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Middle-aged men in Lycra 鈥� or 鈥淢AMILs鈥� 鈥� may be onto something. People who keep cycling into their later years are surer on their feet, lowering the risk of falls that plague older folk.

One-third of over 65s take a tumble each year. Apart from the physical injuries, the fear of a repeat can limit mobility and independence and lead to further health issues like arthritis and depression. About one-quarter of older people who fracture their hip during a fall .

at the University of Sydney and his colleagues wondered whether bike-riding could prevent falls by improving balance and leg strength.

They compared 79 people aged 65 or older who still regularly rode with 28 others who stopped when they were younger. The participants were a mix of men and women living in the Netherlands.

Those who still cycled performed better in all tests of strength and balance. For example, they were able to stand on one leg for more than twice as long, could jump twice as high, and were faster at going from sitting to standing.

鈥淲e would expect this to translate to fewer falls because there鈥檚 good evidence that strength and balance are the core preventative factors,鈥� says Rissel.

A questionnaire found that the participants who still cycled also reported being 25 per cent more confident on average in their ability to stay on their feet during everyday activities like walking around the house, going up and down stairs, and navigating busy shopping centres.

The study could not tease out whether this effect was down to cycling per se or some trait common in those who chose to cycle in later life. One way to determine this would be to take a group of non-cyclists and assign half to bike training to see if the same differences emerged. 鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping to do this,鈥� says Rissel.

Longer life

But isn鈥檛 cycling itself risky? Older riders who crash are more likely to break bones, but there is evidence that the health benefits of cycling outweigh the risks. A recent study of 260,000 people in the UK aged 40 to 69 found that those who rode to work were less likely to die of any cause over a five-year period. 鈥淲e鈥檝e also found that older cyclists tend to be more cautious than younger riders, so they鈥檙e actually less likely to crash,鈥� says Rissel.

His team previously conducted a survey of 17 Australians aged 49 to 72 who were not regular bike-riders and found that the biggest barrier to cycling was concern about being hit by a car. However, the respondents were able to by doing a 5-hour cycling course that covered starting, braking, turning, route-planning and on-road skills.

Three months later, all but one was regularly riding. The most common feedback was that it improved physical and mental health, social life and sleep quality, and recaptured a sense of joy and freedom from childhood.

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