280 years young and on the road!

Nearly 280 years of experience has taken a record-breaking ride on the Cycling Without Age Orange electric trishaw.

The Orange chapter of the international charity organisation’s e-trishaw has just been shared by a pilot and two passengers with a combined age of 277 years.

This A-team was piloted by Peter Robson (81) with passengers Irene Chapman (102) and Grace Brideoake (94).

Irene and Grace are residents at the Orange Grove Community Care facility, one of five aged care facilities in Orange whose residents have been taken for rides on the CWAO e-trishaw in its first year of operation.

About 39 volunteer cyclists provide the service, which started last November.

Since then they have given 482 people a ride at 44 events with the volunteers contributing a combined 493 hours of service.

The A-team is the oldest to get onboard in Orange.

While it is not clear whether the Orange combined total of 277 years has been bettered elsewhere the CWA website says Australia’s oldest volunteer was 86 and the oldest passenger was 107.

Grace and Irene had their second ride on the e-trishaw last Friday, where onlookers included the member for Orange Phil Donato.

Grace and Irene were happy passengers.

“It was lovely,” said Grace after the ride. “It was very good.”

After a winter break, CWAO Orange resumed operations on September 2.