During my 35-year nursing career, I embraced the idea that everyone has a story and those stories need to be heard.
One day a colleague shared a photograph taken from her office window that would change my life. It showed a trishaw bike with one passenger: an elderly woman. Her face was tilted to the sun and the breeze lifted her hair, but it was her beautiful smile that lit up my day.
It turned out the woman, a resident of an adjacent residential care facility, was being pedalled around by a Cycling Without Age (CWA) volunteer. CWA is an international non-profit organization that provides mobility-challenged people free rides on special trishaw e-bikes. Part of its mandate is its commitment for everyone to have “the opportunity to feel the wind in their hair.”
Bringing Cycling Without Age to the Comox Valley
As a lifelong cyclist, I cherish the joy that riding my bike gives me. When I saw that same joy reflected on that woman’s face, it gave me a vision of a mission I wanted to support and bring to my community.
In May 2022, I started Cycling Without Age Comox Valley. The group (legally named Mid Island Cycling Without Age Society) is slated to begin operation in Courtenay in April 2025.
The Comox Valley’s CWA e-bike is a Trio Taxi Trishaw—a highly sought-after bike. We waited six months to get it delivered from Copenhagen, the home of CWA. Equipped with a warming lap blanket and rain hood for comfort in most weather, the bike carries up to two passengers, along with one trained pilot.
The riding experience
Rides will take approximately one hour and will follow the Courtenay Riverway Trail along the Puntledge Estuary, starting and ending at Oceanfront Village. This beautiful route, with no vehicular traffic or controlled crossings, offers maximum enjoyment and minimal risk. Rides are free.
Research shows many benefits of Cycling Without Age for participating seniors: they sleep better, interact more, eat more, require less medication, and, in some cases, are less aggressive with their dementia.
Becoming a pilot volunteer
We are looking for people to volunteer as pilots (and other positions). In addition to being comfortable on a bike, pilots should genuinely love interacting with seniors. This is key to the success of the program, as these rides allow participants to feel integrated in their community as they interact with others, and—most importantly—share their stories with their pilots and others during their rides.
Cycling Without Age Comox Valley gratefully acknowledges the generous donation of our trishaw from IODE, which has also donated one to Cumberland. Urban Systems and Canadian Tire Courtenay have been very generous with their sponsorship. We have applied for charitable status and accept donations for start-up costs and insurance.
Find more information at www.cyclingwithoutagecv.ca
Another ticket to ride
Currently, CWA is active in 41 countries and has 38 chapters across Canada. The Comox Valley’s CWA is one of two local chapters expanding the global initiative this year.
After seeing a flyer while visiting Rossland, occupational therapist Jennifer Sawrenko asked herself: “Why can’t we do this in Cumberland?” And now she is. Sawrenko’s Trishaw is ready to roll out weekly with the Adult Social Club this spring. She’s looking forward to building community connections and giving seniors the feeling of freedom that cycling gives—along with the boost to one’s mental health.
Sawrenko is starting small, piloting the bike herself. She is partnering with the Village of Cumberland’s Parks & Recreation department, and hopes to bring the program to Cumberland Lodge.
If you’d like to learn more about CWA Cumberland, please email Jennifer Sawrenko at: cumberland@cyclingwithoutage.ca
