Stockholm An old man on a park bench with a walker and sad eyes – that gave Ole Kassow the idea. “The man reminded me of my father,” says Kassow. “My father had MS and was in a wheelchair,” says the Dane. “I became his legs, so to speak, when I was about six years old. I gave him access to society.”
His father suffered greatly from the severely restricted mobility. Kassow, now 55, remembers that he was a very successful businessman before the onset of the disease, had many friends and was an active participant in social life. His father has since passed away and Kassow has become a successful IT specialist.
In 2012, Kassow was cycling to his office in Copenhagen when he saw the old man sitting on the park bench next to the walker. “He looked very lonely,” Kassow recalls. This is how the idea of founding the organization “Cycling Without Age” came about.
In the bicycle metropolis of Copenhagen, the plan matured to convert cargo bikes into rickshaws. At the front, above the two front wheels, two seniors could sit, at the back a small electric motor helped the “pilot”, as the volunteer cyclists are called, to drive.
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Kassow undertook his first tour with an over 80-year-old resident. “The next day the home called and said, ‘What did you do to the lady? She is over the moon, has told all the roommates about the great tour. Now they want to go with you too.’ That’s how it started,” says Kassow with a laugh.
The rickshaw rides became a worldwide movement
Ten years later, the initiative of one individual has grown into a global movement. “Cycling Without Age” is now available in 52 countries. 3,700 rickshaws and their 35,000 pilots have so far made around 2.5 million seniors and people with restricted mobility from all continents a little happier. “The seniors are really happy,” says Kassow. And he also knows why: “It’s the communication between the seniors and the driver. They all sit close together and can talk.”
And then of course there is the slowness, the slow rolling along, which the seniors would enjoy. Different generations would come together. “Often the seniors want to visit places with the rickshaw that they know from before,” says Kassow.
The goal of the 55-year-old is to bring about social change for seniors and people with restricted mobility. After all, there is “a right to wind in one’s hair”. His dream is that one day there will be a rickshaw in every retirement and nursing home.
There may still be a long way to go, but the organization has grown rapidly. “Organically,” emphasizes Kassow. “We did it without any advertising.” Many people who like the idea have posted pictures on social networks and told their friends about it.
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Several universities in Denmark, Scotland and the USA are currently conducting studies examining the effects of the work of Cycling Without Age. According to Kassow, the first results have already shown that driving a rickshaw has a positive effect on the health of the elderly. This is confirmed by a retirement home in Kaltenkirchen in Schleswig-Holstein, where rickshaw rides have been offered since last autumn. “Our seniors think it’s really great,” says one employee.
Ole Kassow has given up his job as an IT expert and consultant for “Cycling Without Age”. Today the Dane works full-time for the organization with a master’s degree in literature, economics and languages. He has always wanted to work socially and change something. And when the opportunity to found the organization presented itself, he didn’t think twice about it.
25 permanent employees
Six people are now permanently employed in Copenhagen, and around 25 worldwide. The organization is financed by donations and contributions from foundations and communities. The work of “Copenhagen Cycles” is particularly important for the organization,” says Kassow. The non-profit company was also founded by the Dane and sells the rickshaws. All of the company’s profits go to the organization.
The company “Copenhagen Cycles” can also help with the selection of the different rickshaws and can help with financing and transport. “Several aid organizations support us in transporting the rickshaws to Africa, for example,” reports Kassow. It was necessary to found the company Copenhagen Cycles in addition to the organization Cycling Without Age. “A bank will not normally grant a loan to an organisation, but it will to a company,” says Kassow, explaining the formation of the social enterprise.
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He also wanted to separate the extensive work with the many local departments around the world, the so-called chapters, and the sale of the rickshaws. However, Kassow emphasizes that you don’t have to buy the rickshaws through “Copenhagen Cycles”. “You can also do that at the local dealer. We only offer one option.”
It is very easy to set up a local department, a chapter, says Kassow. “Often it only takes a few days for the new organization to be formed.” It then takes one to three months for the financing of the first rickshaw to be clarified.
“We tried to make it as uncomplicated as possible,” says Kassow, “and we help with all the important questions, be it legal matters or how to recruit pilots.”
New ways in the corona pandemic
Of course, the corona pandemic had an impact on the organization. “The seniors and the pilots were very frustrated,” reports Kassow. “But we quickly came up with new ideas. For example, we used the rickshaws to shop for the seniors.” In some retirement homes, the vaccinated staff rode with the seniors instead of the pilots. “Many local organizations have been very creative.”
Now the Dane hopes that his organization can quickly resume normal operations. And then there is something else: The hobby bread baker, enthusiastic cyclist and train fan still has a big dream. “I would like to travel to Vladivostok on the Trans-Siberian Railway. I’ll do it someday,” he says. “Without a bike.”
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