Participants of international cycling marathon arrive in Bishkek

Participants from the international cycling marathon arrived in Bishkek from Almaty, most of them are visually impaired and blind people. The organizer of the action Bakhtiyar Bazarbekov (Kazakhstan) told 24.kg news agency.

According to him, on August 11, 2017 an international cycling marathon called «Energy of the movement» started in Almaty (Kazakhstan), in which 6 visually impaired and 3 blind cyclists are participating, accompanied by so-called «pilots» on the bicycle tandem.

«At the border we were met by the Minister of Health of Kyrgyzstan, the head of the parliament’s office, representatives of «Sayakbai Manaschi» Association and drove with us to Bishkek,» the sports event organizer said.

According to Bakhtiyar Bazarbekov, the goal of the cycling marathon is the socialization of people with disabilities, their motivation for sports, the promotion of social tourism and the preservation of the environment. «Engaging in sports and rising above oneself, a person begins to open up, there is energy that he can use to benefit not only himself, but society as a whole,» he says.

«To become a participant of the marathon, it is necessary to meet our requirements — it is a healthy way of life, readiness for maximum participation in the life of the team during the marathon, and most importantly, a lot of training, because an unready person will lag behind,» the organizer of the marathon said.

Participants of the action will finish the bike ride in one of the villages near Cholpon-Ata, after which they will return home by bus.

Tandem bicycle — a special bike for 2 people: a blind cyclist and a «pilot» — an accompanying person who has no problems with vision. Both cyclists pedal, but only «pilot» has control.