Legally blind downhill mountian biker in town for film screening

Bobby McMullen is a competitive downhill mountain biker who makes his way through the courses not being able to tell a valley from a drop-off. He is legally blind and makes his way by following a guide who helps talk him through the challenges. Incredible.

He will be at REI tonight (July 15) for a screening of the documentary The Way Bobby Sees It. Film starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $8.

Also this weekend, a group of LA bikers will race an airplane across the city amid the I-405 shutdown that has been dubbed “CARMAGEDDON.” The race will be tracked online both in the air and on the ground. It could be the biggest two-wheeled spectacle since the Fonz jumped those garbage cans on his motorcycle.

If there are any other bike events in the area this weekend, please let us know about them in the comments below. Thanks!

From the Cascade Blog:

Bobby McMullen is a legally blind downhill mountain bike racer. He has a guide who rides in front of him to shout out turns and obstacles, and from what I’ve heard from people who have ridden with him he’s not only an incredibly talented rider, but more aggressive than many who have the benefit of seeing the obstacles coming up on them.

Bobby lives in California and will be in town on Friday, July 15 on his way up to Crankworx, so this is is a pretty rare opportunity to meet him in person. We’ll also be showing a film about Bobby’s preparation for and competition in the 2007 Downieville Classic Mountain Bike Race, a 17-mile course said to be the country’s most challenging downhill race.

We’re putting this on in partnership with Outdoors for All and Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance. Let me know if you’d like more info. What this guy does is so incredible that I can’t imagine anyone who shows up not being completely amazed by it. People can pre-purchase tickets online at Brown Paper Tickets.