Tandems Open Road to Blind Cycling

Bikes Built for Two Make Exercise, Recreation Accessible for Blind

Aug 28, 2008

Tandem bicycles adapt a favorite pastime and provide visually impaired people with an ideal form of exercise, recreation, and Paralympic competition.

Cycling, an increasingly popular sport, exercise, and commuting option, is as open to the disabled as anyone else thanks to tandems, or bicycles-built-for-two. The front rider (the pilot) needs good vision, agility, and patience. The rider in back (the stoker) needs only energy, an adventurous spirit, and trust.

Riding Tandem Bicycles

Mounting a tandem for the first time can be tricky. An effective method is for the pilot to steady the bike by standing over the crossbar, feet on the ground, a tight grip on the handlebars, while the stoker positions his feet on the pedals. When the stoker is set, the pilot pushes off and pedals as on single bike.

Pilots communicate what’s happening on the road ahead, including the length and grade of approaching hills, obstacles such as speed humps, upcoming turns, and when to slow down and stop.

Organizations such as the United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA), which develops the US Blind Cycling Team, can help blind riders find pilots. Matching a pilot who shares a stoker’s size, temperament, and cycling goals will make riding more productive and enjoyable for both.

The pilot-stoker relationship is built on trust and availability. The stoker must feel comfortable in placing his or her full trust in the pilot. The pilot must be available when the stoker needs to ride, especially if preparing for a race or tour, as switching pilots can be disconcerting.

Finding Blind Cycling Opportunities

Blindness organizations are the best source of tandem riding opportunities. Here are three examples:

The May mini-camp provides an introduction to tandem biking on roads near the Greenville Area Community Center and on the Fred Meijer Flat River Trail. Tuition is $25 per person and includes programming, room and board. Call 616.754.5410 for information. Camp videos are posted on YouTube.

Canada’s National Capital Visually Impaired Sports Association (NCVISA), which has seven tandem bikes and a pilot roster, holds twice monthly rides of varying distances that leave Sunday mornings at 9:00 from behind Ottawa’s CNIB building (320 McLeod Street). NCVISA also offers dragon boat racing, camping, and cross-country skiing. Call 613.569.7632 for information.

Blind cyclists interested in racing should attend the USABA Developmental Cycling Camp for Disabled Athletes (Sept. 23-28) at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Cyclists must be at least 16 years old and are encouraged to bring their own tandem bikes, equipment, and pilot (cycling partner). The USABA will help find pilots, if necessary. Riders will learn safe riding techniques, learn skill drills, and compete in race simulations. There are also evening lectures. The camp provides food, housing, and transportation to and from the airport. Riders pay their own way to Colorado Springs and a nominal camp fee. Call 781.449.9563 for information.

Finding Tandem Bicycles

For used bikes, club websites (e.g. The Tandem Club of America) have classifieds. All major bicycle manufacturers make tandems; prices vary:

The Tandem Book: The Complete Guide to Buying, Riding & Enjoying Bicycles Built for Two, by Angel Rodriguez and Carla Black (Info.Net Publishing, 1997), is available in braille (BR 13835), cassette (RC 53213), and as an audio download (DB 53213) from the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.

The copyright of the article Tandems Open Road to Blind Cycling in Accessible Recreation is owned by Andrew Leibs. Permission to republish Tandems Open Road to Blind Cycling in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.