What are the roles of the 'Captain' and the "Stoker' ?

For those of you unfamiliar with Tandem bike riding, there are two main roles

The Captain - the front rider and The Stoker - the rear rider ( that's me ). Sheldon Brown ( a big tandem blogger ) gives this as his definition of the roles

"The Captain

The front rider is commonly known as the "captain." Other names for the front rider include "pilot" and "steersman."

The captain should be an experienced cyclist, with good bike-handling skills and good judgement. In the case of a beginning team, a the captain will need to use a bit more upper-body strength than is needed for a single bike. As the team learns to work together, this will become less important.

The captain has two major responsibilities:

• To control the bike, including balancing it whether stopped or in motion, as well as steering, shifting, braking.
• To keep the stoker happy! A tandem isn't a tandem without a stoker. The captain must earn the stoker's confidence, must stop when the stoker wants to stop, must slow down when the stoker wants to slow down.
  Since the stoker cannot see the road directly ahead, the captain has a special responsibility to warn of bumps in the road, so that the stoker can brace for them.
  When a couple fails to make it as a tandem team, it is almost always due to either the stoker being scared as a result of an incompetent/inconsiderate captain, or due to saddle soreness.

The captain should also warn the stoker of shifts, especially shifts to a lower gear which may cause the stoker to lose balance if they come without warning. (Very experienced teams eventually get past the need to call out most shifts, as they learn each others' styles.)

 

The Stoker

The rear rider is commonly known as the "stoker." Other names for the rear rider include "navigator", "tailgunner" and "rear admiral" or "R.A." The rear rider is not a "passenger", but is an equal participant. The stoker has two main responsibilities:

• The stoker serves mainly as a motor. Since the stoker is not called upon to control the bike, this rider should be able to actually generate more power than the same rider would on a single bike. Depending on the strength and endurance of the stoker, this may take the form of a steady output or may be held in reserve. If the stoker is acting as a "reserve," it is OK to take it easy for general cruising, so long as the stoker can help out with a burst of power for the climbs. Since starting up on a tandem is a bit trickier than on a single, the stoker should apply as much smooth power as possible when starting up, to get the bike up to maneuvering speed quickly.
• The stoker's other major responsibility is a negative one: The stoker must not attempt to steer! Unpredictable weight shifts on the part of the stoker can make the captain's job much harder, and can lead to crashes, in extreme cases. The stoker should keep in line with the centerline of the bicycle, and lean with it as it leans through corners. A stoker must shift position on the saddle, or adjust a toe strap, or take a drink without disturbing the equilibrium of the bicycle. These activities should not be attempted at all while the captain is dealing with tricky traffic situations or narrow spaces.

The stoker can also do a bit of back rubbing now and then, as well as taking photographs, singing encouraging songs, reading maps, etc."

I am intending to take on a few of Sheldon's suggestions in our next rides  - surprises for the Captain!