Blind Cyclist

[Kitsune06]

On my way to work today, I saw a couple of folks on a tandem, the person on the back (stoker?) had a big orange/black print on the back of their black jersey that read "BLIND" along with white helmet. There was text under the "BLIND" but I was passing in my car and a) didn't want to get too close b) didn't want to slow down too much.

My first thought was "They must have incredible communication!
2nd was "What a strange sensation, to bike blind!"

Has anyone else seen anything like this? Think it was legitimate, or just a joke jersey of some sort (in sortof bad taste?)

[SadieKate]

Tons of it. Well, not tons. But there are events specially set up to put a sighted pilot with a blind stoker. Lots of bike racing down this way. I can't remember her name, but we (the USA) had a blink stoker in the Olympics a decade or so back. Pretty cool.

Do a little googling.

[SandyLS]

Yup. On my recent four day tour there was a blind woman on a tandem with a guy. I understand that these two were not related or otherwise involved. Just two people out doing an activity they both love.

[baskingshark]

There was an article in this month's Bicycling magazine about a pair of Olympic tandem-ers, one of whom is blind.

http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6...5055-1,00.html

[midgetcycler]

One of our LBS just recently had a Biking for the Blind event. They had several people carry a blind person as a stoker on the back of a tandem, and then a second cyclist would ride beside them on a "single" bike. I didn't participate, so I don't know how many actually participated, but they had an article in the paper and everything, so I guess it was a pretty big event.

[KnottedYet]

There is also Team Bat, which has bikers who echo-locate. (no kidding)

www.teambat.org

And it truly works.

[Bikingmomof3]

My dad would take my brother biking (my brother is blind).