Tandem for blind Cyclist

I have been legally blind since birth and have always struggled to find a sport that I could participate in alongside sighted people. Cycling gave me that opportunity and also gave me a healthy lifestyle.

I started cycling about four years ago but unfortunately my pilot was unable to continue riding with me. The secondhand tandem I owned had also become dangerous to ride due to its age, so it was scrapped.

I spent the next two years without a pilot or a tandem. I tried to maintain my fitness by using an indoor trainer but that was not the same as being out in the fresh air speeding down the road.

Early this year the Blind Foundation here in New Plymouth found a volunteer who was also an experienced cyclist. They asked her if she would be interested in being a tandem pilot for one of their members. To my delight she agreed.

I was offered the loan of a tandem so that my new pilot Jan and I could start riding together and getting to know each other.

We have been cycling together now for just over two months and we have decided to set a goal to complete the Taranaki Round the Mountain challenge at the beginning of 2018. To continue riding I must now purchase my own tandem bike.

Unfortunately I am on a benefit so purchasing a tandem cycle on my own is not financially possible.