Blind veteran tackles biking

Lieutenant-Commander (Retired) Mark Cunningham (left) and Master Corporal (Retired) Lutz Stelzner take their new tandem bicycle for a test drive through the parking lot of the Naden Athletic Centre on May 31. The two cyclists were reunited in Victoria last week and took part in the Navy Bike Ride on June 1. Inset: Invictus Games cyclist Master Corporal (Retired) Lutz Stelzner. Photos by Peter Mallett, Lookout

Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~

When Master Corporal (Retired) Lutz Stelzner cycles he puts complete trust in his friend Lieutenant-Commander (Retired) Mark Cunningham to be his guide for their bike ride.

Stelzner, a former Invictus Games athlete, is blind as a result of his multiple sclerosis. Last year he teamed up with Cunningham as his pilot on a specially designed two-seater tandem bike to prepare for Invictus Games Toronto 2017.

The two cyclists were in Naden last week trying out their new tandem bike in the June 1 Navy Bike Ride.

Cunningham pedals and steers the bike and also acts as brakeman during both training and competition, while it’s Stelzner’s job to pedal as fast as he can. 

That’s where the trust and faith part comes in, said Cunningham.

“Imagine yourself riding your bike at 40 kilometres per hour but you can’t steer and have no brakes. Now close your eyes and imagine it again. That’s what it feels like for Lutz as a blind cyclist sitting in the back of a tandem. I wish I had his courage.”

Stelzner, 57, retired in 1994 as a Canadian Army Fire Control Systems Technician. He uses a stationary bike at his Oliver, B.C., home to combat his MS symptoms and to stay in shape.

Cunningham, who lives in Victoria, has an athletic background with experience in both cycling and triathlons. He first heard about the Joint Personnel Support Unit’s Soldier On program that encourages currently serving and retired injured military members to lead active lifestyles while volunteering for an Army Run in Ottawa, and instantly became interested. 

Soldier On also manages Canada’s Invictus Games team and late last year Cunningham received a call from the Joint Personnel Support Unit to see if he would coach Stelzner. 

The 52-year-old wondered if he had taken on too big a challenge by becoming Stelzer’s training pilot.

“I had never been on a tandem bike let alone coaching a blind person at this, so I was a little hesitant at first,” said Cunningham, who was medically released from the navy in 2014 after a 29-year career as a Logistics Officer. 

The pair first became teammates at an Invictus Games training camp held in Victoria in April 2017 and have since developed a strong friendship.

“Mark was truly a large part of my success at the Invicuts Games,” said Stelzner.

Due to a medical issue, Cunningham was unable to race at Invictus Games Toronto 2017, so he passed the torch to experienced triathlete Lieutenant-Commander Dave Dallin of Canadian Joint Operations Command. LCdr Dallin and Stelzner won two silver medals.

Like many athletes who have competed in Invictus, Stelzner marvels at the success and power of the Games.

“It was an amazing experience competing in last year’s games and the crowds in Toronto were absolutely fantastic and totally supportive of the competitors,” said Stelzer.

Stelzner and the rest of the competitors from last year’s games won’t be competing at Invictus Games 2018 Sydney. The team has been reduced to 40 athletes this year, and the decision was made to shuffle the deck in order to give others their own Invictus experience.

Stelzner says he is hoping to participate in future Invictus Games in 2019 and beyond.