About Us

Skip to sections on this page: Mission, Vision, What We Do, Founder, and Contact Us

The U.S. Blind Tandem Cycling Connection is legally recognized by the State of California as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation.

Mission

The U.S. Blind Tandem Cycling Connection endeavors to increase the participation of individuals who are visually impaired or blind in the exhilarating sport of tandem cycling.

Vision

Our vision is that everyone with a visual impairment has the opportunity to experience tandem cycling, with its’ feeling of freedom and sensation of speed. Also, we look forward to more sighted cyclists experiencing the satisfaction of captaining tandems and sharing the ride.

Our aspiration is that every school for the blind and every major city will support a blind tandem cycling club. Our hope is that more visually impaired individuals will cycle regularly, meeting new people, joining training rides, and competing in events.

Our website went LIVE on January 19th, 2010. Our database of captains and stokers is increasing and more dots, representing riders, are showing up on the USA map. The more cyclists that create profiles, the more riding opportunities there will be.

What We Do

We serve as a resource to:

• Connect blind and visually impaired cyclists with sighted cyclists
• Educate people about tandem cycling
• Disseminate information about cycling clubs, events, and opportunities
• Address the needs of the blind tandem cycling community

Founder

Christine Tinberg is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Education at Los Angeles City College. With the Braille Institute of Los Angeles adjacent to the college, she had a number of persons with visual impairments in her classes. In the summer of 2008, while vacationing in Bend, Oregon, she saw a cycling movie, The Way Bobby Sees It, about a blind mountain biker. Nancy Stevens, a blind triathlete, was in the audience, and she invited Christine to captain her tandem. Riding with Nancy, she found new purpose to her cycling and was thrilled with the speed and fun of pedaling a tandem.

Later that year, she captained a tandem at the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes’ 2008 Developmental Cycling Camp held at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. The following summer, she trained with, and was honored to ride a tandem with Nancy in the 2009 U.S. Paralympics Road Cycling National Championships. Through her research and conversations with blind stokers, it became evident that a central resource was needed for connecting stokers with sighted captains. As a result, the U.S. Blind Tandem Cycling Connection was formed. Christine holds a B.S. degree in Sports Medicine from Pepperdine University and a M.S. degree in Exercise Science from Arizona State University.  Years back, she won the California State Mtn Bike Championships.  She cycles on the road and on the dirt in the Santa Monica Mountains near her home.

You can contact her at christine[at]bicyclingblind[dot]org

Contact Us

 818-719-0238

info[at]bicyclingblind[dot]org

Board of Directors

Lori Miller is an accomplished athlete, teacher, disability spokesperson, and adaptive technology consultant. She has competed at the highest level, both nationally and internationally, in tandem cycling and other sports.  In 1998, Lori finished 7th in the mixed tandem division of the road race at the Disabled Cycling World Championships.  In 2000, she won USABA’s Tandem Cycling Time Trial National Championship.   Then, at the Summer Paralympics in Sydney, Australia, Lori placed in the top 10 in each track cycling event, the kilo, sprints, and pursuit. Lori was a member of the 1992 Women's Goalball National Championship Team and was a Paralympic alternate in '92 and '96 for goalball. In 1998, she became USABA’s Giant Slalom Alpine National Champion in the Women's Totally Blind Division. Lori is a Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapist and an Orientation and Mobility Instructor. She holds three masters degrees, the first in Teaching Visually Impaired Children, the second in Orientation and Mobility, and the third in Blind Rehabilitation Teaching. We appreciate her many skills, contagious enthusiasm, and creative ideas.