Greg Miller, right, and A.J. Mohammed, left, pedal on a tandem bike on the Ride the Rockies route between Pagosa Springs and Durango on Day 2 on June 12, 2017.
DURANGO — If you can muscle and suffer your way through more than 30,000 feet of climbing on a bike for a week in the Rocky Mountains, Ride the Rockies has one big reward for all the pain: Stunning views of snowcapped mountains, rolling pines and pristine-colored lakes.
But George McDermith, who is blind, will never see those natural Colorado wonders. But that hasn’t dampened the 37-year-old Littleton resident’s excitement for riding in his first Ride the Rockies event, which he calls a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“There’s something about standing on top of Wolf Creek Pass and saying, ‘I just climbed up that thing. I conquered that mountain,’ which I couldn’t get if I took a car up to the top,” McDermith said.
He is paired with Tim Jackson, the president and CEO of the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association, who last year rode tandem with and this year is back, teamed with another rider from Team Samaritan House. McDermith and van Hall are board members of , a non-profit that loans bikes out to sighted “captains” who ride with blind “stokers” — those pedaling on the back — for group rides in the Denver metro area.
McDermith and van Hall are two of at least three blind cyclists at the ride this year.
“I’m trying to tell him about everything that’s out there, especially those things that can affect the ride — a bump coming, or a turn coming, or a downhill coming, or a big uphill coming,” Jackson said. “Every once in a while, I’ll say, ‘There’s a spectacular view on the left, and he’ll say, ‘What is it?'”
EyeCycle Colorado traces its roots to 1993, when then-Jefferson County District Court judge Ruthanne Polidori was presiding over a divorce case in which the wife had lost her sight because of diabetes. The attorney representing her husband in the fight over alimony challenged her to explain a $35-per-month bicycle rental fee, asking why she would need to rent a bicycle as a blind woman. The woman responded that it was for renting a tandem bike, which she hoped to ride once per month with a partner.
Polidori found the cross-examination unusually harsh, and after the case ended, she got a group of people together to form the group and get some donated tandem bikes. Today, the group has 10 bikes and does roughly two group rides per month. McDermith lives close enough to be able to borrow the bikes to go more frequently.
“They’ll do everything from recreational to athletic-level rides,” McDermith says of the group. “It’s usually a decent turnout.”
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
On the second-shortest riding day of Ride The Rockies, a cyclist climbs a hill on the loop route to and from Durango, CO on June 13, 2017 .
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
On the second-shortest riding day, cyclists took on 39 miles and 2,500 feet of elevation gain on a loop route to and from Durango, CO on the third day of the annual Ride The Rockies on June 13, 2017 .
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
On the second-shortest riding day of Ride The Rockies, cyclists climb a hill on the loop route to and from Durango, CO on June 13, 2017 .
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
On the second-shortest riding day, cyclists took on 39 miles and 2,500 feet of elevation gain on a loop route to and from Durango, CO on the third day of the annual Ride The Rockies on June 13, 2017 .
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
On the second-shortest riding day of Ride The Rockies, cyclists climb a hill on the loop route to and from Durango, CO on June 13, 2017 .
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
On the second-shortest riding day of Ride The Rockies, cyclists climb a hill on the loop route to and from Durango, CO on June 13, 2017 .
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
On the second-shortest riding day, cyclists took on 39 miles and 2,500 feet of elevation gain on a loop route to and from Durango, CO on the third day of the annual Ride The Rockies on June 13, 2017 .
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
On the second-shortest riding day, cyclists took on 39 miles and 2,500 feet of elevation gain on a loop route to and from Durango, CO on the third day of the annual Ride The Rockies on June 13, 2017 .
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
On the second-shortest riding day, cyclists took on 39 miles and 2,500 feet of elevation gain on a loop route to and from Durango, CO on the third day of the annual Ride The Rockies on June 13, 2017 .
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
On the second-shortest riding day, cyclists took on 39 miles and 2,500 feet of elevation gain on a loop route to and from Durango, CO on the third day of the annual Ride The Rockies on June 13, 2017 .
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
Riders climb one of the first hills outside of Pagosa Springs on the way to Durango, CO on the second day of the annual Ride The Rockies on June 12, 2017 .
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
Christopher Jarc, 30, offers a beer to riders as they pass his business, Motel SOCO, outside of Pagosa Springs on the way to Durango, CO on the second day of the annual Ride The Rockies on June 12, 2017 .
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
Riders set out from Pagosa Springs High School and start to complete 68 miles and over 3,800 feet of elevation gain between Pagosa Springs and Durango, CO on the second day of the annual Ride The Rockies on June 12, 2017 .
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
Riders climb one of the first hills outside of Pagosa Springs on the way to Durango, CO on the second day of the annual Ride The Rockies on June 12, 2017 .
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
Riders climb one of the first hills outside of Pagosa Springs on the way to Durango, CO on the second day of the annual Ride The Rockies on June 12, 2017 .
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
Riders descend on the route between Pagosa Springs and Durango, CO on the second day of the annual Ride The Rockies on June 12, 2017 .
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
A rider climbs a pass between Pagosa Springs and Durango, CO on the second day of the annual Ride The Rockies on June 12, 2017 .
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
Riders descend on the route between Pagosa Springs and Durango, CO on the second day of the annual Ride The Rockies on June 12, 2017 .
