Visually impaired man hoping for ‘dream bike’ to cycle safely in Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Denys and Andrew Mayles are brothers that bond through biking, but getting a bike to suit their evolving needs is a challenge.

Over the past few years, Andrew has slowly been losing more and more of his vision, and he's no longer able to ride a bike by himself.

"As my vision has deteriorated, I haven't been able to do it alone," said Andrew, "and so that's when my brother and my family really have kind of introduced me to the tandem riding. It's just been a great motivator to be able to get out."

Andrew says he was born with various eye issues which left him blind in one eye and with poor vision in the other. Though his eyesight stayed stable for a long time, it recently declined.

Though Andrew's lost a significant portion of his vision, he and Denys have been working to make sure they also don't lose their passion for cycling together.

Andrew and Denys said they're trying to continue to cycle using a tandem bike, but as grown men, the bikes continue to break on them, incapable of meeting their needs.

The one bike that holds steady for them is an adaptive bike that they've demoed three times from a local bike shop, called the Hase Pino Steps. However, the dream bike is costly.

The Mayles brothers said the Challenged Athletes Foundation stepped in and gifted the brothers with a grant to go toward the dream bike that will better suit their needs, but it only covers a portion of the cost.

After raising money from immediate family and family friends, they’re asking the public for help in getting them the rest of the way there.

If you'd like to help the Mayles brothers, you can donate here through this verified fundraiser.