BSRV are super proud of legally blind participant, Sue Vivian, and her Tandem Cycling volunteer, Rich Lyle, who completed the 59 km TAC People's Ride as part of the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race on Saturday the 27th of January, 2024.
Together, they have been riding for 5 years and have completed a total of 80 rides together, equating to a MASSIVE 4,500 km covered across Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula and the Surf Coast. The Geelong Advertiser wrote a lovely article about the couple which you can read below.
The end of the road...
Now that Rich's volunteering journey has come to an end with BSRV, we would like to thank him for his dedication as a Riding Buddy volunteer and wish him luck for all of his future endeavours.
Riding on...
Sue is passionate about riding and is eager to find another person to ride with weekly on Saturday mornings. If you are interested in becoming a cycling volunteer as a tandem pilot in Geelong, and you are available Saturday mornings, please get in touch with Miriam by email or phone. miriam@blindsports.org.au
03 9822 8876
Below is an image of the article written by the Geelong Advertiser, followed by the article text.
In tandem, duo hits the open road.
Cycling is a solitary sport for many riders, but Richard Lyle and Sue Vivian (right) rely on each other when they jump on their tandem bike. Ms. Vivian, who is blind, has been riding with Mr. Lyle, a cycling pilot. for five years.
On Saturday. they will take part for the second time in the TAC People's Ride as part of the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. They hope to complete the 59km course in about two hours.
Mr. Lyle said the pair always attracted a lot of attention on the roads.
"It's great to get out among other bikes and the tandem always gets lots of comments." he said "There's not many of them out there."
As a pilot, Mr. Lyle said it was vital he communicated any turns, bumps and changes in conditions to Ms. Vivian.
"It's critical for us to communicate… we are constantly talking about staying safe and we talk about life in general." he said.
Ride participants can choose between 59km or 113km courses, starting at Geelong's Steampacket Gardens at 7am and 7.30am respectively. For information, visit greatoceanroadrace.com.au
Picture: Alan Barber
I.D. Sue and Rick standing and straddling their tandem bike where they are positioned on the edge of a road with an overpass in the background. They are wearing their cycling gear including helmets, dressed all in blue and black.
Join us as a volunteer tandem bike pilot for weekly rides in Geelong.
Read more about volunteering with Blind Sports and Recreation Victoria.
