Cycling Without Age lets the elderly enjoy bike rides and provides them with companionship, fresh air and new memories.
Cycling Without Age
Cycling Without Age is a movement started in 2012 by Ole Kassow, in Denmark. Ole wanted to help the elderly get back on their bicycles, but he had to find a solution to their limited mobility. The answer was a trishaw and he started offering free bike rides to the local nursing home residents. Now, this initiative is called Cycling Without Age and has spread to across 38 countries around the world.
out in nature
Many elderly people aren’t mobile anymore. They get taken out by family maybe, but often this is by car to go somewhere outside or to go sit somehwre. Cycling without age provides the elderly with the freedom to enjoy nature to the fullest, by letting them enjoy rides on the rickshaw.
Volunteers from all over the world are taking them out, and it’s a win-win; they both get to enjoy nature and they both get to enjoy each other’s company!
Some volunteers, like the Dutch Marian, used to take their parent out on a bike and after they can’t do that anymore, they want other people to enjoy the same activity.
Marian and Misses Venema frequently meet for a relaxing ride in nature. Source: BrightVibes
They stop at misses Venema’s old house, to relive memories Source: BrightVibes
How it works
The process of Cycling Without Age may differ a bit per country, but overal someone signs up as a volunteer and then gets trained by a ‘pilot’. This is to ensure that they can handle the rickshaw with a person in it, as it differs quite a bit from biking on a regular bike.
First they train with an empty rickshaw, then with a pilot in the rickshaw. After that, their first passenger goes along under guidance of a trained pilot.
Volunteers can pick up the elderly as often as they like; either by making appointments ahead of time, or simply walking into a care home and asking who wants to come for a ride!
At present more than 1,100 chapter locations around the world offer Cycling Without Age from well over 1,500 trishaws. More than 10,000 pilots ensure that the elderly get out of their nursing homes, out on the bikes to enjoy the fresh air and everything that surrounds it.
And this community keeps growing!
It’s a full trip, which obviously includes having a nice cup of coffee outdoors! Source: BrightVibes
Read the article about the Scottish Cycling volunteer
Fraser Johnston has been active for cycling without ages and has built up quite a pool of eager elderly people who want to go for a rickshaw ride with him!