Biking Towards Mt. Olympus

Posted by Andrew Leibs Jul 28, 2009

I was glad to see that the United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) is holding a developmental cycling camp in September at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

I attended one of its first cycling camps in April 1994 a week after running the Boston Marathon as part of Team With a Vision, a fundraiser created by Pam Fernandes that also raised awareness of the marathon’s visually impaired category. Fernandes was at the camp, too, and went on to win Paralympic gold in the 1 kilometer time trial in Sydney. Fernandes is coordinating the September camp.

The USABA camp, as I recall, made full use of a week with twice-daily sessions where we learned how to maneuver our tandem bikes, turn, take a fall, and the proper way to pass. Along with the training rides, we had a 10-mile time trail on a windy, wide highway, a mountain ascent (I rode the van back down—hate descending), and an afternoon of races on the Velodrome track. There were strength-building sessions, evening presentations, and unending food: ah the heft of that steel ball I’d raise to pour yet another glass of chocolate milk.

Most importantly, that camp, and others like it, give disabled athletes amazing access (I paid for just my airline ticket) to exploring a sport. For some, it’s a life-changing experience—whether or not they go on to compete.

I didn’t pursue tandem biking. I see well enough to ride alone. The previous summer, I’d biked from Seattle to Asbury Park with a group of 38 other riders. I thought it was unfortunate that the Paralympics has no events for the visually impaired riding single bikes, but understand the need to consolidate categories: tandem biking is more inclusive.

I embraced what I learned at camp, including training techniques that helped me in triathlons, and the ability to zero in on goals, like scoring half-gallons of Hood Simply Smart Chocolate Fat Free Milk.