Men with combined age of 188 get back on their bikes in Caernarfon

Retired vicar Richard Jones, 96, and his friend, ex-shopkeeper James Glynn, 92, donned cycling helmets to ride specially adapted bicycles up and down the promenade in Caernarfon.

The duo are both residents of Pendine Park’s Bryn Seiont Newydd care home on the outskirts of the town, whose staff organised the cycling session.

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They are by some distance the oldest people to hire bikes from Beics Antur, part of the leading social enterprise Antur Waunfawr, at their shop in Porth yr Aur, Caernarfon.

They waved and smiled at pedestrians and other cyclists on the popular promenade as seagulls cackled and swooped low overhead.

Taking a breather, Richard admired the view across the Menai Strait towards Anglesey.

"It's wonderful to be out and on such a sunny day,” he said.

“This is such a beautiful view. I was a vicar at Felinheli, which is near Caernarfon, and the church, St Mary's, is right by the water's edge at Llanfairisgaer, so this view is one I'm very familiar with.”

Richard was the Rural Dean in Arfon and before he moved to Felinheli, he was rector at Aberffraw, where he took charge of services at a number of churches in the area.

James hails from Manchester but ran the village shop in Tregarth near Bangor for many years.

92 year old James Glynn cycling along Caernarfon Harbour with Audrey Phillips, care practitioner. (Image: Submitted)

The former Army sergeant enjoyed cycling and owned a bicycle until about five years ago.

He added: "I had a bike and I enjoyed riding it but it's been a few years since I've been on one.

“The seats on this one are a bit hard, though, but I've enjoyed riding it along here and having a chat with a few people along the way."

Bryn Seiont Newydd's resident musician Nia Davies Williams said indoor cycling sessions had proved to be extremely popular with residents over the winter.

She added: "It was something we had been keen to introduce for some time but the cost of specially adapted bicycles was prohibitive.

"We are focused on music and that extremely beneficial to the residents who are living with dementia but activities such as cycling or dancing can help them stay independent and provide a great sense of enjoyment.

“They can also keep you in touch with other people and improve the quality of life.

"Now that the weather is warming up we are just as keen to come out and enjoy the sunshine and the old adage that you can never forget how to ride a bike is certainly true for Richard and James."