The Fingal Sofa to Saddle Course aims to provide opportunities for older adults to rediscover the jo

Description

The Fingal Sofa to Saddle Course is a 6-week cycling skills course.

The programme aims to reintroduce older adults to cycling by providing small group sessions, that are held off road and delivered by a trained cycling instructor. The course was held in the beautiful surrounds of Newbridge House and Farm in Donabate and run in conjunction with Age & Opportunity. One of the unique elements of the sofa to saddle course was the availability of bikes for the participants. Bike ownership can be a barrier to relearning to cycle for adults, so in order to remove this barrier, Fingal County Council provided the participants with a folding bike for the duration of the course. The participants worked on a range of skills as part of the course, with an emphasis placed on balance, braking, cornering, and turning.

The first session was held in the local community center, this allowed us to perform a very controlled assessment of each participant on a stationary bike. This gave our instructor the opportunity to determine each individuals need ahead of the course beginning outdoors the following week. Each session lasted for a total of 90mins and was followed by a well-earned cup of tea and a bite to eat. The social element of the group was vital for its success and a key part of the weekly programme. Over the course of the six weeks the participants went from finding the confidence to sit on a bike again to completing regular weekly 5km cycles in the park.

This has given the participants a newfound sense of achievement, confidence and independence while also helping to improve strength and cardiovascular fitness which are all the more important as we age.

The final element of the course was around basic bike maintenance, the group learned to check tire pressure, adjust their saddle and check their brakes. All of these are important aspects of independent cycling.

Aim of Initiative

The aim of the sofa to saddle course is to build the capability of older people who haven’t cycled in a long time to cycle in a safe and confident manner, but to also build out a support network and social circle of like minded people to combat any risk of social isolation.

Who is it aimed at

Older adults aged 55+ who haven’t cycled in a long time

3 Steps critical to success

1. Identify key delivery partners and stakeholders within the local community.Delivery Partner
   Age & Opportunity

   Stakeholders
   Fingal Age Friendly and Donabate Active Age Group

2. Identify a safe and accessible location to run the programme that was accessible by car and public transport and also serviced by amenities such as public restrooms and a café. The location also needed to be relatively flat, with wide paths and options to include light hills as the group progressed. The location also needed to have an indoor facility near by with access to stationary bikes for the initial assessment.
3. Identify follow on opportunities for the participants to stay engaged in cycling once the programme finished. This has happened in the form of linking participants with the local cycling group, hosting regular social cycles in various parks around Fingal and hosting a Dublin wide Sofa to Saddle meet up for older adults during bike week

3 Challenges in Planning / Delivery

1. Identifying the ideal location can be a challenge as there are so many competing sports and programmes for limited community space. Needing an indoor space with stationary bikes for the first session can make it a challenge.
2. Tailoring the sessions to suit the needs of each individual in the group is a challenge as the weeks progress, you need to ensure sessions are challenging, but everyone is kept in the learning zone.
3. Securing a location where bikes can be stored and accessed by the group each week was an initial challenge.

3 Outcomes / Benefits

1. The Course was a great success with all participants who began the course on week 1, completing the course on week 6.
2. Fingal Sofa to Saddle WhatsApp Community established where the participants can keep in touch with each other, arrange to meet for cycles and be kept informed of upcoming cycling courses and other community events. Since the course the group have held regular meet ups and are now spearheading a new age friendly bike sharing project that is in the planning stage. This will see folding bikes available in Fingal heritage parks that can be accessed by programme participants at times that suit them, this will enable them to continue practicing their skills at their own time.
3. All participants relearned to cycle, completed their 5km cycle and took part in the Bike Week Sofa to Saddle Cycle in the Phoenix Park, where they completed an 8km cycle.