Elaine Fotu and her fellow Cycling Without Age volunteers are determined to share the joy of daytime rides with people of all ages – but they need more support.
Established in Denmark 12 years ago, Cycling Without Age has evolved into a global initiative providing people of all ages with the chance to enjoy leisurely rides on a trishaw, a battery-powered bike with a seat for passengers attached at the front.
“I had a 100-year-old lady,” Elaine said.
“Her face lit up because she was not driving in a car, she wasn't hobbling on her walker and not getting far.
“We took her for a couple of kilometres along the beach, she could feel the wind in her hair and that makes you feel good.”
Elaine, a former English teacher who moved to the Illawarra from Canberra last year, embarked on her journey with the organisation after her friend Paul Taylor, the president of Cycling Without Age Illawarra, suggested it.
“I'm a cyclist, have been for a long time,” Elaine said.
“I often ride with him and he said he'd heard about this and was like, ‘What do you think about getting one for the Illawarra area?’ and I said it sounded good.”
Since joining, Elaine regularly goes in search of discarded cans and bottles and recycles them to raise money.
Her standout achievement so far includes a 1000km ride across three states, visiting Sydney, Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, and Perth, while collecting donations along the way.
“I plan to virtually do the trip beforehand and then I thought, why not tell people about it and get them to donate to this,” Elaine said.
“We raised quite a few thousand for it, so it was good.”
Elaine isn't alone in her extraordinary efforts. Wollongong cyclist Josh Berry cycled the height of Mount Everest on Mount Keira, raising $6000 in the process. Despite generous donations, funds are still needed as trishaws are expensive.
“We bought one and that one cost, with insurance and everything over $20,000,” Elaine said.
“We were very lucky with this one to get it donated to us but we've still got to get the insurance, maintenance and a lot of other ongoing costs.”
Cycling Without Age Illawarra is also in need of volunteers, some to ride the trishaws and some to scout ahead.
“Our main problem is getting volunteers to ride the trishaw or scout in front of us during the rides,” Elaine said.
“We don't ask anybody for any money but we do need weekday volunteers.
“We'll train you on the bikes and you’ll be needed for one morning or one afternoon a month.”
For more information on how you can donate or learn more about how you can become a volunteer, check out their website or Facebook page.
