in this club, the visually impaired can ride freely

For almost forty years, being visually impaired has not stopped you from cycling in Limoges! Well, tandem more precisely. Born from the initiative of a charitable association, the Limoges Tandem Club today has nearly forty members, half of whom see the pilots, and the other half do not see, the co-pilots.

“I had never touched a bike, and for good reason, I was blind from birth! But I said to myself: why not ride a tandem?”

Claudine has lived with her blindness for over sixty years, but that's not what's going to stop her from going for it. Besides, “even in the street, with my white cane”she admits, laughing… So when a friend told her about this initiative, almost twenty-six years ago, neither one nor two, she contacted the club. “I made an appointment, they explained to me how it worked, and I took a test. And since then, I haven’t stopped.”

The project began in 1984 in the minds of members of the Limougeaud Kiwanis club. Associated, at the time, with the Limoges Loisirs association, they wanted to offer blind, blind or visually impaired people the opportunity to still practice cycling, with this simple but brilliant idea: doing it in tandem. , with a pilot, necessarily seeing, in front, and a co-pilot, who cannot see, behind, but who pedals the same.

A few tandems found, a few volunteers as pilots, and roll my hen, the adventure was launched. Essential pilot volunteers, because without them, nothing would work.

And among the current ones, Jean-Baptiste, both pilot, treasurer and dean of the club, at the age of 85! “When I retired, I told myself that I had to give time to others, as I was going to have a lot of it. The leaders of the time gave me the taste to do it, and since then, I have stayed. It's been 26 years, like Claudine. Besides, she did her test with me.”

Since then, the original associations have disengaged, but there were enough members for the club to continue. And this is how the Limoges Tandem Club (LTC) was born in 2004.

Today there are around forty members, including eighteen blind people and one hearing impaired person on the disabled side. “We put it with us, the blind. And yes, we say blind, we don't care”warns Cyrille Durand, the president, who is co-pilot. “Finally, if it bothers some people, we adapt. This happened to me at 36, due to an illness. It's already hard, so we're not going to add to it with vocabulary… It's okay, anyway.”

Every weekend, and sometimes even during the week, whether it rains, winds or snows (rare, but it is also valid for the high summer heat), the PTC tandems roam the roads of Haute-Vienne.

“We favor small roads of course, for safety. But there is no particular safety, nor an opening car, or a sweeper”warns Cyrille. “We respect the rules of the Highway Code, we do not drive randomly, and we rely on the instructions of the drivers.”

It's up to them to monitor the surrounding traffic, prevent stops, possible dangers, as well as the type of terrain that lies ahead. “When we are going to turn right, for example, I warn my co-driver, and it is he who indicates it, with his arm, to the motorists. If it goes uphill, I announce that we will have to put on the hamstring , if it goes down, we're going to breathe a little Same when I brake, I announce everything, well, if it's bumping behind, otherwise…”laughs Jean-Baptiste. “The hardest part is starting and stopping. You have to be perfectly coordinated, otherwise, beware of falling!”

And so the two cyclists start on the same foot, the left, after a count of three, and sit simultaneously on their saddle. The same goes for the arrival, where you have to place your foot equally together. Put it this way, it sounds simple. “Yeah, well, the first time, I fell straight in.”admits Cyrille Durand. “But you know what they say, when you fall… On the other hand, be careful, it's sporty eh, we're not in for a cushy ride. It's a minimum of sixty terminals for the exit.”

If some people like to ride together, depending on the affinities developed, the couples are not fixed. “We don't hesitate to change, on tandems. Already, so that everyone can mingle, cross paths, and so as not to penalize a co-pilot if one day his pilot cannot come”explains Cyrille. “But you know”adds Jean-Baptiste, “The visually impaired are used to being helped, so they trust straight away.” And Claudine nods: “ah well, it’s like in a car, eh, if we want to drive, we have to trust, because we’re not the ones who are going to drive after all!” [rires]

“You know, when you're blind, whether you're blind from birth or later, you feel terribly isolated. And it's worse for sport. You can do it, but it's mostly indoor sports. There, the sensation of riding a bike, the sensation of speed, certainly with a pilot, it's an enormous pleasure. It's almost a rebirth! Cyrille Durand neither hides his joy in practicing, nor his pride in contributing to what others practice. “It’s an incredible freedom to be able to play sports. For me, it's very important, it's very pleasant”adds Claudine.

Especially since on the bike, the conversation doesn't just stop at good walking. “We talk about the landscapes we cross, the colors on the trees for example. We talk about everything in fact, we chat, well when we can”said Jean-Baptiste. “I love it when it's fall. With what the pilot tells me, I feel like I can see him!”Claudine confirms.

Especially since if the athlete counts, the club's philosophy goes well beyond that. “This is our motto: sport, relaxation and conviviality.”explains Jean-Baptiste, “and we care a lot about it. In addition, the particularity of our club is that we pick people up from their homes. We take them to the meeting place, we go out and then we bring them back. This is a real asset for them, it allows them not to be more dependent than they are. And like that, we became a family.”

“Moi”said Claudine, “I'm sixty-seven years old. But for the joy of cycling, and for the joy of being with them, if I had one piece of advice to give to a young person, it's try, go for it, don't be afraid and above all, don’t hesitate!”

And the author of these lines, who was also the journalist of the report, confessed that he had promised the LTC to try, precisely. And that the cameraman, the journalist reporter of images as they say in the jargon, just to not be left out, itou. And that the two zigotos never stopped asking questions, turning around a few additional plans…

In short, to drag things out. But one thing promised, one thing due ! And we must admit that we were really freaked out, but that we loved it.

Jean-Baptiste and Claudine were right: we can only trust. Once this is understood, and the strange sensation of being totally disoriented is overcome, there comes an incredible sensation of fullness, of calm, the wind in the ears, the banana hanging on the smile.

You've seen it all: the Limoges Tandem Club, cycling with it means adopting it!