The Book: Spreading Joy Around the World Archives

Foreword

When I was a child, the best thing I knew was to cycle. I was a little chubby. I wasn’t very good at running or playing football. But, I could cycle. I rode like crazy. I could cycle fast and I could cycle far.

A Bike Connecting the World

“On a sunny afternoon in the autumn of 2012 my phone rang when I picked it up, I was greeted by a voice so bubbly and enthusiastic that it immediately made me smile,” recalls Ole. it was to be the first encounter between us and would be a crucial moment in the journey of cycling without age.

01 Rufino’s Smile

Mr. Rufino is 84. He is a real gentleman. On a sunny September morning Mr. Rufino boards the trishaw with his friend Ramon. They are the very first elders to go for a Cycling Without Age ride in Donostia, San Sebastian.

02 Mel & Sim Love

Under a dark and beautiful December night sky, a Cycling Without Age trishaw rolls through the snow-covered streets of Canmore in the Canadian Rockies. Mel and Sim Gascoyne are out for a ride to look at the Christmas lights lining the streets of the mountain town.

03 Pernille & Annie’s Friendship

Annie Tan is 87 years old, or 88 according to the Chinese where life begins at conception. I am 36/37. She and I are friends. Annie says she’s often bored, which is something we have in common, so our weekly rides on the trishaw do us both good.

04 Biking For Charity

In the local community of Oshkosh, elders, kids, police officers and local retailers joined forces and created powerful social impact in so many aspects – we brought magic to the streets.

05 A Special Day For Koen

Today is Wednesday, Koen’s special day. His mum accompanies him in an adapted wheelchair van to the Weurtseweg where the trishaw is parked. Koen is really excited. After his mum assists him in getting seated, the three of us set off through Westepark to Goffertpark, which Koen has never visited before.

06 No Bus Can Take Us There

Being able to revisit the places where Ruth used to spend so much time in her youth brought back many happy memories. Skiing down the snowy slopes of Arosa, being surrounded by the breath-taking Alps, breathing the fresh mountain air, feeling the sun on her skin and wind in her hair, are what made her feel at home.

07 Spreading Like Waves

It was love at first sight when the inhabitants of Trégastel first learned about Cycling Without Age.
In this beautiful seaside town on the pink granite coast of Bretagne in France, the enthusiasm for the project spread faster than the waves came rolling in.

08 A Great Export Story

Cycling Without Age is a terrific initiative. Not only in and from Denmark, but also to the benefit of Denmark. That is why it is quite natural for Danish embassies to collaborate with Cycling Without Age whenever new chapters are started in various countries. Today the initiative reaches far beyond Denmark’s borders and spreads happiness and smiles in more than 30 countries.

09 Ulla At High Speed

This is so great! I can’t believe it is really happening! This is Ulla Dahlqvist, she is 86 years old. Unlike most people who try the trishaw for the first time, she is not worried about speed and bends in the road. She finds it highly entertaining. It reminds her of when she started to ride a motorcycle in 1946, right after the end of the Second World War.

10 The Little Things

Something very special attracts people to Cycling Without Age. It unites people and positively creates ripples in the water; it brings joy, improves physical and mental health, it overcomes prejudice and breaks down stereotypes, but most of all it creates a social change through relationships built through the rides.

11 Just Sing Again

“This was so incredible”, said Britta. ‘We have to tell all the others at the nursing home about it.” She never misses a chance to go out for a bike ride and is already looking forward to joining the next outing.

12 A Royal Ride With Else

On this beautiful, late summer afternoon, 90-year-old Else Møller and I set off for a lovely tour around Elsinore. On this day, in particular, many sweet and lovely people greeted us and showed interest in Cycling Without Age. Oh my – we felt blessed!

13 Riding With Mr. Hart

I loved cycling with Mr. Hart. He was so excited about the experience – from the moment we adjusted his helmet to fit just right, to when he was telling us about the ships we saw along the waterfront. He knew all about the ships as he used to work at the shipyards in Richmond.

14 Mental Health & Well-Being

My main focus as a researcher within mental health promotion at the Danish National Institute of Public Health is on identifying how we as a society can create the best conditions to stay active, to belong, and to commit in the arenas where we live, love, learn and play throughout our lifespans.

15 Mesmerized By The Moment

When the trishaw first arrived at the Fondation Pescatore care home, the staff and the residents were not very convinced by it. Not because we didn’t like the idea behind this project, but rather because the streets of Luxembourg’s capital is not very bicycle-friendly.

16 I Never Said No To Anything

“We may be oldies, but we still have a zest for life. I encourage you to wave to us when we come rolling in our new cart as we’ll be waving at you!” Bonnie Roberts, 89, says as she cuts the ribbon launching Cycling Without Age in Sandringham. Her sense of community is not new. As a founder of Caroline House, Bonnie steered this women and children’s refuge from being funded by voluntary contributions only, to a recognized, government-funded shelter.

17 How To Make Friends In Chile

“My grandmother is still alive, but she lives very far from Santiago. I very rarely get to see her and I miss her wisdom and company. In the absence of being close to my grandmother, getting out on the bike with my friends is a way of having a connection to the older generation.”

18 When Ingrid Charmed The Mayor

Anne Margrethe and Ingrid, both 96, normally just sit in their care homes in Arendal, while 50,000 of their countrymen, including the country’s leading politicians are only a few hundred meters away at Norway’s biggest annual political gathering – Arendalsuka. This all changes the day the care homes are equipped with trishaws from Cycling Without Age –

19 Doing It The Mexican Way

In Cholula they got the idea of starting En Bici Sin Edad during a trip to Europe filming a documentary about cycling culture. In the summer of 2015 we took a long bike ride as part of a film project on cycling culture in different countries. The trip took us to Denmark where we had the opportunity to meet Ole Kassow. Not only did we have a good interview for the documentary, we also got really close to Cycling Without Age and had the chance to accompany Ole, Thorkild and Eila on a trishaw ride to mark the second anniversary of Cycling Without Age.

20 Studded Tyres In Iceland

Due to the climate in Iceland, they test studded tyres on the trishaws. It all started with a little depression, then came laughter and a wonderful initiative. I had been skiing and hiking with my mom for as long as I can remember – but then one day this wasn‘t possible any more due to the negative effects of a wounded knee and dementia. After a depressed period in her life, I managed to take my mom out for a ride in a cargo bike – what fun we had! It turned out to be a 25-minute ride with non-stop laughter.

21 Municipality Involvement

Effort, innovation and, not least, joy, have been invested into what started as a project, and is now a part of everyday living at the care homes in Esbjerg. Through close relations with the passengers and the personnel, fantastic Cycling Without Age pilots are making it possible for the elderly from the care homes to get ”wind in the hair” and so much more.