International program Cycling Without Age offering bike rides wants to gear up in Fort Collins

GREELEY — On a sunny Thursday morning, a group of cyclists and riders gather in front of a large red barn at the head of the Poudre River Trail at Signature Bluffs Natural Area in Greeley.

The riders are from Envision, a Greeley-based program that provides creative support services to people with developmental disabilities. The cyclists are trained "pilots" from Cycling Without Age, an international program that gives bike rides to people who cannot ride themselves.

Pilots Ann Lahde and Keith Williams operate three-wheeled electric bikes called trishaws, which have a bench and two wheels on the front of the bike, where riders sit.

Before the Envision riders get stared, Lahde explains the rules. Riders must keep their arms and hands inside the trishaw throughout the ride, and they're encouraged to smile and wave to anyone they pass on the trail.

With rules explained, seat belts buckled and kickstands removed, Lahde, Williams and their passengers take off down the trail for a 15-minute nature ride. For many of the riders, its their first time on a bike.

Cycling Without Age was founded nearly 10 years ago in Copenhagen, Denmark, to allow people with mobility issues to experience what it's like to ride a bike.

Founder Ole Kassow discussed the program and its founding in 2014 at a TED Talk in Copenhagen.

The program was born out of a friendship Kassow had with an older man who missed being able to ride his bike. Kassow rented a rickshaw and started to give the man rides around the city. As their friendship grew, Kassow recalls gaining insight into his city through the eyes of his friend, who would tell stories as they rode. He also recalls realizing the power and freedom of personal mobility and being able to ride a bike.

Kassow ultimately turned this experience into Cycling Without Age. The program has expanded to 52 countries with more than 2,700 chapters, including a chapter in Greeley and Windsor. Northern Colorado founders hope to start their next chapter in Fort Collins.

Cycling Without Age comes to Northern Colorado

Mike Ketterling said he was inspired after seeing Kassow's TED Talk and started looking at ways to open a chapter in Northern Colorado. As a board member for the Poudre River Trail, a nonprofit organization that maintains and improves the trail, Ketterling was able to fund the chapter through the trail's programming budget. The board bought two trishaw bikes and the program began in May 2021.

"It's truly an amazing program," Ketterling said. "I've been able to see people who were pretty guarded wherever they were living become more talkative. It really helps people open up."

In the spirit of the program's foundation, a majority of Northern Colorado's riders come from senior living communities. Ketterling said he's been trying to partner with communities throughout Greeley and Windsor but said one of the main difficulties for the program is getting riders out to the trail. Many of these facilities are facing staffing shortages and don't always have employees available to transport riders.

However, the program has had no issues attracting volunteers to pilot the trishaws.

Another early founder of the chapter, Tess Jones, trains new volunteers on how to operate the trishaws and safely load passengers. The international program doesn't have any specific training guidelines, so Jones started her own program.

"We focus most of our training on safety in loading the passenger so they feel confident with their pilots, which leads to a more enjoyable ride," Jones said.

A majority of the rides are anywhere from 30 to 50 minutes, and the trishaws go only about 8 miles an hour, which is "fast enough to feel the wind in your hair and slow enough to see plants or wildlife along the trail," Jones said.

Ashley Wyatt, one of the riders from the Envision group, said her favorite part of the ride was being able to feel the wind on her face.

The program has given roughly 140 rides so far this summer. Jones said she hopes to top last summer's total of 210. "Every single ride and conversation is so unique," Jones said.

CWA's future in Fort Collins

Lahde and Williams live in Fort Collins and travel to Windsor and Greeley to give rides. They got involved in the program earlier this year after moving to the area.

"We wanted a volunteer opportunity as soon as we moved," Lahde said. "We didn't want to sit around and watch TV all day, that's just not us."

Lahde and Williams found Cycling Without Age and completed their pilot training in June. They have been giving rides since July. Lahde said they're hoping to see a chapter open up in Fort Collins soon.

For Jones, a Fort Collins chapter was her original plan, before COVID-19 shut everything down as she was building interest in the program.

"The Old Town area offers so many destinations for enjoying a trishaw ride," Jones said. From breweries to ice cream, coffee shops and bookstores, Jones said it's still her dream to take people on rides throughout Fort Collins, but she's had difficulty finding someone to help run the program and provide funds for another trishaw.

Jones and Ketterling continue to work toward expanding the program. Earlier this year, the Poudre River Trail bought another trishaw bike to offer more rides in Windsor.

In the meantime, Fort Collins residents can still participate in the Northern Colorado program.

Anyone interested in scheduling a ride can do so on the Poudre River Trail website, https://poudretrail.org/. Rides are available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and have to be scheduled ahead of time.

Anyone interested in becoming a pilot will have to wait until next year. Training occurs early in the group's season which goes from April to November, depending on the weather. Applications are also available at https://poudretrail.org/.