The Fastest Formerly Blind ‘Biker Babe’ in Wichita

I woke up one morning in my mid-thirties and suddenly couldn’t see. I vowed if I ever got my vision back I would live life differently — I had no idea that would mean flying down highways twice the speed limit with a colorful crew in the dead of night

Illustrations by Raul Higuera | Edited by Brendan Spiegel

Near the exchange for Highway 96 traveling north on 135 in Wichita, Kansas, there’s a beautiful straightaway where, with the right motorcycle and knowledge, a rider can easily jet up to 100 miles per hour or more before gently slowing, cornering right, and diving down onto the ramp for 96. The curve is wide and, if navigated properly, doesn’t demand a hard brake or any quick, nerve-destroying adjustments. If you’re lucky, the change from one highway to the other is wide, easy and open, and with music pumping through your helmet it feels like being a bird — dipping, diving, twisting, and cutting through the night aimlessly, without a single care in the world.  

It feels like flying.  

This is a regular occurrence on highways all over the world, but it’s special for me: a person who used to be blind but now not only sees pretty close to perfectly but rides as fast as my nerves and bike will allow.