{"id":36738,"date":"2022-05-13T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-12T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/?p=36738&preview=true&preview_id=36738"},"modified":"2022-05-17T10:39:07","modified_gmt":"2022-05-17T08:39:07","slug":"my-ebike-means-parkinsons-disease-wont-stop-me-cycling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/2022\/05\/13\/my-ebike-means-parkinsons-disease-wont-stop-me-cycling\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cMy Ebike means Parkinson’s disease won’t stop me cycling\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Experience<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

\u201cMy Ebike means Parkinson’s disease won’t stop me cycling\u201d<\/h2>\n\n

Wesley Vernon, 64, thought his cycling days were over\u2026 until e-power came to the rescue<\/p>\n\n

Words <\/strong>Rob Kemp<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Wesley enjoys traffic-free rides<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
\"\"
He can access places he can\u2019t now walk to<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been a cyclist since I was 10. I once cycled from John O\u2019Groats to Land\u2019s End in seven days and two-and-a-half hours and completed a number of the CTC-organised events [CTC is now Cycling UK] including the Wild Wales Challenge and the Crest to Coast. I\u2019ve cycled in Vietnam and India, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\u201cIn early 2015 I had to return my driving licence to the DVLA as I was deemed no longer fit to drive. The fatigue associated with my condition meant that conventional cycling was out of the question, too, so I gave my old bike away at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\u201cA retired neurology nurse who helps out at my support group suggested that I might be okay with an ebike because it requires minimal effort on my part and, in his experience, a number of people with Parkinson\u2019s find that balance issues can settle down while riding a bike.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\u201cSomeone kindly lent me two ebikes to try out and then my wife and I purchased our own \u2013a Volt Pulse X for me and Volt Kensington for her \u2013 within a few weeks. The sense of freedom I enjoy is tremendous as this is now the only form of accessible transport I\u2019m allowed to use. I can\u2019t walk very far either.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe physicality and challenge aspects of cycling are less now as I rely on the electronic assistance to help me go everywhere, but the e-bike does help me in tring to maintain my lower-limb mobility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\u201cMost of our cycling is on cycle paths and trails (such as the Monsal Trail and Tissington Trail) in and around the Derbyshire Peak District where we live like. I also use the bike for short journeys on quiet roads, such as visits to the GP.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\u201cFor me, there\u2019s no downside to e-bikes. I do need help loading the quite heavy bike onto and off our carrier, plus some assistance in getting on and off the bike. But when I\u2019m on the bike, the balance issues I usually have when walking are gone!\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re planning on cycling further afield in the UK and have bought various books on the national network of cycle tracks. While we haven\u2019t been going far since Covid started, I\u2019d really like to do more e-cycling in India and the Far East as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

<\/div>
\n

WESLEY\u2019S E-BIKE TIPS<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

01 Try then buy <\/strong><\/strong>Try out ebikes covering as wide a range of prices and styles as possible. Look into the car bike racks required for the shortlisted bikes too \u2013 many are unsuitable due to the heavier weight of e-bikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

02 Practise first <\/strong><\/strong>Ebikes come with multiple combinations of gearing and levels of e-assistance. Make sure you practise before you go out on the road so you know the best combinations to deal with various situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

03 Find your way <\/strong><\/strong>Seek out cycle paths and traffic-free routes, which get up close and personal with the countryside. They make ebike riding safer and more fun, plus they provide opportunities to stop for tea and cakes.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wesley Vernon, 64, thought his cycling days were over\u2026 until e-power came to the rescue<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5420,"featured_media":36760,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","purple_page_number":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_page_number":"","purple_seq_number":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_seq_number":"","purple_source_article":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_article":"","purple_source_issue":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_issue":"July-2022","purple_external_id":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_external_id":"July-2022-2b1e0a0d-61d5-408e-98e2-eea5ea3ab89a","purple_issue_code":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_issue_code":"|0000111757||","purple_android_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_android_product":"com.im.cyclingplus.393","purple_ios_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_ios_product":"com.im.cyclingplus.393","purple_web_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_web_product":"","purple_publication_id":"","purple_migrated":"","kt_blocks_editor_width":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2022-05-17T08:39:13Z","apple_news_article-theme":"","apple_news_api_id":"ae663d23-490f-497e-b85b-b58583e05f05","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2022-05-17T08:39:13Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ArmY9I0kPSX64W7WFg-BfBQ","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":true,"apple_news_is_preview":true,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_article_theme":"","apple_news_sections":"[]"},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/05\/3RM069X01D4CVTHU12S6V5Y7PDM8.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"maya.hack@immediate.co.uk","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/author\/maya-hackimmediate-co-uk\/"},"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"3","apple_news_title":""},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/05\/3RM069X01D4CVTHU12S6V5Y7PDM8.jpg",1655,1292,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/05\/3RM069X01D4CVTHU12S6V5Y7PDM8-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/05\/3RM069X01D4CVTHU12S6V5Y7PDM8-300x234.jpg",300,234,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/05\/3RM069X01D4CVTHU12S6V5Y7PDM8-768x600.jpg",768,600,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/05\/3RM069X01D4CVTHU12S6V5Y7PDM8-1024x799.jpg",800,624,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/05\/3RM069X01D4CVTHU12S6V5Y7PDM8-1536x1199.jpg",1536,1199,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/05\/3RM069X01D4CVTHU12S6V5Y7PDM8.jpg",1655,1292,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"maya.hack@immediate.co.uk","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/author\/maya-hackimmediate-co-uk\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Wesley Vernon, 64, thought his cycling days were over\u2026 until e-power came to the rescue","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36738"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5420"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36738"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36738\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37126,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36738\/revisions\/37126"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}