Care homes invited to take part in annual 'road' cycling event

Motitech, the Norwegian startup motivating older people and those with dementia in care homes to engage in more physical activity, has announced its partnership with British Cycling and Sport England.

The partnership will support Motitech in delivering opportunities for older people to remain active through cycling. This includes the Road Worlds for Seniors 2019 cycling event that takes place throughout the month of September.

Road Worlds for Seniors is Motitech’s global activity programme for cycling within care homes and care centres, which will run throughout September alongside the UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire. It will set the focus on physical activity for older people using its concept, Motiview, in which older people cycle through a choice of 1,700 locations on stationary bikes via a video projection that plays whilst the person pedals.

The combination of exercise and visual stimulation increases activity levels in older people, and gives them the opportunity to revisit familiar places from their childhoods and other important points in their lives. This element of Motivew is especially important for those who live with dementia, as it provokes fond memories of familiar locations, such as their home town, or favourite holiday location, sparking conversations that bring the memories back to life. Everyone who participates will be rewarded for their efforts, with additional awards going to those who have cycled the furthest, and the care teams that have provided the best support.

But this isn’t just a one-off event. The five-year partnership will see British Cycling and Sport England support the project through their Places to Ride capital grants programme, designed to deliver a lasting legacy from the 2019 Road World Championships by funding the development of multi-use facilities as well as facility improvement and equipment. The programme will engage with a broad spectrum of cyclists - encouraging people who have never cycled before to get on their bikes.

Places to Ride has been made possible through a new £15m commitment from the UK Government, and will be delivered over the next three years through a unique partnership between British Cycling, Sport England and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS). For Motitech, it means that the company will be able to provide equipment to an increased number of care homes, encouraging as many people as possible to get involved in physical activity in general, which has a significant, positive impact on physical and mental wellbeing. British Cycling will also be supporting the marketing and communications for the Road Worlds for Seniors. 

Road Worlds for Seniors creates friendly competition

“We are incredibly excited to be able to announce the partnership with British Cycling and Sport England ahead of Road Worlds for Seniors this year”, says Jan Inge Ebbesvik, President of Road Worlds for Seniors at Motitech. “The support means that we can get even more people and care homes involved in Road Worlds for Seniors across the world, and create that feeling of friendly competition and community.  We want to encourage older people to compete, have fun and get active at the same time. Through the combination of exercise, support from friends, families, and carers, as well as the support provided by British Cycling and Sport England, this year’s event is set to establish the unique application of technology to benefit older people as an initiative in parallel to existing cycling competitions, and a special fixture of the British sporting calendar.”

“We are proud to be a key partner of Motitech’s cycling activity programme and the Road Worlds for Seniors”, adds Julie Harrington, British Cycling CEO. “It is vital that everyone has opportunities to remain physically active throughout their life, and the Motiview concept brings people together, forming new communities that may have never existed. We want people to get physically active and feel motivated to take part and cannot wait to see where, around the world, Motiview takes them.”

Sports Minister Mims Davies said: "Sport has an incredible power to boost people’s mental well-being, as well as their physical health. I am delighted that our investment in this innovative project will help older people, and those with dementia, to get and enjoy being active."   

Sport England’s Director of Facilities Charles Johnston said: “The benefits of physical activity for older people are considerable but often there are limited opportunities, especially for people living in care. We are pleased to have supported Motitech in bringing their innovative concept to the UK and are delighted to now be part of their long term partnership with British Cycling. The project will build a lasting legacy from the 2019 Road World Championships and accelerate access to opportunities for people living in care, across England, to have more opportunities to be physically active as part of their daily lives.”

Jan from Motitech added: “We would love to have even more participants in this year's Road Worlds for Seniors championship and anyone who is interested in finding out more, or even taking part, can email us at email@motitech.co.uk.”