Miss riding a bike? Here's a free way to experience it in Norwich. You don't have to pedal

Matt Grahn, Norwich Bulletin
Updated ·4 min read

There was an unusual bike riding around McKinley Avenue in Norwich last week. It serves a good purpose.

Mystic Area Cycling Without Age has teamed up with UCFS to start offering its free services in Norwich. Elderly people and those with mobility issues can ride, giving them a chance to experience outdoor activity. As of Thursday, 26 people from Sheltering Arms and the Ross Adult Day Center expressed interest in taking a ride, said Pam Kinder, vice president of business development for UCFS.

Cycling Without Age started in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2012 by Ole Kassow, who wanted to find a way to give elders a bike riding experience. The solution he found was using a trishaw, which are three-wheeled bikes that have a two-person seating area with seat belts in front. A volunteer, known as a pilot, drives the trishaw while the riding partners enjoy the ride. The purpose of these rides is to promote socializing, improving quality of life, encourage storytelling from the elderly, and more, according to the organization’s website.

As of February, Cycling Without Age has 3,050 chapters in 39 countries, and there are startups in another 20 countries. The oldest person to ever ride was 110-year-old Pauline Angleman from California, and the oldest volunteer pilot is Jørgen Hass from Denmark, the website states.

Sheltering Arms residents Marcia Smethurst and Yvette Wilbur ride the trishaw while Mystic Area Cycling Without Age Volunteer Pilot Kim Langley operates it.
Sheltering Arms residents Marcia Smethurst and Yvette Wilbur ride the trishaw while Mystic Area Cycling Without Age Volunteer Pilot Kim Langley operates it.

About the local chapter of Cycling Without Age

The Mystic Area Cycling Without Age chapter started in 2021 as a part of Bike Stonington, which is a group that advocates for better bike access, safety, and awareness in Stonington, Mystic and Pawcatuck. The organization only has one trishaw right now, bought through fundraising and grants. It has 12 trained volunteers, and has been reaching out to area organizations, including UCFS, to offer rides for them, said Alison Zak Darrell, volunteer pilot and chapter co-founder.

“We’re the closest chapter to serve Norwich, so we’re really excited to serve UCFS and branch out into Norwich,” she said.

Mystic Area CWA has also provided rides for residents of Academy Point and Apple Rehab in Mystic, Volunteer Pilot Kim Langley said.

A new activity for UCFS clients

UCFS is always looking for new activities for Sheltering Arms and Ross Day Center clients, so it’s a way to  get outside and observe the houses and parks. It’s also about physical activity and meeting new people, Cary Trantalis, vice president of eldercare services for UCFS, said.

“Getting out of the normal routine is something that helps keep them excited and motivated,” she said.

The program is going well so far, though many of the Sheltering Arms residents were watching from the window to see how the first ride went before trying it themselves, Trantalis said.

While giving people fresh air is important, there’s a unique feeling from riding a bike that a car ride, or anything else, can’t emulate, Zak Darrell said.

“It’s slower, you’re more connected to the outdoors, and it’s proven to be a very healthful experience,” she said. ”The joys of a bike ride are simple.”

This is a trishaw,, which Cycling Without Age uses to give elderly and people with mobility issues bike rides. The front portion has seat belts for two, and can carry up to 440lbs.
This is a trishaw,, which Cycling Without Age uses to give elderly and people with mobility issues bike rides. The front portion has seat belts for two, and can carry up to 440lbs.

Reactions from people who have participated

Providing rides and outdoor activities for the elderly is also a quality of life issue, which the state is addressing. This includes $500,000 toward wheelchairs in public parks, said state Sen. Cathy Osten.

“It is taking people outside of (Sheltering Arms), and getting them outside and back into neighborhoods, and have people see them,” she said. “It gets them to integrate back into the community.”

One of the first Sheltering Arms residents to go for a ride was Marcia Smethurst. She was reminiscing about the old bikes she used to have, including a tandem bike.

“I feel like a kid again,” she said.

Another resident, Yvette Wilbur, is supportive of expanding the program.

“It’s a beautiful thing,” she said.

Right now, the Mystic Area CWA and UCFS are trying to get regular times and a user base for the service established. By next spring, UCFS wants to have its own trishaw, and they hope to expand the program in Norwich, and also offer rides to people going to the Rose City Senior Center or living senior housing facilities, Trantalis said.

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Cycling Without Age starts services for UCFS clients in Norwich