[blindza] Re: Fw: Radio SAFM interview on riding

  • From: "Jacob Kruger" <jacobk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <blindza@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 14:10:50 +0200

Other difference noticed is that Hein uses a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 meaning he 
would need to go more left, 5 is head on, and 10 would mean go a lot more to 
right, but my friends and me just went for little bit left, little bit right, 
doing fine, etc. etc.

First time rode at Phakisa in 2006 was actually up and down the main straight 4 
times or so, in just first gear, and, yes it made everyone a little more 
nervous - including me since there's less leeway for veering off course, but we 
still reckon one day not too far from now I will do also at least one 
corner...the friend who was directing me reckons he'll sit on back, and as long 
as he stays relaxed, while he couldn't really do anything to handle bars, or 
brakes, his positioning/posture might also just help sort of pass messages on 
to me, as well as helping a bit with counter steering if we get it right.

I've also taken boats around dams once or twice, but with someone standing next 
to me on the small speedboat thing, and while I was still in hospital, some of 
my sighted friends reckon they tried out driving a car on normal roads with a 
blindfold and the passenger directing them once or twice just because it had 
occurred to them...<smile>

They also occasionally do a form of nascar flat track car racing in america, 
with blind drivers and sighted navigators.

Stay well

Jacob Kruger
Blind Biker
Skype: BlindZA
'...fate had broken his body, but not his spirit...'

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Carl de Campos 
  To: blindza@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
  Sent: Thursday, April 08, 2010 1:20 PM
  Subject: [blindza] Re: Fw: Radio SAFM interview on riding


  Oh yes, I guess a nervous person on the back of a bike can be a problem, less 
than on 4 wheels.

  Hein had a pro navigator in the car with him, I guess from a safety point of 
view, someone in or on the same vehicle can grab the steering in an emergency, 
depends how they trust you.
  My one friend let me park his brother's bakkie in the garden parking about 3 
m from the swimming pool.  He was outside the car, and I only had to move it 
out of the driveway and park by the pool to make space for other vehicles.  It 
was a Ford bakkie, so if I had my way I would have parked it in the pool and it 
wouldn't leak oil in the driveway, but in the pool rather.

  I guess the skid pan was fun, I drove a Nissan 3.3 v6 double cab on the skid 
pan at West bank, but my brother was in the passenger seat.  I've never tried 
driving been navigated by a radio or cell phone coms, must be even more 
exciting, as no-one is in the car with you.

  Thanks / Regards

  Carl de Campos
  SQL DBA 
  Business Connection for Edcon

  E-Mail:  carldc@xxxxxxxxxx
  Cell:  078 750 0307
  Skype:  carl.de.campos
  Personal Web Site:  
  http://carldc.net

    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Jacob Kruger 
    To: blindza@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
    Sent: Thursday, April 08, 2010 11:59
    Subject: [blindza] Re: Fw: Radio SAFM interview on riding


    I've had people offer to ride on the back of a normal 2 wheeled bike with 
me, and I tell them no!

    They can ride another bike behind me, and use walkie talkies or something 
to instruct me, but remember that, especially on a 2 wheeled bike, balance, 
body language, etc. are part of the riding activities, so a stressed person on 
the back wouldn't help at all...LOL!

    Riding with a side car is completely different to riding a normal bike, but 
FWIW, when Billy Baxter did a lap of donington on a Ducati, I think there was 
just someone riding behind him on another bike, and in terms of things like 
Hein Wagner, he might have had someone in the car with him - not sure - but 
could work almost as easily with someone just talking to him using a 
radio/phone etc. as long as they maintain the right positioning/alignment, etc.

    Last time when I rode my bike across skid pan at Phakisa, I only got up to 
around 3rd gear - 70km/h, and the guys watching me were at one side, but had a 
friend talking to me over cellphone earphones inside helmet, and he was just 
telling me when to slow down, when to veer slightly left, slightly right, and 
when to stop and turn around to ride back in other direction - did it around 10 
times in that session, but I did also have another friend riding a bit of 
distance away from me on his own bike, up and down, and that was him who said 
he wanted to be close enough in case something went wrong, but he didn't 
interfere/involve himself in my actual riding at all.

    The friend instructing me over phone was also making jokes during process 
as well - we kept it light hearted/relaxed as well.

    Main thing for me is due to having done around 105000km on that same bike 
in around 4 years before my accident, I don't even think about specific riding 
activities, but just think about where I want it to go...LOL!

    If ride happens again this year, it should be on a different bike, but 
light, well balanced, nimble, well maintained etc. so can also just worry about 
environment etc. as opposed to worrying about bike itsself, and same with 
offroad bike if I ever find the suitable place to play around with it.

    Stay well

    Jacob Kruger
    Blind Biker
    Skype: BlindZA
    '...fate had broken his body, but not his spirit...'

      ----- Original Message ----- 
      From: Carl de Campos 
      To: blindza@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
      Sent: Thursday, April 08, 2010 11:43 AM
      Subject: [blindza] Re: Fw: Radio SAFM interview on riding


      The sidecar idea should work if you have a good understanding between you 
and your navigator.
      I sometimes ride a quad bike with a sighted navigator on the back, so if 
worst comes to worst, he can grab my elbows to rectify any steering errors.
      Thanks / Regards

      Carl de Campos
      SQL DBA 
      Business Connection for Edcon

      E-Mail:  carldc@xxxxxxxxxx
      Cell:  078 750 0307
      Skype:  carl.de.campos
      Personal Web Site:  
      http://carldc.net

        ----- Original Message ----- 
        From: Jacob Kruger 
        To: blindza@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
        Sent: Thursday, April 08, 2010 10:45
        Subject: [blindza] Re: Fw: Radio SAFM interview on riding


        Idea is to ride bike on open road with sighted passenger in side car, 
but the other one is to ride a normal bike into parking area at biker daytime 
party/jol, and then climb off it after maybe attracting a bit of attention by 
revving it or something...all as part of the awareness joke, but anyway...LOL!

