By Hope 103.2Wednesday 3 Oct 2018Hope BreakfastInspirational StoriesReading Time: 1 minute
Listen: Ben Felten chats to Sam and Duncan on Hope Breakfast. Above: Ben with his record-setting Kawasaki and his guide dog. Image: Kawasaki / Facebook.
Ben Felten is officially the world’s fastest blind motorbike rider, a Guinness World Record he set this year, clocking 266.685km/h.
Until four years ago, 50-year-old Ben hadn’t been on a motorcycle since his 20s. Ironically, it was following concussion from a motorcycle accident at 15 that he was diagnosed with the degenerative eye condition, Retinitis Pigmentosa.
This meant that the cells in his retinas would gradually break down until his sight was completely and permanently gone. It was a challenging moment in life, yet Ben has overcome this degenerative condition to do something incredible.
In this podcast, Sam and Duncan chat all about the logistics of being blind and going fast on a bike, as well as processing that moment when you find out at age 15 that you’re going to be blind.