Cycling Without Age brings the amazing feeling of riding a bicycle to those who are not able to pedal on their own. Wisconsin now boasts having more Cycling Without Age Chapters than any other state in the country.
Cycling Without Age is a movement started in 2012 by Ole Kassow. 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.
Today, in Wisconsin, you can start your own chapter! Working with the Wisconsin Bike Fed, we can help you establish your chapter, present the concept to funders & volunteers, fundraise for trishaws, train pilots and most importantly reduce isolation and put smiles on faces!
Bike Fed is honored to have received a three-year grant IN 2022 from the Wisconsin Department of Health and Human Resources with Civil Money Penalty Reinvestment Program (CMP) funding to assist with needs at skilled nursing facilities throughout the state. The grant will focus on specific communities over the three-year period; however, as part of its mission, Bike Fed will also bring opportunities to additional non-skilled nursing facilities. READ MORE.
How Cycling Without Age Works
Trained volunteers are scheduled to pilot bike rides with the elderly as often or as rarely as they want to. It’s all driven by people’s own motivation. As of March 2019 more than 1,600 chapter locations around the world offer Cycling Without Age from well over 2,500 trishaws – and the numbers are still growing. More than 29,000 pilots ensure that the elderly get out of their nursing homes, out on the bikes to enjoy the fresh air and the community around them. They give them the right to wind in their hair.
You can help bring this international success to your community!
Bike Fed staff are experienced working with communities and nursing homes and assisted living facilities to get Cycling Without Age programs started. Once we help with the purchase of the special trishaw, train the pilots and organize the program, you can take over from there. Contact Michelle Bachaus with questions.
The following five steps to initiate and kick off a program have helped Wisconsin develop 20+ chapters:
- Consultation from the Bike Fed for program
- Bicycle Safety First – Riding comfortably and confidently
- Introduction presentation and demo rides
- Pilot Training
- Train the Trainer
Find a more detailed overview of the international program here. Follow these links to learn more about Cycling Without Age and 5 guiding principles that make the program a success:
Questions? Contact Community Engagement and Cycling Without Age Manager Michelle Bachaus: michelleb@wisconsinbikefed.org
