LITTLETON, Colo. — For Ed and Bev Winters, a bicycle ride through Hudson Gardens still comes with the familiar feeling of the wind rushing by. But now, someone else does the pedaling.
“My saying is 'wind in your hair and bugs in your teeth, because you're smiling or talking,'” Ed Winters said.
Ed and Bev Winters ave been riding with Cycling Without Age Littleton for nearly six years. The nonprofit uses three-wheeled bikes called trishaws to help older adults, people with disabilities and others who need assistance get outside and experience a bike ride with the help of volunteer pilots.
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“We're able to have a way to get out and enjoy biking with someone else doing all the work, so to speak,” Ed said.
Roy Bash is one of the volunteers making this possible. Bash has volunteered with Cycling Without Age Littleton for four years. He said he discovered the organization by chance while riding his own bicycle along the South Platte River Trail.
“I ran into our executive director Barb while I was riding my bike down Platte River Trail, struck up a conversation with her and thought it was a great organization,” Bash said.
Cycling Without Age Littleton is part of a larger international organization. Barb Lotze, the Littleton chapter's director of business development, said its goal is to break down isolation by connecting people with the outdoors, volunteer pilots and the larger community.
“Everybody is welcome, and it costs nothing,” Lotze said. “We want to get connected with you and connect you with the community.”
The Littleton organization has about 158 volunteers and is supported by donations and grants, according to Lotze. She said no passenger is charged for a ride.
Lotze said the organization has provided 13,000 rides since 2019 and has given as many as 3,800 rides in a single year.
For Bash, however, volunteering quickly became about much more than pedaling a trishaw. He trains new pilots and helped create Cycling Without Age Littleton's board of directors, which he now chairs.
“His participation is phenomenal,” Lotze said.
Bash said he has been a "pilot" almost from the beginning and became involved with training new volunteers as the organization grew. Still, he said some of his most rewarding moments happen while sitting behind two passengers and listening.
“You're fostering that communication among generations,” Bash said. “It's exciting to see what comes out of it.”
Bash said every passenger brings a different story.
“It's important and rewarding to get them to tell you their story, and participate in a joyful experience,” Bash said.
The organization also offers special excursions. Hudson Gardens in Littleton is a common meeting place for the nonprofit.
“How can you not feel different when you can see the beauty all around you?” Ed Winters said.
“The connections that are made are, in some instances, life-changing,” Bash said. “I've had people tell me that this is the greatest day.”
Lotze said Bash's personality is a large part of why passengers and volunteers connect with him.
“Roy has such a gentle spirit. He has a great sense of humor. He's just fun,” Lotze said. “Strangers are just people Roy hasn't met yet. He makes friends with everybody he meets.”
Denver7 and those friends recently gathered at Hudson Gardens to thank Bash for his service, recognizing him as a Denver7 Everyday Hero.
Lotze said the organization nominated Bash because of his character, hard work, dedication and ability to bring people together. Even after receiving the recognition, Bash quickly turned the attention back toward the other people who make the rides possible.
“The pilots get as much reward as anybody in the organization,” Bash said. “Certainly, as much as our ride partners or passengers.”
Denver7 features a different Everyday Hero each week. To nominate a hero in your life, click here.
