Volunteer needs help to cycle seniors around

Penticton seniors can now bike popular trails without pushing a pedal.

Cycling Without Age, a volunteer program that began in Denmark and has since then moved to 40 countries globally, has arrived in Penticton.

The program aims to get seniors with limited mobility back out in the community for bike rides in a manner that’s safe and convenient for them.

Local resident Neil Pritchard became a pilot earlier this year and spends two to three hours a day several times a week taking the elderly on their favourite cycling trails.

“My father passed away in a hospice, and my mom was going through short-term memory loss,” said Pritchard. “She was a cycling enthusiast.”

After his mom moved into a care facility, Pritchard noticed how disconnected she and other senior citizens became from the community, but not, he added, at the fault of the home.

“Because this bike puts (riders) up front, they are just so completely engaged with the passers-by. They’re talking, greeting friends,” he said.

“It was a lot about my folks, but really, it was such a no-brainer and it’s the right thing to be doing.”

The bikes are battery powered which helps pilots with pedaling, but there have been times when Pritchard has had to pedal manually.

After arriving at Sun Village on Main Street on Monday afternoon, Pritchard had two passengers seated on the bike in a matter of minutes and a growing list of others who wished to go for a ride.

Joyce Hopkins was signed up for her fourth ride on Monday.

“It’s comfortable, it gets you out, and it’s a nice way to get around,” she said.

Pritchard has a three-year goal to get four more bikes and 20 volunteers.

“We’ll be doing 800 passenger rides a month,” said Pritchard of his goal. And from the steadily growing list of people wanting to go for a bike ride, he knows that the program will meet that number.

Pritchard is currently seeking support from local community resources and is in search for more volunteers. Volunteers should be able to commit to five rides a week but Pritchard also accepts volunteers who have a limited commitment schedule.

For more information, contact Pritchard at npritchard@cascadeaqua.com.

MELANIE EKSAL/Penticton Herald Sharon Devlin, seated left, and Joyce Hopkins, right, bundle and buckle up for a bike ride piloted by Neil Pritchard. The program, Cycling Without Age, aims to get seniors back out in the community on safe and fun cycling trails.