Windsor Tandem Bicycle Club needs more fully-sighted captains
Group doesn't take trips longer than 10 km
The Windsor Tandem Cycling Club is looking for people to ride on their bicycles built for two.
The group, which helps visually impaired cyclists (stokers) ride is experiencing a shortage of captains — fully-sighted riders who sit up front and steer.
In recent years the club has swelled to 20-30 visually impaired members who take a weekly ride. But according to Rebecca Blaevoet, who helped form the group, the number of captains hasn't kept pace.
"If we have 20 stokers we need 60 captains maybe," she explained. "We need three times as many captains."
Blaevoet, who is completely blind, said even a short trip on a bike can be a freeing experience for someone who is visually impaired.
"They're just euphoric about being on the bicycle and it's meaningful to have the wind whistling past you and hear the birds," she said.
Her husband Emmanuel is also a club member and said anyone worried about trying a tandem bike doesn't need to worry.
"It's a bicycle, it's not a flying machine," he said, adding the group doesn't take any rides longer than 10 kilometres.
"All of us are too old to be preparing for the Olympics," he said. "We have no pretense about being super sporty. We're just there to go down the road and see what's there."
Anyone interested in joining the club can find more information on the group's Facebook page, or by calling the couple at 226-221-8849. They can also be reached by email at windsor.tandem@gmail.com.