Blind athlete crosses southern Illinois in bid for historical bike ride

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS - If you traveled on Illinois Route 13 in southern Illinois last weekend, you may have unknowingly been witness to a piece of history.

Shawn Cheshire, a U.S. Army veteran and former paramedic, is riding her bicycle across the country.

While several individuals have crossed the country by bike, she will be the first blind person to make the trek.

On Saturday, Cheshire bicycled down Missouri Highway 51, stopping briefly at a gas station across the Mississippi River from Chester. Cheshire, along with her riding partners Steve Martin and Jesse Crandall, were escorted down Highway 51 by Missouri State Highway Patrol officers.

Martin is a bilateral below-knee amputee and retired Arizona State Trooper and the first double amputee officer in that state. Crandall is Cheshire's best friend and a chemistry professor in Connecticut.

Cheshire is no stranger to overcoming adversity. She is the current world record holder for the fastest rim-to-rim crossing of the Grand Canyon by a blind athlete, a record she set in October 2018. Cheshire walked the 42-mile round-trip trail in 24 hours and 15 minutes.

Cheshire and her team will end their trip on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in Virginia, after beginning the journey May 17. Along the way, they will visit schools for the blind and make connections with first responders, veteran organizations, disability advocates and cycling communities. Cheshire said she hopes to inspire others to succeed, no matter what obstacles they face.

Crandall said the team's progress may be observed online by visiting Shawn's Blind Adventure on Facebook or going to the website www.choosingtosee.org/ where a map constantly updates the team's location in the U.S. In addition, donations to help fund the trip are accepted via a link on the website.