ON A BICYCLE MADE FOR TWO

Rustenburg – There is something very romantic about a couple cycling on a tandem. Blame it on growing up with Nat King Cole’s lyrics:
“Daisy, Daisy give me your answer do 
I’m half crazy all for the love of you
It won’t be a stylish marriage, 
I can’t afford a carriage
But you’ll look sweet upon the seat 
of a bicycle built for two”
You have probably already seen Linda and Paul Coetzee of Cashan, Rustenburg cycling at the Kgaswane Mountain Reserve. This romantic couple’s marital journey started 36 years ago. They met while attending different high schools in Rustenburg. 

Paul is a man of few words; he enjoys sports and Linda calls him a tree hugger and birder. Linda is an extrovert and enjoys company and creature comforts. They have nurtured five children, they are very different, yet they have learnt to compromise. They have shared many cycling trips in South Africa, Botswana, France, Holland, Denmark, and Thailand. Mostly they camp when on holiday, but occasionally they will stay in a bed-and-breakfast. 

“A tandem is perfect for couples,” said Linda in an interview with Platinum Weekly. “If you are on two bicycles, one person is ahead getting impatient while the other is struggling to keep up, but with a tandem you are balancing each other’s strengths and weaknesses.”