Valley blind man starts border-to-border bike ride
Sep 24, 2012, 7:28 AM | Updated: 7:29 am
PHOENIX — A Phoenix man isn’t letting blindness stop him from hitting the road to help others.
Starting Tuesday, Mike Armstrong and two assistants will ride their tandem bikes on a trip from Lordsburg, N.M., near the Arizona-Mexico border, across southern Arizona to Yuma.
“I’m actually trying to raise some money for the Foundation for Blind Children Braille program,” Armstrong said. “We’re trying to raise $25,000 to help some kids get some Braille books.”
Armstrong is a talented guy. He’s a professional drummer and runs a karate school. He’s hiked Mount Kilamanjaro and the Arizona Trail from Mexico to Utah.
He went blind 16 years ago.
“I was born with a hereditary disease,” said Armstrong. “It eventually ended up taking my retinas. Just after my 27th birthday, I was pronounced blind with no possibility of getting my eyesight back. I’ve subsequently ended up having to have both eyes removed.”
It hasn’t stopped him from living life to the fullest. This trip will take Armstrong will ride his bike along Interstates 10 and 8, with stops in Benson, Tucson, Casa Grande, Gila Bend and Wellton. He hopes to finish the ride on Friday in Yuma.
“Basically, we’re driving to [Lordsburg] on Monday,” said Armstrong. “We’ll spend the night there. Then, first thing on Tuesday morning, we’ll start the ride. We’re hoping to do between 80 to 140 miles a day.
“I just thought this would be a fun way to get out and live one of my passions — biking — and help out some kids along the way.”
