I am guilty........

[Dougie]

I was watching my hour of Television for this week on Sunday afternoon. SBS's Cycling Central with two beers is my shameless "me" time. One of the stories was featured around Jayme Paris. Jayme Paris is one of our female Paralympians selected for this year's Paralympics in London. She is a Sydney girl and lives in Blacktown. She uses the M7 bike path as her training ground. Her palmares are impressive and would leave many if not most "able bodied" riders in her wake. I thought the story was super and gave me a reality check.

I subscribe to three Australian Cycling magazines. I cannot recall a story on any cyclist whom is either physically or mentally challenged in those magazines. I will be writing to them to seek a redress of this. I am certainly guilty of not considering this sector of our community. I am so tied up in my new carbon wheels or other bit of kit that I have become inwardly focused.

Perhaps there is some action we can take as a collective to get those who find it tougher than us, to get out of the house and particiate in our great sport. Maybe some Club owned tandems for both Road and Track, a few Handbikes possibly. I don't mind a bit of a fund raising goal!

Here is Jayme's website link http://www.jaymeparisparalympian.com/ . I will be following Jayme's progress with as great an interest as I will of our Olympic Team. I challenge you to do the same.

Allez Jayme!

[marc2131]

Something that should go up for discussion at the DHBC committee level maybe. Heaps of service based organisations in the Inner West. If we put out feelers, something will definitely come up.
On a side note, I believe the DHBC has a 6 seater tandem (handbuilt by Alcon back in the 60s or early 70s) which is sitting at/under/over Al Sumner's shop. Maybe it belongs to Al now, not sure.

[timothy_clifford]

Interesting you raise this. A couple of weekends ago I was discussing a similar topic with a Speech Pathologist friend. She has a client who is really interested in cycling for exercise, but their doctors are saying they can't due to risk of injury. Basically the client only has the full use of one arm. I don't think this is a show-stopper. In fact I'm sure I've heard a story about a bike being modified to be easier to ride one-armed. Not sure how, or even if it needed to be done. I've also seen a guy riding through Mascot with only one arm. In the teeming rain too.
Anyway, this is something I'd like to help out with if it gets going. I have several friends in NSW Health, especially South East and Illawara Health Service (covers the Inner West) who I could call on to help.

[Eleri]

Last year we did consider applying to NSW Sports Dept for a track tandem for exactly that reason, but in the end we didn't. If there's enough interest in firstly marketing the idea to people with disabilities who might want to cycle, I'm happy to put it back on a committee agenda. But I'm thinking a push from members who are interested in moving it along would be a good thing.

[timyone]

There is a one armed motorcyclist lad, and I think a few one armed cyclists, the ones I knew of didn't have a second arm, it may be more complicated depending on movement of second arm.

(doable though I would assume, even if its recumbant?)

[mikesbytes]

The one arm girl I know uses a prosthesis which is built specific to cycling