        Same way have already had at least a couple of people who thought I was 
making a bad joke by using cane until they realised it was for real...

        I have found that common opinion is still that blind/VI guys don't ever 
get out into/do anything in the real world...

        Stay well

        Stay well

        Jacob Kruger
        Blind Biker
        Skype: BlindZA
        '...fate had broken his body, but not his spirit...'

          ----- Original Message ----- 
          From: Carl de Campos 
          To: blindza@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
          Sent: Thursday, April 08, 2010 9:57 AM
          Subject: [blindza] Re: Fw: Radio SAFM interview on riding


          Ha ha, I like the idea of parking a bike/side car combo, and then 
walking with your cane into the shopping centre, can imagine the comments.

          I used to go 4x4 trips with a friend, and he would let me drive the 
4x4 through some challenging obstacles, but he was a good navigator, and then 
he would make me park it, get out, and walk around the car with the cane.


          Thanks / Regards

          Carl de Campos
          SQL DBA 
          Business Connection for Edcon

          E-Mail:  carldc@xxxxxxxxxx
          Cell:  078 750 0307
          Skype:  carl.de.campos
          Personal Web Site:  
          http://carldc.net

            ----- Original Message ----- 
            From: Jacob Kruger 
            To: blindza@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
            Sent: Thursday, April 08, 2010 07:20
            Subject: [blindza] Re: Fw: Radio SAFM interview on riding


            Well, I have a sidecar here in my garage, and still just need to 
find the right bike to fit it to, and the idea (part of it anyway) is that I 
might be able to persuade some sighted person to sit in the side car and direct 
me while I ride the bike - although it's not quite the same.

            Otherwise, always say at some stage, similar to how I get 
instructed when riding on the pit area of Phakisa, I want to wait until a 
busyish - but not too busy - time at a day jol, and ride into the parking area 
myself, park the bike, climb off, take my helmet off, pull out cane from inside 
my jacket, and walk up to entrance fee table - all of this just to hear the 
comments etc....LOL!

            Lastly, how does that one song go:
            ...open your eyes, and see me...

            We can break their assumption barriers, but we need to make sure we 
make a good impression (mental impression, not a physical one <smile>)

            Have also already had at least one guy come up to me while was 
dancing on main dance floor in front of band on stage at a bike rally, and tell 
me I just made him feel 'stupid' about ever having worried about having only 
one eye.

            Like always say, my one friend's saying is:
            live with it, deal with it

            Just that some of us swap it around a bit:
            deal with it, so you can live with it...

            Stay well

            Jacob Kruger
            Blind Biker
            Skype: BlindZA
            '...fate had broken his body, but not his spirit...'

              ----- Original Message ----- 
              From: Carl de Campos 
              To: blindza@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
              Sent: Thursday, April 08, 2010 6:56 AM
              Subject: [blindza] Re: Fw: Radio SAFM interview on riding


              Thanks Jacob, appreciated.
              I tend to brag a bit or sound a bit too confident at times, but 
then I love my horse and what he does for me, I feel he's worth bragging about. 
 But ja the idea is to make sighted public aware of the various activities 
blind people can do, especially if those activities are thought not to be blind 
friendly at all.

              Ps:  When are we going to start a Blind Hells Biker group, as 
long as we have a few sighted bikers with extremely loud pipes to follow.

              Thanks / Regards

              Carl de Campos
              SQL DBA 
              Business Connection for Edcon

              E-Mail:  carldc@xxxxxxxxxx
              Cell:  078 750 0307
              Skype:  carl.de.campos
              Personal Web Site:  
              http://carldc.net

                ----- Original Message ----- 
                From: Jacob Kruger 
                To: blindza@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
                Sent: Wednesday, April 07, 2010 20:14
                Subject: [blindza] Re: Fw: Radio SAFM interview on riding


                Already downloaded and listened to it, and it came out nice - 
and Carl sounds good/confident - good to let sighted people hear about things 
of this nature.

                Stay well

                Jacob Kruger
                Blind Biker
                Skype: BlindZA
                '...fate had broken his body, but not his spirit...'

                  ----- Original Message ----- 
                  From: Carl de Campos 
                  To: blindza@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
                  Sent: Wednesday, April 07, 2010 7:40 PM
                  Subject: [blindza] Fw: Radio SAFM interview on riding


                  Hi list, if anyone's interested in hearing my chat on horse 
riding, on the Disability Report last night, I managed to link it via my web 
site.

                  http://carldc.net

                  Right-click on the SAFM Interview link and "Save Target AS", 
it's 5 MB.

                  Thanks / Regards

                  Carl de Campos

                  ----- Original Message ----- 
                  From: Jacob Kruger 
                  To: Carl de Campos 
                  Sent: Wednesday, April 07, 2010 19:01
                  Subject: Re: Radio SAFM interview on riding


                  Came out nice etc.

                  You're also welcome to post this to blindza etc. - 
obviously...<smile>

                  Stay well

                  Jacob Kruger
                  Blind Biker
                  Skype: BlindZA
                  '...fate had broken his body, but not his spirit...'




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