Blind Youth loans her tandem to World Champion

In January, Erika Garcia, of San Diego’s Blind Stokers’ Club, loaned her tandem to the USA Paralympic Cycling Team during their camp at the Olympic Training Center. Karissa Whitsell, current B+VI World Champion, and her pilot, Olympic medalist Mari Holden, trained on Erika’s tandem.

Erika lost her eyesight at age 5 due to retinoblastoma, a cancer which develops in the retina. She started tandem cycling in early 2007. Later that year, at the age of 14, Erika became the first blind youth to complete the annual Cycling for Sight 3-day tour from Santa Barbara to San Diego. She has completed three Cycling for Sight tours. In 2009, she rode the cycling leg in the Challenged Athletes Foundation San Diego Triathlon Challenge. Her participation in these events is an inspiration to youth with visual impairments.