Riding to Ride

Point to point, it's a couple tenths of a mile over 21 from my home to the Prairie Ridge campus of the Oakwood Village Continuing Care Retirement Community.

Usually, my Saturday morning rides aren't done with an eye on the clock, but that day I needed to get there around 9:45 so I could set up for my volunteer gig.

By car, my route exceeds 21 miles and on a good day takes me 30 minutes via Madison's Beltline and Interstate 90/39.

Saturday's ride was a fairly brisk hour and 20 minutes.

Bike paths from the southwest part of Madison through campus and past the neighborhood which is home to Willy Street.

From there, a bike lane provided plenty of space on busy thoroughfares so I could pick my way through a busy section of the city and arrived at the east campus at 9:40.

My reason for the ride was to take a turn as Pilot for the new Bicycle Rickshaws donor gifts brought to each Oakwood campus.

The rickshaws are part of a world-wide effort called, Cycling Without Age.

Ole Kassow in his home city of Copenhagen, Denmark didn't know he was starting a movement when he stopped by a nursing home while riding home from work to offer a resident a ride.

The offer was accepted so he searched for a suitable bike with a passenger seat.  He provided the ride.  More residents of the home wanted to feel the wind in their hair.

The idea grew around his country then spanned the globe thanks to YouTube videos.  Oakwood heard about through another retirement community in Wisconsin and set out to bring the idea to Madison.

It' brings together volunteers who pilot the bike and people who can't ride a bike anymore.

The bike can seat two up front and includes an electric motor which helps the pilot climb.  In my experience, the motor allows the pilot to engage with their passengers without worries about how to get up any hill.

It's not about exercise so much, but researchers find just being outside provides tangible benefits.  It's the experience; it's being outside; and it is feeling wind in their hair.