BLIND cyclist John Domandl, 50,
admits there is an element of
"crazy" in his plan to race down
rocky bush tracks on a mountain
bike at 60km/h with only 20 per
cent vision.
Domandl will attempt the
12-hour section of the JetBlack
24 hours Sydney endurance race
at Wisemans Ferry this weekend,
which will test the former
Paralympian, ironman and
ultra-marathon runner's limits.
Newcastle cyclist Tony Brown
will be Domandl's "eyes" during
the two days of racing at the
Del Rio Resort.
Domandl and his pilot will
ride a $12,000 US custom-built
tandem bike he has
affectionately dubbed "Big Red"
over the 9.8-kilometre circuit.
The pair, who have dubbed
themselves Team Tandem, will
ride for six hours a day and
camp overnight in between.
Domandl was born with the
degenerative eye condition
retinitis pigmentosa, which has
slowly deteriorated his
eyesight. An active lifestyle
helped him delay the inevitable
until five years ago when he
lost his peripheral vision.
Brown and Domandl formed
their partnership through social
riding group Newy Cogheads.
"A lot of communication goes
on with the rider and the pilot
up front," Domandl said.
"If I don't lean properly, if
I lean the wrong way, we are
into a tree," he said.
"You are roadkill if you come
off."
Big Red is branded with the
words mateship, sacrifice,
endurance and courage, which are
displayed on the Kokoda Track to
symbolise the Australian
soldiers' struggle there.
Under Brown's seat are the
words mateship and sacrifice.
"He's a good mate and
sacrifices a lot of his time to
help me," Domandl said. "On the
back where I sit is courage and
endurance.
"Courage should be a bit
bolder, I think."