THE VILLAGES, Fla. — This quadricycle is a first in The Villages of Florida. I’ve seen tricycles for one, tandem bicycles for two, a pair of single bikes for two, and uprights and recumbents.

Most of us know about tandem bicycles built for two. However, how many people have learned how to ride them safely?

One recent episode of the TV show, Blue Bloods, covered a collision in a New York City park involving a couple on a two-wheeled tandem bicycle and a priest conducting a marriage ceremony for a second couple. The back seat rider of the tandem, the “stoker,” commented after the crash that she tried to steer away from the collision. However, as she found out in the last microsecond before sending the priest to his afterlife early, the stoker only pedals and plays no part in the remaining responsibilities of riding a tandem bicycle. The “captain” does everything else.

I’m not condemning tandem bicycles at all. If you are young enough, capable enough and experienced enough, then the standard tandem bicycle with a captain and a stoker will serve you well. If you live in The Villages of Florida, you might be older, less capable and not experienced enough for a tandem bicycle.

The quadricycle has four wheels and two upright seats side by side. It does not tip over unless you perform a radical maneuver. That means in a minor incident, you will not yield to gravity and fall in the middle of pedals, handlebars, pavement, curbs, fences and each other. With two additional wheels, the safety of both peddlers dramatically increases.

Cycling separately, people struggle to stay in sync with each other. One will be going too fast for the couple to stay together. On the quad, the two-person crew sits side by side on comfortable seats and must stay together.

There can be only one driver: the captain. But in an emergency, the passenger could grab the steering wheel and the brake. If the captain passes out on a tandem, you will both fall to the ground and get hurt. The quad riders do it together. On the quad, two can cycle together, talk and share the experience. Both have a set of pedals and shift mechanisms. One can pedal easy, and the other can pedal hard. Heck, the two cyclists can even argue as they ride safely down the roads and cart paths of The Villages.

I have a feeling that we will see more quadricycles soon in The Villages of Florida.

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