Residents of Caledonia Senior Living and Memory Care in North Riverside take a trishaw ride during the spring. The Cycling Without Age program allows seniors to feel the wind in their hair without the risk of falling off a bicycle. (Provided photos)

Gus Noble loves the view he has from his office.

It is not of a city skyline or glistening beaches, but of the main door of Caledonia Senior Living and Memory Care in North Riverside.

“I see trishaws (think of a rickshaw in front of a bicycle) going down 28th Street and it makes me smile,” said Noble, president of the Chicago Scots organization. “I look and I see three smiling faces — the pilot and two seniors. It is one of the things in life that just brings happiness to everybody.”

Trishaws are specialized bicycles created to allow two senior passengers to feel the wind in their hair without the risk of falling off a two-wheeler of their own.

Ole Kassow started Cycling Without Age in Copenhagen after a senior sitting on a park bench watched Kassow every day when he biked past on his way to work. He stopped one day and talked with the man, with Kassow asking him if he was a cyclist. When the man said he was when he was younger, Kassow knew he had to do something to get the man and other seniors onto bikes.

He rented a rickshaw and went to a senior living facility and offered rides. Demand grew quickly and he soon had other volunteers taking seniors on five rickshaws.

“We heard back that people who hadn’t been talking in years had started talking again,” Kassow said during a TED talk. “People suffering from dementia would lose their aggression and actually lift the spirit at the nursing home upon returning from their bike rides.

“And we heard that blind residents were explaining to the volunteers that cycling for them was all about smelling the flowers and hearing the birds and feeling the wind in your hair.”

Kassow said the cycling with seniors program has taught him that age should not define a person.

“Even if you’re close to 100, life can — and should be — beautiful, and life in a nursing should be a place of joy and continued mobility,” he said.

The Chicago Scots, supporters and overseers of the Caledonia facility, created the first Cycling Without Age chapter in Illinois after seeing a social media piece about the program in Scotland.

Alex Gourlay (back left), former CEO of Walgreens, takes Caledonia seniors on a trishaw ride as Gus Noble, president of Chicago Scots, which oversees the Caledonia facility, announces their departure. (Provided photo)

“Two seniors were taken on a ride by a fun, energetic guy and one of the seniors with flowing hair in the wind began singing, ‘The hills are alive with the sound of music,’” Gus Noble said.

He said that led the Chicago Scots to get two trishaws.

Bob Crawford, chairman of Brook Furniture Rental in Lake Forest, and Walgreens picked up the tab for the one-of-a-kind vehicles.

Volunteers are taking Caledonia seniors out for rides, which Noble is thrilled to witness.

“I see them up and down the bike trail and through the winding streets of Riverside,” Noble said. “A man trained to be a pilot took a senior out with his grandson. The senior pointed to a house and said, ‘That’s the house where we raised your father.’ He pointed to where a grocery store was.

“You can see families connect across generations. It clearly helps with family bonding.”

Noble said the hope is to expand the program beyond Caledonia residents.

“We want to share this with as many people as possible. We want seniors to have a ride,” he said. “Being a pilot is a great volunteering opportunity. The training is just a couple of hours and knowing how to ride a bike.”

He said the Riverside area is a great location for cyclists.

“Riverside has beautiful winding streets,” Noble said. “They encourage people to bike. Having the trishaws in cycling are so valuable. They are so beneficial. It helps connect people.”

Noble, a cyclist himself, is transported back in time when he gets on a two-wheeler.

“It reminds of the boy living inside me who would bike back in Scotland,” he said.

Noble said the traits of a good trishaw pilot are basic.

“It helps to know the geographic area. You need to have energy, be confident on a bike and like to engage with seniors — our residents love engaging,” he said. “You need to love people, fresh air and getting out in the community.

“We really want pilots to welcome the seniors. That is a really important thing for us.”

With electric-powered bikes, the pilots are not expected to provide all the power to keep the trishaws in motion.

The Chicago Scots president said seniors in the Riverside and North Riverside area are welcome to reach out for a ride.

“If seniors in the area would like a ride, we would be delighted to do it,” Noble said. “Everybody has a right to wind in their hair. That is the program’s motto. We want to share the program with everybody.”

The program had started before COVID-19 and is being rolled out once again.

“COVID impacted everyone so much,” Noble said. “Everyone is so proud that Caledonia had an impeccable record during the pandemic. We did not lose a single resident from COVID.

“Cycling Without Age is an antidote to a challenging and tricky time. I am glad that we are able to start it up again.”

A special trishaw is hoped to be added to the Scots’ fleet so that individuals in wheelchairs can participate in the program as well.

Individuals interested in participating or volunteering in the program can call 708-447-5092. Information on the program can be found at cyclingwithoutage.org.