Cycling Without Age - Wisconsin Bike Fed

Cycling Without Age brings the amazing feeling of riding a bicycle to those who are not able to pedal on their own.

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

Our Thanks to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services

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

Although we are taking a pause in 2025 and no longer able to offer direct assistance to programs, organizations, and pilots, we are deeply grateful to everyone who has participated in our programming. Best wishes to individuals, organizations, communities, and program for continue to pursue your goals and helping to reduce social isolation and loneliness in older adults through a simple bike ride.

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

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

Access These Resources to Learn How to Establish and Maintain a CWA Program

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.

start

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.

trishaws

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!

pilots