Cycling strategies of young and older cyclists

Bulsink, Vera Elisabeth; Kiewiet, H.; Belt, Dorien van de; Bonnema, G. Maarten; Koopman, Bart

doi:10.1016/j.humov.2016.01.005

Cited by 13 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…For example, Ormel et al (2008) found that in the Netherlands, approximately one quarter of bicycle crashes that required hospitalisation of cyclists ≥ 55 years in 2008 occurred while mounting or dismounting the bicycle, and more recent studies show similar results (Hagemeister and Tegen-Klebingat, 2012;Kruijer et al, 2012;Scheiman et al, 2010;VeiligheidNL/Rijkswaterstaat, 2017). Contributing factors are that older cyclists not only mount and dismount a bicycle differently than younger cyclists (Dubbeldam et al, 2017b), but also may have difficulties recovering from balance disturbances while riding at low speeds (Bulsink et al, 2016). Because interactions with other road users, such as giving priority or responding to actions of other road users, typically require cyclists to decrease speed or to stop and dismount the bicycle, such interactions are critical in bicycle crashes of older cyclists (Boele-Vos et al, 2017;Davidse et al, 2014aDavidse et al, , 2014b.…”

Section: Keeping Balancementioning

confidence: 99%

Enlightening cyclists: an evaluation study of a bicycle light communication system aimed to support older cyclists in traffic interactions

Westerhuis¹,

Engbers²,

Dubbeldam³

et al. 2021

IJHFE

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In the Netherlands, older cyclists run an increased risk of bicycle crashes. Critical factors are low-speed interactions, stopping, (dis)mounting, and potentially misjudging riding speeds. A Bicycle Light Communication System (BLCS) was therefore developed that displayed riding speed, braking, and turning intentions. In an experiment, 21 older and 20 younger cyclists observed BLCS-signals of a lead cyclist and estimated speeds of an approaching cyclist, with and without BLCS. Interviews were conducted to assess general opinions on BLCS and its influence on cycling behaviour.In a small follow-up study, twelve older cyclists used a BLCS-bicycle one week to explore first user-impressions. The majority evaluated the BLCS positively, mainly the turning indicator and brake light components, even though interpreting the speed signals was difficult. Although the first userimpressions revealed that the direction indicator does not influence selfreported balance (positively or negatively), the majority reported that they would like to use a BLCS themselves.

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Section: Keeping Balancementioning

confidence: 99%

Enlightening cyclists: an evaluation study of a bicycle light communication system aimed to support older cyclists in traffic interactions

Westerhuis¹,

Engbers²,

Dubbeldam³

et al. 2021

IJHFE

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“…Bulsink et al suggested that older adults need more effort to restore from perturbations based on the observation that older subjects use additional strategies, such as outward knee movement, to control balance in response to a perturbation [13]. Neuro-physiological changes in the human body with aging [14], such as frailty, slower reaction times [15], less accurate sensory abilities [16,17], reduced range of motion in the musculoskeletal system [18] and higher mental workload experienced [19,20], might be associated with the observed differences in balance control strategies [13] and the increased number of single sided accidents. For example, the increase of accident risk in older cyclists (on an e-bike) has been related to a relatively higher mental workload for older cyclists (65+ years) compared to a group of younger cyclists (30-45 years) [20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The increase in single-sided accident rate in older subjects suggests that older adults have more difficulty controlling cycling direction and balance while bicycling in traffic. Bulsink et al suggested that older adults need more effort to restore from perturbations based on the observation that older subjects use additional strategies, such as outward knee movement, to control balance in response to a perturbation [13]. Neuro-physiological changes in the human body with aging [14], such as frailty, slower reaction times [15], less accurate sensory abilities [16,17], reduced range of motion in the musculoskeletal system [18] and higher mental workload experienced [19,20], might be associated with the observed differences in balance control strategies [13] and the increased number of single sided accidents.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Turning the head while biking makes older people lose cycling direction and balance

Afschrift

Matthijs

Ryck

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Background: Bike safety in older subjects is a major concern in multiple countries given the strong increase in the number of cyclists that are admitted to the hospital due to single-sided bicycle accidents in older populations. The increase in single-sided accident rate in older subjects suggests that older adults have more difficulty controlling balance while bicycling in traffic, which has been related to various age-related changes in the sensorimotor system. Yet, the impact of these age-related sensorimotor deficits on the ability of older people to remain stable on their bike during traffic situations such as turning their upper body to check on potential road users, remains unknown. Methods: We instructed a group of 40 young (22.86, SD:1.53 years) and 41 older participants (62.73 SD:1.57 years) to bike in a straight line while performing a shoulder check movement in order to identify the color of an object presented behind them. We recorded the task-errors (lost balance, errors in identifying the color, cycling outside the lane) and computed the steering angle and rotation of the frame, pelvis and torso from IMU recordings. Results: We observed that older adults made task-errors (one third of the older participants failed at the task by making errors such as cone-identification errors, loss of balance and cycling outside the lane). In the successful trials, we observed an increase in steering angle and rotation of the pelvis with respect to the frame in the older subjects compared to the young subjects. Significance: Older cyclists lose balance while turning their head, which might contribute to the increased number of single sided bike accidents in older subjects. The use of simple devices, such as using a mirror, should be encouraged in older subjects to replace the shoulder check maneuver.

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“…Also, Bulsink et al [26] and Kiewiet et al [27] have carried out experiments on elderly cyclists, ascertaining that one reason for the disrupted stability involved a more complex and slower recovery manoeuvre than that of the younger cyclists, demonstrating that the contribution of physical resistance is necessary to ensure the safety of the journey. Elderly cyclists present not only physical problems but also psychological stress in particular situations of environmental complexity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Road Safety for Cyclists Based on the Calories Needed

et al. 2021

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Cyclists are a vulnerable group of road users, especially when no separate infrastructure for cyclists is provided. Then, road factors such as distance and altitude differences can indirectly affect cyclists' safety. Therefore, the authors proposed a procedure based on the geometric characteristics of the road that can determine riding difficulties for cyclists. The proposed procedure can be used both by the public authorities who manage cyclists' safety and as a method of classifying the road network for cycling. The proposed procedure, based on the use of pattern recognition techniques, analyses data from a sample of nine riders who travelled on rural roads within the Municipality of Messina (Italy) to classify the roads according to their cycling difficulty. For each rider, duration, distance, road slope, altitude difference and spent calories have been measured and analysed. The collected data were used for the development of a model capable of predicting the cyclist's physical effort as a function of the road alignment itself. Knowing the effort required to cycle along a route can contribute to a more complete assessment of road classification, commonly defined according to motor vehicles. Moreover, it may constitute a measure determining the safety of cycling by encouraging cyclists to travel along roads compatible with their physical abilities.

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Cycling strategies of young and older cyclists

Cited by 13 publications

References 23 publications

Enlightening cyclists: an evaluation study of a bicycle light communication system aimed to support older cyclists in traffic interactions

Enlightening cyclists: an evaluation study of a bicycle light communication system aimed to support older cyclists in traffic interactions

Turning the head while biking makes older people lose cycling direction and balance

Road Safety for Cyclists Based on the Calories Needed

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