Cycling after 65: a weak link between dynamic balance and riding errors

Participants already had difficulties on the course

The analysis included 116 community-dwelling adults aged at least 65, recruited at two centers. All had made at least three errors on a standardized outdoor cycling course. Their average age was 74, and 53% were women.

The researchers used baseline measurements from the BiPerAge trial. Despite their origin, these data are used here in a cross-sectional analysis: they compare performance at a single time point, without assessing the effect of an intervention. Participants made an average of 13.1 errors on the course.

The assessment battery included walking speed, balance tests and the Four Square Step Test, which measures the ability to step in several directions. A robotic stationary bike also measured trunk movements during pedaling, with or without unexpected tilts.

Two measures associated with errors, but only weakly

After adjustment for age, sex and country, a longer time on the Four Square Step Test and greater side-to-side trunk sway during pedaling without perturbations were associated with more cycling errors. The authors describe the observed associations as weak.

The finding therefore distinguishes several dimensions of balance rather than a single ability. It does not allow a test score to be turned into a verdict on an individual's fitness to cycle in traffic. The abstract presents no threshold that could be used for this decision.

Not yet a method for preventing accidents

The outcome studied was the number of errors on a standardized course, not the occurrence of falls or accidents in traffic. An association with this score is therefore not enough to establish road accident risk.

Participant selection also limits the scope of the findings: all participants already made errors on the course. The observations cannot be generalized without qualification to all older cyclists.

These data point to avenues to test in future studies, particularly dynamic balance and trunk control during pedaling. They do not yet show that training these abilities reduces cycling errors.

What we can take away

Dynamic balance appears to be weakly linked to performance on a cycling course in these older adults. This study validates neither individual screening for accident risk nor a training program.