Dianne Agarwal & Diana Rose's 19th Cycling for Sight Fundraiser with the San Diego Blind Stokers Club - July 8th & 9th, 2023

The Blind Stokers Club (BSC) and The San Diego Center for the Blind (SDCB) are excited to be hosting the 19th Cycling for Sight fundraiser on the beautiful campus of the University of San Diego (USD). 

I lost the eyesight in my left eye in 2016, when the retina in my left eye detached from being extremely near sighted. The retina was successfully reattached, but too much time had passed. As a result,I can perceive light, but not too much else.

Cycling has been my exercise passion for the past 43 years!  Being blind in my left eye makes it very dangerous as I cannot see well enough to confidently change lanes to make left turns. I was really depressed after I lost my sight until I found out about The San Diego Blind Stokers Club. 

As a Blind Stoker, I have enjoyed many tandem rides with my previous captains, Dave Chesavage & John Braganza. I was Stephen Stewart's stoker and we completed, the "RAGBRAI" or the Des Moines Register's (Newspaper) Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa in the summer of 2018.  Steve, wife Sue, & I cycled on the Adapted Sports Iowa (ASI) team. It was a powerful moment when our entire team rode across the finish line together, cycling 428 miles in 7 days.  We cycled, slept in the same gyms/community centers & ate our meals together.  Our teammates had a variety of physical challenges from cerebral palsy to our military teammates with amputations.

The Cycling for Sight fundraiser is very much like RAGBRAI. As a team, the San Diego Blind Stokers and their sighted tandem captains will ride together, stay at the University of San Diego campus apartments and share meals.  We will also have a Saturday evening talent show & a celebratory lunch, at the conclusion of our Sunday ride.

The money we raise by cycling on July 8th & 9th will go to the San Diego Center for the Blind. I am riding with Andy Ortiz on Saturday, July 8th and Dianne Agarwal on Sunday, July 9th.  

Your tax deductible donation will provide training and counseling to many blind and visionally impaired adults in the region. In addition, a portion of each dollar you donate will enable more Blind and Visually Impaired (BVI) people, like myself, to enjoy the simple pleasures of riding a bike. You can help build independence in living, and foster team relationships in sport.

Your support of my bicycle club, The San Diego Blind Stokers Club, and the resulting good it will do for blind and visually impaired adults is greatly appreciated.