By KAREN MADORIN
I love entrepreneurs who creatively meet local needs. A history group friend recently mentioned a service that supports individuals many don’t think about—elderly or disabled folks who once lived vibrant lives growing gardens, taking walks, and riding bikes around neighborhoods.
She described attending an event where Gay Flax, a clever Hays woman with a mission, showed up with adapted bicycles built for two. Keep in mind, these are not the style built for Daisy who pedaled behind her sweetheart as they fell in love. No, one bike is a side-by side-bike that permits the passenger to ride in something like a side car. The other version has a bicycle-powered wheelchair attached to the front. Naturally, driver and passengers sport protective head gear. Is your mind going where mine went?
I immediately thought of nursing home residents or loved ones with Alzheimer’s or other disabilities who can no longer bike or walk distances. Many would love to buzz through nearby neighborhoods, looking at flowers and other landscaping or noticing flitting birds. My mom would have thrilled to feel sunshine warming her face, wind blowing her hair, all while checking out pretties local green-thumbs grew. She’d let me know which ones she loved most.
Owner/operator Gay Flax is a bike rider and so was her mother before Alzheimer’s interfered with this activity. While Gay originally altered the bikes to permit her to continuing bicycling with her mother, she expanded her target audience.
She now goes to area nursing homes taking residents on rides as well. She calls her business Sunny Cycling and designed an interesting and informative Facebook page to promote it. She describes her service as “companion rides through parks and scenic spots allowing individuals to reconnect with the world one ride at a time.” She’s also willing to meet near a passenger’s former home so they could revisit an old neighborhood. As I explored her many options, my heart smiled, thinking about the joy she brings her clients and their loved ones.
Rates are $50 an hour, but users can choose one 60-minute ride, two 30-minute rides, three 20-minute rides, or four 15-minute rides for one or multiple passengers. Using her pick-up and trailer, Gay will take her service to nearby communities. Long-term care facilities can arrange several short rides for multiple residents. An online photo revealed one of her passenger’s grandkids biking alongside their loved one. Think of the laughter everyone experienced making memories during that adventure.
It's more than just a bike ride. Gay said she thoroughly enjoys visiting with each passenger. They talk about spouses, children, grandchildren, jobs, relocating, and memories of the area. She genuinely loves the relationships she builds with each rider.
In another post, I noted Hays Recreation Commission added this as an option people over 55 can sign up to enjoy. This makes it easy to involve either elders or the disabled in a laughter-filled outdoor activity that will generate great family stories around holiday tables.
I didn’t realize this was an option in this area until a couple of weeks ago. Now that I know, I’m telling our daughters to sign me up when that day comes and to tell Gay I want to go past houses with the most flowers and birds.
Karen Madorin is a retired teacher, writer, photographer, outdoors lover, and sixth-generation Kansan.