Keep on cycling – whatever age you are
I have been introduced to Get Cycling and want to share this with you. They are a ‘not-for-profit’ Community Interest Company, which exists to promote cycling. They started as an events company – delivering Bike Try-out Road shows up and down the country. In 2009 Get Cycling diversified into retail, both mainstream bikes and bikes for people with disabilities.
They also have a target of 100% inclusitvity, and things really took off three years ago and they quickly became the largest retailer of bikes for people with disabilities in the UK. Obviously old age isn’t a ‘disability’ but they also specialise in the provision of bikes, trikes and accessories for people of senior years.
We all imagine that participation in cycling is increasing every year. It is, but the truth is that in all but one age group it’s flat-lining. It’s interesting to see that all of the growth in cycling is in the 55+ age group. We can only guess that this growth is as a result of a general increase of awareness in the population of the importance of maintaining a level of fitness for quality of life.
If you get the opportunity to visit any Dutch, Scandinavian or German town or city you’ll be taken aback at the number of seniors who are riding bikes. Part of the reason for this is a population for whom cycling is an ordinary, everyday activity that they simply don’t want to give up.
Part of it is the fact that this enormous market (Germany alone is 20x bigger than the UK in terms of bike sales) has enough oomph for there to be plenty of specialist products available. It’s the hardware that’s the real key to keeping people cycling into old age. Get Cycling offer bikes and trikes with super low step frames: It’s possible to keep pedalling even when loss of articulation in hip or knee joints prevent you from getting your leg over the saddle.
They also offer recumbent and semi-recumbent bikes and trikes, for greater stability and ease of getting one’s feet on the ground. We offer electric assist, stabilisers, walking stick holders. Etc etc.
Mick who is an employee of Get Cycling finds this all endlessly fascinating! And says “It’s fantastic to work in a field where our expertise and technical knowledge can have such a truly profound effect on the quality of people’s lives”. A passionate man with a mission to keep people mobile in more ways than one.
