How tandem bikes are transforming life for people with visual impairments
It was while out on a walk with her guide dog Rory that Tralee woman Anne Kelliher got chatting to the stranger who would change her life.Despite not being able to see, she recalls how Mark O’Donoghue’s 6’ 2’’ towering presence was in stark contrast to his gentle demeanor. The pair made small talk before Mark set the scene for her, conjuring up striking images of their surroundings.“I have a tandem bike with me,” he told her at the time.It transpired that Mark O’Donoghue was using that bike to help people with disabilities enjoy outdoor life in Cork again.Almost a decade after that chance encounter, Anne was inspired to set up her own accessible cycling group in her native Kerry. The initiative comes under the umbrella of Cycling for All which was founded by Mark three and a half years ago.After seeing the ways in which the initiative had transformed lives, Anne -who still uses the Cork service — decided to expand the project to her home town of Tralee. In addition to Cork, the Kerry town now has a number of volunteers cycling in tandem with people with varying degrees of visual impairments and other disabilities. Mark O’Donoghue of Cycling For All Cork and Anne Kelliher with the tandem and other bicycles that people with disabilities can use. Picture: David CreedonAnne recalled how in the years leading up to the organisation’s foundation, Mark, from Glanmire in Cork, had developed a passion for collecting bikes and adapting them to suit people with additional needs. It was during this time that he had the idea of enlisting people with visual impairments and other conditions as cycling partners on his tandem bikes.Speaking about the first time they met in Blackrock, Cork, Anne said:
I came across Mark by the grace of God. It was serendipity or whatever you like to call it.
I was walking with my guide dog Rory and putting on his harness when I heard this voice from above me.“We talked for a while and he asked me about Rory, who has since passed away. He told me about the tandem bike he had with him. I said that I would have loved to have tried it out 10 years ago.“He asked me what was stopping me from doing it now, but I told him I would need to get a bit fitter first. I rang him up a month later, no fitter than I had been. I knew it was now or never. We made arrangements to go cycling. The first thing we did was see how my balance was.”The 77-year-old reminisced about the pure thrill of cycling for the first time since losing her sight to the deteriorative condition retinitis pigmentosa in her 30s.
The freedom of it is wonderful. You are getting the chance to feel the wind in your face, and chat and just experience a bit of normality.
"I’m always grateful to the pilots but they tell us that we give them just as much. I wasn’t nervous the first time I got on the bike because I trusted Mark completely.“The pilots always let us know if there is a bump or something else coming up and they are all very well trained.”Mark O’Donoghue and Anne Kelliher on the Marina in Cork. Anne welcomes the growth of Cycling for All in Kerry but says they need more pilots. Picture: David CreedonAnne, who is a former religion teacher and UCC lecturer, said it is a joy to experience that independence again.“I used to love driving and I was very good at it. However, I gave it up before I even needed to as my sight deteriorated as I couldn’t stand the thought of ever harming someone else. I found that loss of independence really difficult.“Being blind makes getting from A to B very exhausting but you can forget about all that while on the bike.” Cycling for All in Kerry Anne is now glad to be able to build on Mark O’Donoghue’s success with the Cycling for All initiative in Kerry which has been in motion for a year. The group, which currently consists of four pilots, facilitates regular cycling trips covering routes including the Tralee to Fenit Greenway.Anne was able to make the project possible, thanks to a donation of four bikes left over from the Cork Cycling for All project.
It’s great to have it in Kerry too but we are very short on pilots at the moment and that’s something we really hope that will change, because we are struggling at the moment.
“People go on holidays and have other commitments so we don’t have the same pool that’s in Cork. If we had 10 pilots in Kerry that would be absolutely wonderful.”Anne linked in with fellow Kerry native Cecil Hoffman more than a year ago to make the project possible.He was the first pilot to head the project after being told about a friend volunteering with the organisation in Cork.“The pilots take part in extensive training in advance of volunteering,” Cecil said.“Part of this process involves sitting on the back of a tandem bike with a blindfold. This gave us an appreciation of what it’s like for someone with a visual impairment who has to place their trust in another person.“I went out on my own with the tandem bike before taking anyone with me just to get accustomed to the length of it. "It’s difficult enough trying to navigate roads at the best of time but when you have someone with a visual impairment on the back of the bike you have to be more careful and responsible. It’s important that you warn them about any bends or obstacles on the road so they can move with you and the bike.”Cecil described the benefits for participants.“There is a social dimension to this which is just as important as the physical element of cycling. For the pilots it’s also beneficial.
People with full sight often take how lucky they are for granted. This helps you to fully appreciate your full sight and use it in a way that helps others who are not as fortunate.
Cycling for All Cork founder Mark O’Donoghue spoke in the past about how the initiative has positively impacted him, both physically and emotionally.“I’ve acquired some serious injuries over the years including in a motorbike accident,” he said. “Some of my injuries have resulted in a dislocated C5 and C6 vertebrae and three months in cervical traction. In 1984 my kneecap literally fell apart. In the orthopaedic hospital, I told them that I would be cycling for Christmas. "The physio in the next cubicle joked that if I did she would buy me a bottle of Champagne. That physiotherapist is now my wife. The next time we met was at a basketball match. I was on crutches and she took me home on her motorbike.” He detailed how his tandem bike initiative has helped him give back.“My own injuries mean that I have to keep moving,” she said. “This has given me the perfect opportunity to do that. The best things about what I’m doing is the friendships I’ve made and the people I’ve met.”
