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Two inspirational cyclists

I have lot of respect for anyone who does a long-distance bicycle tour, and I have even more respect for anyone who takes on such an endeavor despite a perceived disability.

Tonight, I have the privilege of passing along stories about two such cyclists.

Bob Arnzen, a vision-impaired bicyclist, and his tandem partner, Dalton Baker, have enjoyed riding a tandem recumbent bicycle on the 225-mile long Katy Trail the past four summers. They would like to invite other sighted and vision-impaired tandem riders for a Saturday morning, group ride on the trail this summer. If you would like to be a captain, or know of a vision- impaired person capable of pedaling a bicycle who would like to be that stoker, or if you have a tandem bicycle that you could lend, the St. Louis-based Gateway Council of Hostelling International is inviting you to contact Dalton at (314) 832-7134 or daltonbaker@yahoo.com.

The second cyclist is 17-year-old Samantha Gilley of Flintstone, Ga. Samantha is totally blind, but Samantha and her uncle Barry Gilley are planning a 400-mile ride in October from Chattanooga to Memphis, Tenn. called the Sights Unseen Tour.

Samantha is raising money for St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis, which has provided much of the medical care she has received over the years for bilateral retinoblastoma, an aggressive form of cancer that affects the eye.

Samantha is seeking sponsorships and donations for the ride, and more information about helping out can be found at the ride's Web site.

Bob and Samantha are inspirations for all of us, and I wish them the best of luck on their cycling journeys

Labels: cycling

Roger 1 comments links to this post 7:33 PM

Comments:

never seen a recumbant tandom - yikes

# posted by  riderpitts : 8:45 AM

 

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