Blind and sighted riders team up for 24-hour tandem bike relay
Tandem bicycle teams — made up of one blind or vision-impaired and one sighted rider – will soon be cycling across the city for a full 24 hours to raise awareness that vision loss can be preventable. The relay starts Friday, October 12, and winds up with Lighthouse International’s Double Up 4 Vision Bike Ride/Walk at Hudson River Park on Saturday morning.
Each team is composed of a sighted “pilot” and a visually impaired “stoker.” One of these stokers is Brooklyn resident and world-class athlete Caitlin Sarubbi. Born with a visual impairment, Sarubbi competed in all five alpine skiing events at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver. She won the College Bound Award at Lighthouse International and is currently a junior at Harvard.
“It’s important to give back for what you have received,” she said in a statement. “I am blessed in so many ways and if I can help bring awareness to others about people who have suffered from vision loss, then I am more than happy to do so.” Her tandem partner will be Breanna Sarubbi.