Blind biker's love of the sport is reborn with tandem riding

From The Tennessean:

Ricky Jones, 29, is blind, but growing up he could see well enough to ride a bike and play sports.

So, in 1999, when he began rapidly losing what vision he had, he felt "athletically, it was over for me.''

These days, he's reinventing himself as an athlete, by participating in sports, and by helping create a group for other blind athletes, or even just weekend warriors who want some exercise.

"I'm getting back out there doing things I used to do and realizing my disability isn't going to stand in my way,'' said Jones, who lives in Madison.

"I don't think I'd be taking the lead in this organization without that experience. It empowers me to want to teach everyone else, that this isn't the way it has to be. You can have a fulfilling life without vision. ''

Jones' new chapter of Tennessee Association of Blind Athletes linked up with the Harpeth Bicycle Club to try out tandem biking. Jones has been surprised at the impact the collaboration has had on his life. Riding gives Jones a sense of freedom.

"There is equality in that,'' he said. "There are challenges with it, of staying balanced and consistency in strokes … endurance — how far can I go, how fast can I go? But my blindness is no longer a challenge like it is as soon as I get off my bike. And I'm amazed each time I get off the bike how fast time went.''

The club provides two-seat tandem bikes with the sighted person in front, steering as the captain. They ride on Tuesdays at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.

The blind, or visually impaired, individual in back peddles to provide much of the power for the team. Both work together to determine the level of speed and intensity on a ride.

"As a blind person it's difficult to exercise, and this enables me to do something more strenuous,'' said Tina Crownover (pictured), a member and secretary for the association. "I walk, either on a treadmill, or outside if I get someone to walk with me. I love cycling and the speed.

Crownover, 52, was sighted as a youth and rode a bicycle, often to school. She was diagnosed with macular degeneration of the retina at age 19 and considered legally blind around age 31, she said.

Being on a tandem bike is much like Crownover remembers it as a youth, she said, except for being able to see the scenery. "I guess that is one reason it's so enjoyable,'' Crownover, a licensed massage therapist, said.

Mike Willman of the Harpeth Bicycle Club presented the idea for the tandem bike right after he participated in a United States Association of Blind Athletes developmental camp in Colorado Springs.

The Harpeth Bicycle Club has just over 800 members based mostly in Davidson and Williamson counties. The club had already been renting the fairgrounds speedway track for riding and training for its members.

Willman connected with Jones, who had just started his chapter last spring when the organization was seeking opportunities.

"It was a perfect venue and reinforced what we wanted to do as an outreach to give back to the community,'' bike club President Bud Curtis said.

Several blind athletes participated in the Harpeth club's annual River Ride last June as well. The club has donated $1,000 to the Tennessee Association of Blind Athletes and $1,000 to the national association.

The state organization is chartered under the United States Association of Blind Athletes.

One objective is to offer blind and visually impaired athletes local, regional, national and even international competition, Jones said. But it also encourages visually impaired to engage in sports at whatever level they desire.

"Blind people in general lead a more sedentary lifestyle,'' said Dan Dillon, president of the Tennessee Council of the Blind, which works on issues for the visually impaired. Dillon is also a member of the Tennessee Association of Blind Athletes and regular cyclist.

Bicycling and a sport called goalball are the primary activities the association has initially tried out.

The state association for blind athletes is open to all ages, and students at Tennessee School for the Blind in Donelson have participated. Jones is a teacher's assistant at TSB.

"I'm glad there is something for blind athletes when they get out of school,'' said Josh Hodge, a School for the Blind senior who has participated in goalball with the association and school as well as the tandem biking.

"Most kids I know back off playing sports when they get out of school.''

Goalball was played by association members in the spring, though it had to be halted for a time because of renovations to the School for the Blind's gym. It restarted in September at Donelson Christian Academy on Sundays and will eventually return to TSB.

In goalball, three players work as a team to roll a ball into the other team's goal to score while trying to block the ball from the opposing team. The ball, about the size of a basketball, has bells inside for the players to listen as they try to block it.

To enter competition in the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes, a person must be blind or visually impaired. But membership is open to anyone and members can participate in activities.

Hopes are to increase the number of sports offered and for other chapters to form in the state. Golf, judo, bowling, weightlifting and track and field are among other competitive sports the national association offers.