Rolling out more inclusive cycling opportunities

Cycling has always been important to the St. Pierre family.  

“Back when the kids were growing up, we were what you’d call, a ‘biking family’,” says mother, Karen St. Pierre. “It was a big part of our lives. Our two boys loved to watch their dad cycle cross when they were young and Evan, our youngest, enjoyed bike competitions and biking club with his dad by his side.” 

Karen says it was also an especially wonderful time for their oldest son Kai, who has Down syndrome. Kai would ride along in an adaptive trailer towed behind his dad’s bike. 

“We always looked at biking as a great family activity where we could all be together.” 

However, Kai’s father, Jason, an avid cycler and runner, passed away suddenly in 2014 when he collapsed during a bicycle trail ride. It was a devastating loss to the family and their close-knit cycling community.  

Karen endeavored to continue cycling with Kai through his teenage years as it was something important that he and his father shared. Despite her best intentions to get him back on Kelowna’s cycling trails, Karen realized adaptive biking as a single mom came with a new layer of challenges.  

“He loved being able to get out on those bike rides, it gave him so much more confidence, but I quickly realized, how do we continue biking when it’s just me and him?”  

“I looked into adapted tricycles because I knew that would be something he’d really enjoy, but they are incredibly heavy. We also realized, where would be put it? How would we store it? These are large and expensive pieces of equipment.”  

After hitting several roadblocks, Karen eventually shared her struggles with staff with Community Living BC (CLBC) and the City of Kelowna. 

“I wondered, how can biking be made available for people who can’t afford them, who don’t have access or even enough confidence to give it a try?  

That’s what made Kelowna’s Parkinson Recreation Centre a great fit to launch a new adaptive biking program.  

“Kelowna is the perfect city to be able to provide a service like this with an incredible bike and trail system that we feel everyone should be able to enjoy, despite any physical limitations they may have,” says Tom Myatt, Quality Services Analyst with CLBC. “Our goal is to help break down those barriers and we’re thankful to Karen and the City for working with us to bring this idea to light.”    

Thanks to initial funding from CLBC, the City of Kelowna will be offering a new adaptive biking program this fall with two adult trailers and six adaptive tricycles available for program use. 
   
“We’re eagerly awaiting being able to access these bikes and programs this fall, I think it’s important that this type of program is offered in a familiar space that can give people confidence to ride.” says St. Pierre. “Biking is an important part of our lifestyle, there is such a huge biking community here."  

An important part of Kelowna’s outdoor lifestyle that we at Parkinson Recreation Centre feel everyone should be able to be a part of. Kelowna has a rich community of people with diverseabilities and PRC is a second home to many of them in helping to support healthy, active lifestyles.  

Kai is one of hundreds of Kelowna and area residents with special needs that have adaptive spaces and programs available to them through Access Programs offered at PRC each season. This is made possible due to the support of Community Living BC.  

As Kai’s mom says, “it’s always been important to us to focus on the things Kai can do, not the things he can’t do.”  

Now Kai, and anyone can join in too. Learn more about the City of Kelowna’s new Adaptive Biking Program for adults along with programs for people with cognitive and physical disabilities at kelowna.ca/adaptive.