Cycling Without Age

Cycling Without Age is a movement started in Denmark in 2012 by Ole Kassow. Ole wanted to help older adults in Copenhagen get back on their bicycles, but he had to find a solution to their limited mobility. The answer was a trishaw … a three-wheeled motor/pedal-powered bike … with a pilot behind and a passenger seat up front for views of the community and nature. With his trishaw, Ole started offering free bike rides to the local nursing home residents.

Learn more about Ole and the international Cycling Without Age movement, and don’t miss his TED Talk to see how it all started!

While Cycling Without Age is growing across the United States, Northeast Wisconsin now boasts having more CWA Chapters than anywhere else in the country. Enjoy this video created by our friends at Make the Ride Happen in Appleton about their program, including participation from the Bike Fed: Trishaw Transit Video

Bring Cycling Without Age to your Wisconsin community!

Wisconsin Bike Fed is grateful to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services for a three-year grant that supports assistance to skilled nursing facilities establishing and growing Cycling Without Age programs. The grant ends on December 31, 2024.

Let us help you by walking through the details to create your own Cycling Without Age program for a senior residence, organization or community. Please access the links in the “We’re Here to Guide You” section below to learn how to present the concept to leaders & volunteers, fundraise for trishaws, train pilots, and most importantly reduce isolation and put smiles on faces!

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We are interested in measuring the impact of Cycling Without Age in Wisconsin. If you are a program manager, trained pilot, or a pilot trainer, we would appreciate a few moments of your time to complete this information survey form by November 24, 2024:

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Feedback from a skilled nursing facility after a Bike Fed introduction-with plans to create a program!:

“I thought the program was very informational and gave me a sense of how important something like this would be for our residents, our business, and our community. All of us from Skaalen had nothing but positive things to say about the Trishaw and the Cycling Without Age program.”

~ Keri Wright, CTRS Leisure & Support Services Manager Skaalen Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Stoughton

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Feedback on Bike Fed assistance and resources for new program:

“Wisconsin has a model that works. The information on the website for starting a CWA chapter helped me a lot.”

~ Sandy Bishop, Cycling Without Age Anne Arundel in Maryland

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We’re here to guide you:

Getting Started

From building a team, budgeting and fundraising, and handling insurance to planning your community kick-off, we’ve got step-by-step guidance to help you through the process that may take 6-12+ months.

Trishaws

These are the three-wheeled, pedal-powered bikes that make Cycling Without Age move! Learn how to order, maintain, and store trishaws for your program.

Pilots

Volunteer pilots are the engine that drives the CWA Program. Learn about who can be a pilot and what’s required of them – plus – find pilot training sessions near you!

Library of Forms

We’ve gathered essential forms in one place. Find the pilot checklist, passenger waiver, and other helpful resources in the Library of Forms.

Skilled Nursing Facility Map

Use the map to find skilled nursing facilities around the state, and discover opportunities for networking.

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For Current CWA Programs, Trainer/Educators, and Pilots:

We’d like to create connections, share resources and information, and demonstrate how the statewide program is growing. We need your help! If you are already actively engaged with CWA, we would appreciate your time to complete the sections of the following CWA information form that match your role(s). It should take about 5-10 minutes depending on how many roles you have. And, please, share with others you know.