Above: Cycling Without Age trishaw with passengers from Victory Health + Rehabilitation and their MPRB “pilot”
Yesterday the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) kicked off a new program, Cycling Without Age, aimed at helping older adults with mobility issues enjoy time and connect with others in Minneapolis parks.
The program is based around free, 20- to 45-minute rides in a trishaw: a stable, three-wheeled electric-assist bike that is comfortable and accessible. One or two passengers seated in the front of the trishaw enjoy a bike ride free of physical demands, while a friendly, trained, experienced “pilot” in back pedals and steers.
While MPRB’s trishaws are the only ones available to the public in the Twin Cities area, the program is part of a worldwide Cycling Without Age network. The movement began in 2012 with a resident of Copenhagen, Denmark offering free trishaw rides to residents of local nursing homes, and has grown to more than 2,500 Cycling Without Age chapters.
“Feel the wind in your hair”
“For someone who hasn’t been on a bike in a long time, if ever, riding on a trishaw can be an amazing experience” said MPRB Superintendent Al Bangoura, who first experienced Cycling Without Age while serving as Superintendent of Recreation in Mecklenburg County/Charlotte, NC.
“It can be difficult for older Minneapolis residents to get to a park,” he continued. “Especially those with limited mobility. That’s why park access and park equity are two of our priorities at MPRB.”
The goals of Cycling Without Age are simple: Take in the sights, sounds and sunshine. Feel the wind in your hair. Chat or tell stories with your companion or the pilot seated behind you.
Bangoura counts Cycling Without Age as an example of newer MPRB activities and programs that benefit both individual participants and the broader community, by helping to build social connections and intergenerational relationships.
Cycling Without Age Launch Event
About 20 residents from Victory Health + Rehabilitation Center attended the May 29 launch at North Mississippi Regional Park. Following remarks from Bangoura, along with MPRB President Meg Forney and the City of Minneapolis’s new Public Works Director, Tim Sexton, the residents paired up for trishaw rides through the park’s prairie, woodland and riverfront landscapes. Those waiting for rides enjoyed snacks, social time, and activities from the park’s Kroening Nature Center.
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Above: Residents of Victory Health + Rehabilitation (seated in a trishaw) with (L-R)
MPRB President Meg Forney, City of Minneapolis Public Works Director Tim
Sexton, trishaw pilot and MPRB employee John Haldeman and MPRB
Superintendent Al Bangoura
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Cycling Without Age Summer Schedule
For its trial phase of Cycling Without Age, MPRB has scheduled five summer dates for free trishaw rides in parks throughout Minneapolis.
- Rides are for Minneapolis residents who are 55 and older and with limited mobility.
- If desired, a passenger may bring a companion who is 18 or older.
- Passengers and companions select a one-hour time slot for their ride, which will be 20 minutes or longer.
Tuesday, June 25 from 10am to 1pm at Creekview Park (North Minneapolis)
Tuesday, July 2 from 10am to 1pm at Lake Nokomis Park (South Minneapolis)
Tuesday, July 16 from 10am to 1pm at Loring Park (Downtown Minneapolis)
Friday, August 2 from 12 to 3pm at Brackett Field Park (South Minneapolis)
Tuesday, August 20 from 1 to 4pm at Pershing Field Park (Southwest Minneapolis)
More information
minneapolisparks.org/cycling-without-age | trishawbikerides@minneapolisparks.org