USABA AND VELO CLUB LA GRANGE FORM PARTNERSHIP TO
BENEFIT BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED ATHLETES

          (Colorado Springs, Colo.)-Following the success of a tandem-cycling development program held this past July at the ADT Event Center velodrome in Southern California, the United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) and the Los Angeles - based cycling group Velo Club La Grange have formed a partnership that will allow blind and visually impaired athletes the opportunity to participate in the sport of tandem-cycling - where the 'pilot' is the cyclist who steers at the front and the 'stoker' is at the rear.

          "One of the most challenging barriers that blind and visually impaired stokers face is the ability to recruit committed pilots and through this partnership, Velo Club La Grange will help fill this void." said Mark Lucas, Executive Director of USABA.

          Founded by Frenchman Raymond Fouquet in 1969, Velo Club La Grange is one of the largest and oldest cycling clubs on the west coast. Along with the Club's dedication to bicycle racing, La Grange plays an active role in the community by organizing an annual fundraising ride for Meals on Wheels and through its leadership in the area of public policy. La Grange has a seat on a bicycle safety task force chaired by California State Senator Sheila Kuehl. As part of this commitment, La Grange has named USABA as their non-profit partner which will fund additional stokers who are blind and visually impaired. "We selected the USABA because it involves cycling and gives us the potential to reach 100 percent participation among La Grange members. Contribution can either be monetary through an electronic fundraising account established exclusively for this purpose or La Grange members may contribute their time by piloting tandems with visually impaired cyclists. Ultimately, we would like to see more bicycle races with visually impaired athletes." said La Grange board member Dan Weinberg.

          Velo Club La Grange has a legacy including Olympic medalists, Tour de France stage winners, World Champions and National Champions. La Grange, which consistently ranks in the top 5 amateur racing clubs in the country, has a 37-year history of supporting bicycle racing and recreation, with over 450 active members. For more information on Velo Club La Grange visit www.lagrange.org.

          Tandem-cycling is a competitive sport in which blind or visually impaired athletes compete among sighted and disabled competitors, including USA Cycling events. Elite cyclists with disabilities compete in National and International Disabled Cycling competitions, including the Paralympic Games. The Paralympic Games is an international competition among each nation's elite athletes with physical disabilities and is second in size only to the Olympic Games. Paralympic cycling competition is open to male and female athletes in the categories for amputees, blind/visually impaired, spinal cord injured/wheelchair and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke and takes place on the road and on a velodrome. For more information on tandem-cycling for athletes with disabilities visit www.usparalympics.org.

The mission of the United States Association of Blind Athletes is to increase the number and quality of grassroots-through-competitive, world-class athletic opportunities for Americans who are blind or visually impaired. For more information, visit our website www.usaba.org.

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