Adaptive Biking Program

• Provides people with diversabilities adaptive bikes to ride
• Creates a sense of community
• Great for physical and mental health

Everyone deserves a chance to ride a bike. The Adaptive Biking Program at the Parkinson Recreation Centre (PRC) is giving people with diversabilities a way to enjoy the freedom of bike riding, while getting exercise in the process.

A community event was held at the PRC recently that gave members of the community a chance to try out the new adaptive biking equipment.

“We’ve been very fortunate to be able to purchase seven adult sized tricycles, and two two-wheel bicycles and adult sized trailers,” Ali Westlund, community rec coordinator said. “We are [at] the ground roots of getting an adaptive bike program off the ground. We’ve had great interest… so today is just about seeing if you can hop on a bike, and getting on a bike for the first time in a long time for a lot of people”.

Karen St. Pierre is the mother of 22-year-old Kai, whose experience and perspective on the challenges of adaptive bike ownership helped pave the way for the program.

“We used to bike as a family,” St. Pierre said. “Kai would be in a carrier and my other son would bike as well as my husband. It was kind of something that we had together as a family”

St.Pierre said as Kai got bigger, they moved him from a carrier to his own adaptive bike but once her husband passed away that became very difficult. She then reached out to Community Living BC (CLBC) about making the program happen through the PRC.

The new program will not only promote a positive overall health through bike riding, but will also create a sense of community among the riders.

“It’s just an amazing atmosphere for people to be out, they’re at a distance, they're able to keep themselves physically fit which helps with their mental health,” St.Pierre added. When you’re in a group setting doing something that you love, and you’re all being encouraged, [and] motivating each other you don’t really need words.”