Hermine Daghofer loved to ride her bike, and was lucky enough to be able to keep at it for quite some time. As she aged, though, her balance started to fail and dementia set in. Eventually, she couldn't ride any more. Hermi, as her friends called her, passed away peacefully in her sleep, on September 22, 2019.  Although she never had the chance to ride in one, we’d like to help seniors and others with mobility barriers enjoy the outdoors by raising funds to buy a Cycling Without Age trishaw in Hermi's name. Our family, along with some close friends, will match your donations, up to $8000. Can you help make sure that other seniors can enjoy cycling and nature?

What is Cycling without Age? Cycling Without Age gives our elders and others with mobility issues the right to "wind in their hair", a chance to experience their communities and nature up close from the front of a specially designed bicycle (a trishaw). We ride folks around, exchange stories and create genuine happiness in people. In that way, we build bridges between generations.   Will you help us bring back the joy of cycling to seniors and others who can't ride a bike?

Riders and pilots alike benefit greatly from the trishaw experience!

• Social interaction – We help riders connect with friends, neighbours and their bicycle pilots by getting them out in their communities.
• Intergenerational bonds – Pilots range in age from teens to seventy-year-olds. Mixing folks of all ages reinforces trust, respect and the social glue of our towns.
• New experiences - Trishaw rides help older people stay vibrant and active. They experience the sounds, smells and feeling of riding a bicycle again. Rides give them something to get excited about!

Did you know that social isolation can be as harmful to health as smoking?

A simple bike ride can have a profound impact on quality of life for everyone involved. Pilots tell us that after rides, almost everyone (98%) want to bike more. No wonder!

• People who had not talked in years, start talking again.
• People suffering from dementia lose their aggression and lift the spirit of the home after their bike rides.
• People confined to wheelchairs start singing and smiling, saying they thought they would never cycle again.
• Passengers arrive with walkers and after a ride, forget they had them.

Life in a nursing home should be a place of joy and continued mobility! Getting residents – your Mom, Dad or an old aunt – out for a journey through cities and landscapes helps you create better relationships and better lives.

Who Am I?

I am Hermi’s daughter, Diana. This fall, I started a chapter of the group Cycling Without Age, in Rossland and Trail, British Columbia. 

I really wanted to take my Mom out for a trishaw ride. She lived in Montreal, but that chapter was not yet up and running. After Hermi passed away, I continued to work to bring Cycling Without Age to Rossland, but felt really sad that Mom would never get out for a ride. Walking home from a presentation at the Senior's Centre, I realized I could do the next best thing - raise funds for a bike in her name! Hermi would be so pleased to help spread the fun and adventure of bike riding through our community!

Can you help bring Hermi's Ride to Rossland? 

Our family and close friends have pledged to match every dollar donated, up to $8,000 to buy a trishaw in Hermi's name. The bikes have to be built well, for safety and to climb Rossland's hills, so they are expensive - about $16,000.

Will you help us bring back the joy of cycling to seniors and others

who can't ride a bike?