TUKANDU, WHAT IS TUKANDU

JUST WHAT IS THIS TUKANDU?

TUKANDU Cycling Club Inc., a 501(C)(3) organization founded in 1999, is a tandem cycling club which holds regular events on the Loveland, Ohio bike trail during its activity season of April through October. Teams of riders with the front rider dubbed as captain and the one on the back dubbed the stoker, cycle on Saturday mornings starting from Nisbet Park in Loveland, Ohio. At other special scheduled events, teams may ride distances of 40 or 50 miles or whatever distances are comfortable for the individual teams.

TUKANDU is unique in that the stokers are blind or visually impaired persons. if you were to ask why would a blind person ever want to ride a bicycle, the answer is simple enough. Millions of people enjoy cycling. Blind and visually impaired people are no different from anyone else in that they are physically able and they can also enjoy the challenge of cycling. Therefore, the response would of course be, "why not?"

With this in mind, the organization was founded to offer the opportunity of cycling to blind and visually impaired people through their partnering with sighted cyclists on tandem bicycles. That is also the reason for the name of TUKANDU. The name is actually a stylized version of the phrase of "two can do," because, on a tandem bicycle,

two can do.

The club, owning a number of tandem bicycles, will hold cycling events on the second or third Saturday during the cycling season starting in April and continuing through October. On the Loveland Bike Trail where the club holds its meets, members may ride anywhere from a few miles up to as much as 50 miles or more, depending upon conditions of the day and the comfort level of eachh team.

TUKANDU is continually striving to improve itself by recruiting more eager new members, both sighted and visually impaired, and the invitation is always out for new members and/or guests.

VOLUNTEER DRIVERS NEEDED:

Many of TUKANDU members are visually impaired and cannot drive from their homes to events on the Loveland bike trail, or to just about any other biking trail in the Greater Cincinnati area.
"Captains" generously drive many extra miles out of their way to transport two or even three visually impaired members (stokers) to and from events. It seems like we are frequently in need of drivers and captains. Ideally, volunteers living close to stokers would more conveniently provide transportation for them to and from events. A volunteer driver would pick up a stoker early enough to allow adequate time to get to Nisbet Park in Loveland a little before the starting time of 9:00 A.M. The driver should be able to stay there until the end of the meet or at least return in time for the trip home around 12:00 or 12:30. That driver could be a captain on the tandem, could read a book at a picnic table in Nisbet Park, stroll on the hiking/biking trail or around Loveland to the shops, or could chat with others at the picnic table where there is usually someone taking a break or awaiting a turn. The weather conditions would be comfortable because, otherwise, the biking event would be cancelled.

You are urged to contact TUKANDU with your questions or comments, with your interest in joining, or to volunteer your contribution of time or funds. The event coordinator, whose contact information appears below, will be happy to talk to you at any time.

Event coordinator:
Robert R Rogers (513) 921-3186
or email the webmaster.