Tandem (Para-cycling)
A two-seat bicycle ridden by a sighted pilot at the front and a visually impaired stoker behind, used in para-cycling.
Definition
In para-cycling a tandem is a bicycle built for two riders in line: a sighted "pilot" steers, brakes, and changes gear from the front, while a visually impaired "stoker" rides behind and contributes power through the pedals. The pairing lets blind and partially sighted cyclists race on the track and road at high speed with the pilot handling navigation and safety.
Success on a tandem depends on the two riders synchronising their pedalling, body position, and communication so the bike handles as a single unit. The word tandem also describes any two-person bicycle in everyday cycling, but in a competitive para context it specifically refers to this pilot-and-stoker partnership.
Meaning by sport
This term is used differently across sports:
- Para cycling
- A two-rider bicycle with a sighted pilot steering at the front and a visually impaired stoker providing power behind.
- Cycling (general)
- Any bicycle designed to be ridden by two people seated one behind the other.
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Adaptive sports
- Sports for Blind and Visually Impaired AthletesSports adapted with sound, touch and guiding support so that athletes who are blind or have low vision can take part and compete.
- Adaptive sport terminologyA plain-language guide to common, respectful terms used in adaptive and para sport — and why inclusive language matters.
- Classification in para sportThe system used in para sport to group athletes so that competition is fair — decided by how much an impairment affects a specific sport.
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- Content updated
- 2026-09-01
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