On October 22nd, six teams, consisting of one visually impaired stoker and one sighted pilot, participated in a 24 hour, five borough cycling relay to kick off the Double Up 4 Vision Event. Here is what some of the 24-Hour Tandem Relay participants had to say about the event.
Rebecca Alexander (Stoker) & Caroline Kaczor (Pilot) of Team 2
“[Rebecca] is my best friend and [the Tandem Relay] helped the both of us confront her vision loss in a way. It was cool to do something together. [Even though] I was the guide on the [tandem] bike, we both needed each other in order to accomplish this. It wasn’t just me.” – Caroline Kaczor
Mark Lucas (Pilot) of Team 3
“For the past 25 years, I’ve had the privilege and honor of enhancing the lives of people who are blind and visually impaired through sports, recreation and physical activity. Double Up 4 Vision has to be right up there as one of the top events that I’ve experienced. Events such as this change misconceptions about people who are blind and visually impaired. I would have never dreamed that I would have had the opportunity to go through Brooklyn, NY on a tandem bike with a Paralympic athlete like Clark Rachfel. It was an honor and privilege to be a part of it. This event can only get better as the years go by.” – Mark Lucas
Peter Slatin (Stoker) & Stephen Pearlman (Pilot) of Team 5
“I thought the Tandem Relay was a wonderful experience. It was a lot of fun [and] a great way to see New York. To me, sports and recreation are among the best things you can do for yourself as a visually impaired person. It was just an exceptional experience and I’m really grateful for having had the chance to do it. I look forward to doing it again.” – Peter Slatin
“It was spectacular. My partner [Peter Slatin] and I had a lot of fun. Riding in Central Park at 4:00 a.m., when there wasn’t a person to be seen, was magical. It was an extraordinary experience to have the park as your own private playground. We were delighted to be a part of this wonderful and successful event. We had a good time together. I look forward to doing it for many years to come.” – Stephen Pearlman
Artie Elefant (Stoker) of Team 6
“For people who are visually challenged, it’s a wonderful experience to team with a sighted person and be able to ride a bicycle. Double Up 4 Vision is great because if you never had sight from a child, it gives you the opportunity to do something you never did. And if you lost your sight like I did and had biking taken away from you, it’s a great thing to be given back to you.” – Artie Elefant
