PedalTrout

This month’s winner is not your typical cyclist. What sets him apart from the pack is his lack of vision. We’re not talking about foresight – Pictou’s Craig Aucoin has a lot of that; this summer he’s looking forward to three triathlons, the Johnny Miles marathon, and as many other events as he can fit into his schedule. That might seem like some hefty competition for any athlete, but for a visually impaired athlete like Craig it comes with a whole other set of challenges.

Born with a degenerative condition, Craig dealt with severe weight issues while growing up.  It wasn’t until his early twenties that he decided to take control of his destiny and turn himself into a high performance machine. Last year he spent a month in Ontario training with the national triathlon team for the visually impaired. Currently, Craig allocates thirty hours per week to training and working towards his goal of competing at the Paralympics.

Craig also likes to help out in his local community by volunteering at his local YMCA, and he organizes the entertainment for his local CNIB fundraiser. We're not sure when he finds time to sleep, but he must squeeze it in somewhere!

We think that after all that hard work Craig deserves some tasty refreshments to accompany his chill time. Good luck Craig.  You are inspiring and certainly worthy of Rider of the Month honours.

Do you know someone who’d make a great Rider of the Month? Email us with their story.

“You don’t need sight to have a vision.”  That is what I learned today from Richard Holloway. 

This morning Bikergrl and I woke up at 6am on our day off and drove to Pictou County to be a small part of a much larger journey. Richard and his team of most excellent support people have been embarking on a cross Canada bike ride to raise money for athletes with disabilities.

You might be thinking, “biking across Canada, so what?  Everyone and their dog does that nowadays.”

To counter that, I say, “Richard is not like everyone else… Richard is Blind.  With only 6% sight and tunnel vision it's clear that he has been embarking on a unique journey.”

At first glance you could pass Richard off as sighted.  His style and confidence are very prominent, and he has a personality that commands attention.  At 9am we met up with the departing group at Summer Street Industries.  This is a place where people with intellectual disabilities get a chance to make meaningful contributions to their environments. When we arrived, Richard was taking some of them for rides on his recumbent bike and they were loving every second of it. I am sure that inspired more than a few of these potential special athletes to give cycling a try.

I was there for more than just a bike ride.  This was an opportunity for me to reunite with Craig Aucoin, an old friend  who is also blind.

A few years ago while working out at our local gym, Craig was talking about his younger days when he could see better and loved biking.  Inspired by this I took the initiative to ask our local cycle club to buy a tandem bike so that Craig could enjoy biking once again. Craig now has several triathlons under his belt, he's a member of the Blind Guys National Triathlon Team, and in the future he plans on learning Brazilian Jujitsu.

Led out by a police escort,we began our ride under beautiful sunny skies, following Richard on his recumbent tandem. The pace was brisk and very fun; a few riders had a hard time holding on and ended up cutting the ride a little short.

When our group reached the turning point and we parted ways I looked to Richard.  Just minutes before he had filled Craig with joy by mentioning the possibility of acquiring a new racing tandem bike for him. I was very proud to be included in a very small part of it.

Thanks Richard.

Richard Holloway, aka “Blind Guy Biking”, left Victoria BC in early June 2009 to cycle to St. John’s, Newfoundland in 3 months. What makes this trip unique is that Richard is legally blind. What make this trip important is that he plans to raise $250,000 for disadvantaged athletes in Canada. What makes this trip different is that Richard will ride as the ‘stoker’ on a tandem tricycle. What makes this trip fun is that he will provide the opportunity for others to ride as ‘captain’ for parts of the trip.

The “Pedal for Medals” Tour will drive to Victoria at the end of May, where Richard will dip his toe in the water before getting on the Greenspeed tandem tricycle which will transport him for more than 8000 km to St John’s in time for Labour Day. He expects to ride for approximately 500-600 hours with the help of two co-captains, Aaron Matthews and Len Ashby, and several volunteer captains along the route. They will be averaging about 7-8 hours per day of riding for more than 75 days with a few rest days on weekends.

Many of the rest days will be used to attend fund-raising events along the route. Richard’s goal for this trip is to raise a quarter million in funding for physically and intellectually challenged athletes to be dispersed to a number of organizations with whom he is involved, in particular Special Olympics.

Richard and his crew will ride from Halifax and arrive in Pictou County on Monday, August 24^th at approximately 4:00 p.m..  On Tuesday August 25^th , Summer Street Industries will host a “Pedal for Medals” breakfast from 7:30 until 9:30 a.m.  A hearty pancake and sausage breakfast will be available at a cost of $5.00.  Proceeds from this pancake breakfast will support Special Olympics. The public is invited to come and meet Richard for breakfast on Tuesday morning.  More adventurous souls can bring their bicycles and join Richard at 9:30 as he begins his ride to Antigonish and beyond.  Craig Aucoin, a visually impaired Pictou County native, along with several Special Olympian athletes will be joining Richard for his ride on Tuesday.

The “Pedal for Medals” breakfast has been supported and sponsored by:  the Pictou County Progress Club, Pictou County Special Olympics, Pictou County Bikeways, ECFM, PRDC, Summer Street Industries, Holiday Inn Express, Glen Haven Manor, Scotsburn Dairy, TRA and Sobeys.

Richard is no stranger to fund-raising. Starting in high-school before he lost his sight, he learned that he had a gift for “the ask”. In recent years, he has raised thousands of dollars for: CNIB, United Way, Achilles Track Club, Organ Donor Program, YMCA Strong Kids, Leader Dogs for the Blind, Team Diabetes, Special Olympics and McKellor Conservation.

Richard is a motivational speaker for the Peel Board of Education, where he speaks to primary students about developing the ability to achieve whatever they can imagine.  He has also given talks to a variety of not-for-profit organizations, touching over 50,000 people. He is currently the President of the Brampton chapter of the Progress Club and the President of the Peel Chapter of the Achilles Track Club. He has been a YMCA volunteer for over ten years and has been a Big Brother for many years.

Mr. Holloway is also an accomplished athlete, having completed 17 full marathons in places like Boston (3 times), Oahu in Hawaii, New York (5 times), and Dublin, Ireland.

He has frequently been heard saying: “YOU DON’T NEED TO HAVE SIGHT TO HAVE VISION”. Blind Guy’s new vision is to bike from sea-to-shining-sea and to share the vision with special athletes all across the country.

 For more information about Blind Guy Biking – Richard Holloway,

or the “Pedal for Medals” Tour, please contact:

Anna Holloway,   Pedal for Medals,   P: 905-874-0544, C: 647-668-7554  

E: blindguybiking.holloway@gmail.com      http://www.blindguybiking.com/

 

For more information about the Pedal for Medals breakfast, please contact Paula Irving at PRDC at 752-6159 x225.