A NEW cycling club in Derbyshire for the visually impaired has been inspired by Great Britain's stunning performance in the Olympic Games.

The Tandem Bicycle Club has been set up by the Derbyshire Association for the Blind, which is aiming to provide its members and volunteers with the chance to cycle together.

In order to provide the scheme to its 4,500 members, the association has joined forces with two national organisations – the Cyclists' Touring Club, the UK's oldest cycling body, and Cyclemagic, a leading specialist in adapted bikes.

It is now appealing for individuals who own unwanted tandem bikes and adult tricycles to come forward, as well as those who would be interested in taking part.

Robin Toal, events manager at the association, said that the efforts of Great Britain's cycling team, who won eight gold medals in Beijing, was a source of inspiration for the club.

He said: "Following the record-breaking success of the Great Britain team, we feel that there has never been a better time to help our riders saddle up.

"Their attitude and devotion has helped to inspire our members."

"By working with Cyclemagic and the Cyclists' Touring Club, we have a fantastic opportunity to establish a cycling club for our members that could simply not exist without their assistance.

"We are looking for members of the public who would be interested in learning to ride a tandem, spending a little time every month with our members and getting some exercise.

"There will be no set routes. We are hoping to cycle all over Derbyshire. We'll see how the club progresses, whether it's weekly or monthly."

The association is looking to hold a fund-raising event next month to kick-start the club.

"We are looking for riders who are leading figures in the community to take part in the fund-raising event," said Mr Teal.

Sue Naish, the association's chief executive, hopes the club, which she believes will start as a hobby for many, can lead on to greater things.

She said: "Cycling is very popular and, eventually, the club could become the same.

"One of the aims of the association is to offer those who are visually impaired with opportunities like this.

"The club will start in a small way and I'm sure we won't have a 2012 Olympian come out of it. But, who knows, we could have one for 2018.

"Anything we can do to enable and encourage our members to get more out of life, we will give it 110 per cent to make sure it's a success."