North County seniors turn to bikes for fitness, enjoyment

    For more than 30 years, the Vancouver Bicycle Club (VBC) has been Clark County’s largest and most active recreational cycling club. Despite the name, the club’s membership is mostly senior citizen’s who live outside of Vancouver.

    “Most of our members are over 60 and many are over 70 and a majority of our active members and Board members live in the outlying areas of Clark County,” said VBC President Maria Schur.

    The VBC has members of all ages, and ability levels, according to Schur. With fall well under way, the 500 member club drops down to about 100 active riders during a seasonal dip that Schur says is “perfectly OK.”

    “I think it’s important to encourage and accept people however they feel comfortable riding. Riding slow or riding only in the summer doesn’t make you less of a cyclist,” she said.

    Schur, who is 45 but said she likes to ‘round down to 35’, enjoys introducing road cycling to senior citizens.  “It’s really exciting for me to bridge the generation gap and mentor older riders new to cycling,” she said.

    According to Schur, the VBC has numerous older riders that are “lifelong or very experienced riders.” Two such riders are Battle Ground couple Ron and Laurie Doering.

    “We moved to Battle Ground six years ago and the first thing we did was join the bike club because we knew a bike club would be a good way to learn the area and meet friends,” said 66-year old Laurie.

    Describing the VBC as a “very friendly and very welcoming” bike club, Laurie said she and her husband are “recreational and fitness riders” that enjoy the social aspect of the VBC’s rides.

    “We came from a bike club in Minnesota that had a lot of race riders and we’re not race riders so the (VBC’s) social rides are really good for us,” she said.

    According to Laurie, she and her husband, who is also 66, started cycling in their early 50’s on traditional bikes as well as a tandem bike.

    “We love riding tandem, we enjoy riding together,” she said.

    Both Ron and Laurie attributed their “very good health” to cycling.

    “We enjoy the fact that you can bike year round here and that’s good for our fitness,” she said.

    The Doering’s hold a popular belief about cycling’s health benefits. Every senior citizen member of the VBC interviewed cited the health benefits of cycling, including 72-year old Clay Kind.

    “I believe cycling has kept me in shape,” he said.

    Kind doesn’t believe someone has to bike fast to stay healthy with cycling.

    “I put myself in the category of a pleasure rider, I’m not a racer,” he said.

    Clay isn’t worried about his age stopping him from riding, either.

    “I’ve noticed a decline (in my riding ability) over the last few years, but it hasn’t stopped me, just slows me down,” he said.

    Kind might not be the fastest cyclist on the road, but he is definitely a lasting rider.

    “I’ve led over 100 club rides every year for the last 20 years and average about 9,000 miles a year biking,” he said.

    Kind espouses the idea that a lot of senior citizens may not think they can bike, but if they try, most will like it.

    “Some (seniors) don’t think they can go out biking because they don’t have the fancy bike or fancy clothes or haven’t biked before, but that isn’t true and quite a few try it out and stay biking with us,” he said.

    One such late starter is Mt. Vista resident Dennis Johnson, 70, who didn’t start cycling “seriously” until his mid-50’s.

    “I had a bike and I used it a little bit, but I wasn’t serious about biking until I retired,” he said.

    According to Johnson, he has reaped health benefits from cycling.

    “I am healthier now than when I retired. My cholesterol is down, my blood pressure is down and I’ve turned pounds of fat into pounds of muscle,” he said.

    According to Johnson, he reached his 50,000th total cycling mile this year.

    “I had no idea how many miles I would ride when I started and there are people that have biked farther in less (time), but I am happy with how far I’ve gone,” he said.

    Johnson credits the social aspect of the VBC rides in helping him stay riding.

    “Most rides start and end at a coffee shop and we socialize, I think most seniors would appreciate that,” he said.

    As an older rider, Johnson feels group rides offer safety benefits to senior citizens.

    “Bicycling in a group with others is safer than bicycling alone because if a problem occurs, most commonly something simple such as a punctured tire, there are others immediately available to help with repairs. Also groups of riders are more visible to motor vehicles than solo riders are,” he said.

    The low-impact nature of cycling appealed to VBC Board member and Ridgefield-area resident Richard Gordon, 67.

    “I was a basketball player and runner until I was 50, but I couldn’t run anymore because my knees were so bad,” he said.

    Saying he is in the “best shape” of his life, Johnson credits cycling and the VBC with his fitness level.

    “The advantage of the club is that you can get systematic about exercise,” he said.

More than just biking

    A quick glance at the VBC ride calendar, found on the club’s website www.VBC-USA.com, reveals during any given week the VBC hosts from a dozen to several dozen rides of various distances and difficulty. Almost all the rides include time for socializing at a coffee shop or restaurant as part of the ride.

    In addition to the built-in socializing sessions, the club also hosts a yearly picnic and several event rides including the club’s signature ride, the Ride Around Clark County, which is typically held in the spring.

    VBC membership is open to the general public. A one-year membership is $15 for an individual and $26 for a family. However, membership dues are waived for persons 70 or older and anyone, not just VBC members, can attend VBC rides, according to the club’s leadership.

    “The VBC is very open and welcoming to all riders, even non-members, we just want to see more people bike,” said Schur.

Physical Therapist gives recommendation

    Nic Patee, Doctor of Physical Therapy at Battle Ground Physical Therapy, encourages senior citizens to bicycle.

    “Of all the activities I recommend, bicycling is the activity I recommend most often to senior citizens and knee patients,” he said.

    According to Patee, cycling improves the “joint mechanics” of knees without the compression found in running or jogging.

    “Bicycling in general is an excellent way of improving joint mobility as we age and one of the biggest benefits to cycling is there’s no weight bearing,” he said.

     Patee also noted muscle building aspects of cycling.

    “Cycling helps build quadriceps strength which helps stabilize the knee which can decrease joint compression and that can help decrease joint pain,” he said.

    According to Patee, one’s overall health, and not just joints, can benefit from cycling.

    “When you are cycling, you are burning calories so you will have some weight loss components as well as overall general health improvements including mental and psychology benefits from exercise that have been well documented,” he said.

    Patee encourages senior citizens to check with their primary caregivers before starting any exercise program.

    “Before you start any exercise program, you should contact your physician first,” he said.