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
Riders tackle the route between Pagosa Springs and Durango, CO on the second day of the annual Ride The Rockies on June 12, 2017 .
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
Riders tackle the route between Pagosa Springs and Durango, CO on the second day of the annual Ride The Rockies on June 12, 2017 .
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
A rider nears an aid station between Pagosa Springs and Durango, CO on the second day of the annual Ride The Rockies on June 12, 2017 .
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
Riders descend on the route between Pagosa Springs and Durango, CO on the second day of the annual Ride The Rockies on June 12, 2017 .
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
A rider nears an aid station between Pagosa Springs and Durango, CO on the second day of the annual Ride The Rockies on June 12, 2017 .
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
Riders climb the last stretch of road before reaching the highest elevation point between Alamosa and Pagosa Springs, CO on the first day of the annual Ride The Rockies on June 11, 2017.
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
Riders listen to the national anthem before tackling 93 miles and over 3,000 feet of elevation gain between Alamosa and Pagosa Springs, CO on the first day of the annual Ride The Rockies, June 11, 2017. (Photo by Gabriel Scarlett/The Denver Post)
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
Between Alamosa and Pagosa Springs, CO riders break before finishing 93 miles and over 3,000 feet of elevation gain on the first day of the annual Ride The Rockies, June 11, 2017.
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
Between Alamosa and Pagosa Springs, CO riders break before finishing 93 miles and over 3,000 feet of elevation gain on the first day of the annual Ride The Rockies, June 11, 2017.
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
Between Alamosa and Pagosa Springs, CO riders break before finishing 93 miles and over 3,000 feet of elevation gain on the first day of the annual Ride The Rockies, June 11, 2017. Foods ranging from pancakes and sausage to tacos and hamburgers are served at several aid stations each day.
Between Alamosa and Pagosa Springs, CO riders break before finishing 93 miles and over 3,000 feet of elevation gain on the first day of the annual Ride The Rockies, June 11, 2017. (Photo by Gabriel Scarlett/The Denver Post)
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
Bikes sit at Pagosa Springs High School after riders tackled 93 miles and over 3,000 feet of elevation gain between Alamosa and Pagosa Springs, CO on the first day of the annual Ride The Rockies, June 11, 2017.
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
Riders pitch tents and stow gear at Pagosa Springs High School after tackling 93 miles and over 3,000 feet of elevation gain between Alamosa and Pagosa Springs, CO on the first day of the annual Ride The Rockies, June 11, 2017.
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
Riders relax at Pagosa Springs High School after tackling 93 miles and over 3,000 feet of elevation gain between Alamosa and Pagosa Springs, CO on the first day of the annual Ride The Rockies, June 11, 2017.
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
Riders pitch tents and stow gear at Pagosa Springs High School after tackling 93 miles and over 3,000 feet of elevation gain between Alamosa and Pagosa Springs, CO on the first day of the annual Ride The Rockies, June 11, 2017.
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
Vince Albert outside his hotel room in Pagosa Springs on June 11, 2017. At 82, Albert is the oldest rider in the annual Ride The Rockies event. This is his fourth year participating.
Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post
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On the second-shortest riding day of Ride The Rockies, a cyclist climbs a hill on the loop route to and from Durango, CO on June 13, 2017 .
McDermith has been cycling since 2013. He started after years of neglecting his health, and after his first ride of 30 miles, he thought he “was going to die.”
“I wanted to be able to fend of the women with both hands,” McDermith cracks. “As opposed to going from five quarter-pounders a day to bamboo shoots and soy waste, I decided to make smaller changes with my diet and health.”
Now he rides a few times per week and racks up between 1,500 and 2,000 miles in a cycling season. On Wednesday, they and the other cyclists will tackle the tour’s most difficult day — an 83-mile ride from here in Durango to Ridgway that includes 7,700 feet of climbing and three mountain passes — Coal Bank Pass (10,640 feet), Molas Pass (10,910 feet) and Red Mountain Pass (11,018 feet).
“A 30- or 40-mile ride a couple of times a week vs. this (Ride the Rockies), there’s just no comparison,” he said.
McDermith was born in Colorado Springs in 1980 about 3½ months premature, weighing just 1 pound, 6 ounces.
“They used a plum as a model for my head to knit me a hat,” McDermith said. “I feel very blessed to be here.”
Doctors blew air on his face to help him breath, a treatment that damaged his retinas. Medical practices have advanced significantly enough that the procedure isn’t use anymore, McDermith said.
Still, when he was younger, his vision was good enough to be corrected with glasses — he could play video games with ease. By 13, his vision started deteriorating, and he had several eye surgeries. But by 17, McDermith could only perceive light. Now, he is enveloped in darkness.
After a stint as an IRS collections agent, McDermith now works as an adaptive technology specialist at the Colorado Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, teaching newly blind people or those with low vision to use computers and their mobile phones to navigate their new world and become gainfully employed.
“It’s just so nice to see someone who comes in and says, ‘Oh my God, I’m blind, and I can’t do anything.'” McDermith said, who works with clients for months to get them prepared. “And then to be able to show them through the computer and provide them with anecdotal evidence through my life to say, ‘Hey, you can sit on your couch all day and eat Cheetos, but you don’t have to do that. You can lead a productive life.'”
