Philip and CyclAbility

Philip was an avid mountain biker and hiker before a stroke in 2020 left him paralysed on one side. During rehabilitation his physios pointed him to CyclAbility, a not-for-profit that offers inclusive cycling opportunities for adults. At their biweekly sessions, riders get moving to music, taking laps around an athletics track on a range of cycles, from standard bikes to specially adapted models.

Philip was able to try out a series of options, beginning with a four-wheel cycle and progressing from week to week through different models and targets. Three years on, he can now manage 15 laps on a two-wheeler. Along the way he decided to buy his own folding e-trike.

Philip now cycles accompanied on bridleways, and independently on roads around his home in the Oxfordshire village of Chalgrove. He says the sessions built his confidence as well as his core strength and road sense, and have also brought him freedom: “I don’t feel trapped in the village”. His partner Liz adds that CyclAbility has given him the chance to do something he’s always loved doing.