Le Tour goes indoors in Wigan

A Briton may not have won the famous yellow jersey in in this year’s Tour de France but a group of care village residents in Wigan will be hoping for home success on the international stage when they take on the rest of the world in September in the ‘Road World for Seniors 2019’ indoor cycling competition.
Gym instructor, Ryan Cadman, of care village, Belong Wigan, is coaching residents ahead of their participation in the worldwide competition in the village’s state-of-the-art fitness and rehabilitation facilities, which are used to enable exercise and rehabilitation for residents and members of the wider community. He believes the challenge gives residents, some of whom live with dementia, added motivation to engage in the village’s exercise programmes, which help improve the health and well-being of older people living with a range of conditions.
Belong Wigan’s independent apartment tenants, experience day customers and residents, will team up from September 2nd participating in relay on the latest indoor cycle equipment, donated by the event’s organiser ‘Motitech’. The cycle, which can be pedalled with hands and feet, will allow the Belong team to enhance their mobility and explore the world through an attached TV screen, enabling riders a choice of 1,000 virtual race routes on which to tackle their challenge as they compete against their counterparts in care homes around the world.
The competition will take place throughout the month of September, during which all participants will attempt to cover the greatest distance possible in the period. Total mileage recorded by the equipment will be fed to race the organisers and the Wigan residents will be hoping to get their name on the trophy when the winners are announced on the 27th of September. There will be trophies awarded for male and female cyclists, plus an overall team award.
The annual one-month event coincides with the official Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Road World Championship for bicycle road racing, and gives people living in care homes the opportunity to become dedicated athletes, competing in an international cycling competition, aimed at improving mobility and promoting physical activity for older people.
Belong’s Ryan Cadman, commented: “The Road Worlds for Seniors 2019 is a great opportunity for our customers to engage with exercise in an interactive way. At Belong, we already provide physical activities that will stimulate the mind and body of people living with dementia and other conditions, and this competition will be another opportunity to get even more people involved. We hope to win it but if not, it will provide great physical benefits, and help to improve further the well-being of all those involved.”