremes of a Victorian November, (they had two days in the high 30s and some rainy days in the mid-teens) Tony needed to check his blood sugar five times a day. In addition, having to administer his insulin, such was the energy Tony was expending, he was regularly having to eat handfuls of lollies to ensure his blood sugar remained even.

Aside from weather and health concerns the pair was to face another unexpected “bump” in the early stages of the Mount Gambier to Portland leg. While taking a rest on the side of the road, Tony was clipped by another rider’s pedal and he received a gash on his leg requiring treatment.

Undeterred, Ed took up the challenge of riding the for much of the stage on his own. Pushing the heavy bike up the hills with only one set of legs Ed’s sense of humour shone out. When asked by other riders and officials as to Tony’s whereabouts Ed’s stock reply was, “He’s gone and got a lift to Portland - he’s decided to open up a Nail Salon there.”

Tony is ebullient in his praise for Ed. “I can’t state enough what a terrific young man Ed is,” he said. “His character, leadership and quirky sense of humour made the ride an absolute pleasure and I hope we can do it again one day.”

Ed is equally complimentary of Tony. “I’d love to do more tandem rides with Tony” he said, adding “I only caught him not pedalling two or three times during the ride,” he said with a grin.

Next year’s Great Victorian Bike Ride will be held from November 28 to December 2 and will take in parts of the Mallee and Wimmera, starting in Rainbow and finishing in Great Western.