High school sweethearts share advice on pedaling through life together

When Jean and Joe Kane went on a first date to the carnival as high schoolers, they didn't know they had found partners for life. 

The pair grew up in Connecticut, and their meeting of friend groups turned into an impromptu date.

"We met there, and no one would go on the rides with her, so I said I would," said Joe, 71, explaining that he wasn't the biggest thrill-seeker.

Still, he stepped up. Jean, 70, agreed to a second date when he called several weeks later, and the couple is now preparing to celebrate 48 years of marriage.

Of course, an essential element to maintaining a lasting relationship is being able to find a matching pace while wending through life's curves. The Kanes decided to take it quite literally.

For their 25th wedding anniversary, they bought a tandem bike as a gift to one another. They put it to good use.

Joe said, "We were trying to ride bikes together, but I rode more than she did."

"So, he'd leave me in the dust," Jean said with a laugh. "Now, he can't lose me."

He added, "We did the research and just fell in love with it."

It ended up being the best of both worlds, where Joe could get the workout he wanted while Jean could comfortably keep pace.

That bike took them far, and they even bought a second after putting the first to work.

"Since being retired, we've been riding usually between three and four thousand miles a year," he said.

The Kanes come to Longboat Key early in the season to get a jump on their miles for the year, aiming for about 800 miles before the end of March. That sunny yet chilly afternoon the week before Valentine's Day, they wound their way up the Key's corridor along Gulf of Mexico Drive at a steady pace.

They first came to visit friends in the area in 2019, quickly falling in love with the area and starting renting. When not on Longboat, they spend part of the year in Cape Cod.

To young couples just starting out in their relationships, Joe said the best advice he could offer is to aim to avoid fights, but any time they would arise, don't be the last one to apologize.

Jean added that their shared faith has been a valuable pillar of their relationship.

Though February has brought an extended cold spell to Longboat Key, it hasn't interrupted the Kanes' outings. As with any surprise that comes their way, they find a way to navigate it together.