MANY seniors give up cycling due to inability to ride on roads or muscular pain, but a Balgowlah Heights man says there is no reason to give up on life on two wheels.
Richard Alaba is a 68 year-old retiree and founder of a website which features information on over 50 riding trails which are completely off road.
The site contains trails throughout various parts of NSW as well as some in Melbourne and New Zealand.
Richard said he was inspired to start the site after his passion for riding was rekindled during a trip to New Zealand’s Otago Rail Trail last March.
He was so keen to ride he decided to try an e-bike and enjoyed the ride so much he now rides six or seven days a week and has dedicated a lot of time to blogging about his adventures and sharing them with fellow riders.
“There are many, many spectacular places around NSW where people can ride safely,” he said.
“I continue to find new and exciting rides with lovely, safe wide bush trails and views that just go forever.”
He said riding off road had allowed him to experience new places and places he had already visited from a completely different perspective.
“We tend to only explore or see areas where two wheels will take us,” he said.
He said many seniors who had been lifelong riders gave up cycling because it was no longer safe to ride on roads or due to the strain riding placed on muscles and joints.
But he said e-bikes were a great way of taking strain off joints with riders able to choose how much assistance they needed, while other measures such as wider tyres could also reduce strain.
He said when looking for trails to ride and share on his website, he operated under the motto of “safe and scenic”.
“I like riding in pretty places, but the ride has got to be safe,” he said.
Trails included on the site include rides to and around Barrenjoey Lighthouse, Cataract Dam, Middle Head in Mosman, Shoal Bay to Soldiers Point, Maroubra, Malabar and La Perouse, Orphan School Creek and Narrabeen to Newport
It features shorter and longer rides, ranging from around 25km to around 90km.
For more information, click here.
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