Tandem cycle is twice as good at the Down Royal

NORTHERN Ireland’s second annual tandem-only sportive recently took place at the Down Royal Race Course at the Maze.

Despite the rain over fifty cyclists gathered to take part, with a mixture of experienced amateurs and complete beginners.

The ‘It Takes Two to Tandem’ cycle was organised by Lisburn in Focus, the Maryland Wheelers and the David McCall Foundation. Tandem cycling is a great way for people who are blind or partially sighted to get on a bike and experience the health benefits that cycling can provide.

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Lisburn in Focus, a Project led by Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB NI) has been supported by Big Lottery Fund, Sport NI and Coca Cola during the past twelve months and as a result, a regular group of tandem cyclists meet up every Thursday at 7pm in Wallace Park.

One of the group, Barry Toner, a cyclist from the Lisburn area, commented: “Training with the pilots leading up to the event gave me the confidence to push my own comfort zone. Handing over a portion of trust is never easy, less so when you can’t see any of the world around you and even less so when you’re speeding along a country back road with occasional vehicles speeding by.

“I would highly recommend any blind and partially sighted person giving it a go. It was lots of fun and completing a 10 mile route has certainly given me a sense of achievement.”

The first route - 42 miles - was launched by the Mayor of Lisburn, William Leathem, who wished all the participants well and sounded the air horn. Over 25 tandem bicycles set out to do one of three routes; 2 miles, 10 miles or 42 miles, giving complete novices and more experienced cyclists a chance to enjoy the day together. Cyclists came from clubs the length and breadth of Northern Ireland, and many club cyclists tried piloting tandems for the first time. There was strong support and representation from the Maryland Wheelers, Lurgan Park tandem group and Newry & Mourne WATCH Club. RNIB NI also had a significant number of tandem cyclists present from the Holywood, Belfast and Lisburn areas.

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For details of tandem cycling in Lisburn contact [email protected] or call 9260 0388. The Lisburn Tandem Group meets weekly in Wallace Park and is run by volunteers, supported by Lisburn in Focus.

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