I am always on the lookout for folks doing interesting things with a bike. At a family gathering this past August, I learned a cousin of mine, Joel in Boulder, CO, is a newly appointed Captain of an electric assist trishaw. He’s tasked with giving rides to residents of some retirement homes. I got him to sit for 20 questions about this new advocation of his.
The Backstory
First let’s start with some history. Joel’s parents Brooksie (my first cousin) and Elon both earned advanced degrees and taught, so his childhood was spent at many different college campuses. As he told me, “We moved every few years and the bikes never made the move. Whenever we got to a new place, the first question was always ‘Where’s my new bike’ because as a kid, the bike meant freedom.”
He has memories of biking across the campus at UC Berkely with his friends, and out into the surrounding area.
When Joel got to college, an early and primitive mountain bike became his wheels, a quick, easy and inexpensive way to move about.
As an adult, he found a Brompton folding bike which became his companion on business travels, frequently allowing for exploration after the workday. Joel even had a gig in Lansing and explored from the capitol to the river and over to the MSU campus in East Lansing.
When his two children were the right age, he coaxed some friends to teach them how to ride a bike. I’m sure parents can see the reasons for this tactic, removing emotional barricades. A modern twist of this is being used on newly retired adults; they join their local bike club for the encouragement and support they might need to become proficient again on a bicycle, vs. hearing about it from a spouse!
Joel providing a comfortable ride on his Tri-shaw. That’s his mom Brooks and her hubby Eben.
Joel told me about one guest, about 90 years of age, who brought her daughter along. The daughter is a cancer survivor who, 5 years ago when given 3 months to live, fired her oncologist! She now has the greatest ‘one day at a time’ attitude.
What he does now
After a career in business and traveling around with the folding bicycle, Joel has now found a calling as a Tri-shaw captain for Miles of Smiles, a local affiliate of Cycling without Age, a group which started in Denmark. Joel is new at this, having completed his training this past summer.
Their M.O. is simple: contact program directors at local senior homes to see if there’s interest in this activity. Once that’s established and the necessary paperwork is addressed, Joel or one of the other captains will file a ride schedule with the home.
The rides are typically about an hour. Joel arrives early and says his guest are never late. Apparently when you lack personal mobility, the chance for an outing in the fresh air is strong motivation.
He was able to complete a handful of rides this fall (they’re now on winter break) and got to know several of his guests by first name.
Guests who are wheelchair bound must be loaded and unloaded with assistance from the home, with the pilot stabilizing the trishaw. The pilots are not supposed to assist with loading, so you can see this is a coordinated effort.
There’s not much speed involved with the ride, as there can be 300 lbs of cargo up front of the driver! Joel will usually ride out about 3 miles with his guests, stopping as needed to look at things before heading back. They watched a small herd of deer recently, capturing selfies with Bambi in the background.
His repeat guests are thrilled to get follow-up questions from their past ride. It’s a personal connection which makes the ride time more fulfilling for each of them.
The Take-away
Also, obviously, is his newfound love of being a trishaw pilot. A handful of shut-in folks will get a much needed and appreciated dose of socialization and fresh air, and the trishaw pilots in return get a sense of community and of well-being.
Do you know someone doing somthing unique on a bike? It could be a future blog post topic.
Give us a shout about it, thanks!