Five OneCare aged care homes competed in Road Worlds for Seniors cycling championship
26/11/2025
The residents from across OneCare Tasmania were part of the Australian effort in the world’s biggest indoor seniors’ sporting event last month.
Around 6,500 cyclists across 12 countries participated in the month-long championship.
Cyclists competed on specially adapted Motiview bikes which can be foot or hand-operated from an armchair, virtually cycling through cities and landscapes displayed on a big screen.
When the final scores were tallied, residents at OneCare Umina Park in Burnie had the best result for the operator, logging 1,096.1km and coming 58th overall. Barossa Park Lodge came close behind in 61st (1,063.8km), Rubicon Grove in 77th (814km), Bishop Davies Court in 126th (280.6 km) and the Manor in 162nd (124.7 km).
The overall winners were a team from Norway, cycling a huge 41,534.3km, with the best Australian team coming second – a Harbison facility in Burradoo, registering 23,419.7 km.
OneCare held Olympics-style opening ceremonies to get underway. Chief Operations Officer Natalie Neilson said residents were raring to log their daily kilometres and build their tally.
“Competing in Worlds has caused so much buzz amongst our residents and staff,” she said.
“Residents who’ve never tried the bikes before are giving them a go, it’s given us a common cause to unite around, and families are coming in to check out the action. Being part of a big event like this fosters such a strong sense of connection, both among residents and staff, and with a wider global community.”
Researchers from the Western Sydney University and Hong Kong Polytechnic University evaluated the benefits of participating in Road Worlds in a paper published last year, studying Harbison competitors.
Residents showed a 17 per cent improvement in lower limb strength, a 40 per cent increase in their social network size, and a significant increase in confidence in their abilities. The program also resulted in a notable reduction in depressive symptoms, and residents reported feeling fitter, more socially connected, and more motivated.
“The healthy competition encourages people to get active, which is exactly what we’d hoped when we introduced these virtual bikes to our facilities,” Ms Neilson said.
“Research shows people in residential care spend about 85 per cent of their time sedentary, so we need to facilitate fun, low-barrier opportunities to get moving and improve our quality of life.”
As a not-for-profit, OneCare thanked Tasmanian construction company Fairbrother for sponsoring two bikes with a generous donation of $17,180, helping make its Worlds tilt possible.
Fairbrother General Manager, Paul Ransley, said the company has delivered many key projects for OneCare, including at Barossa Park Lodge where his mother-in-law lives. He saw the bike fundraising campaign earlier this year and put it forward to the Fairbrother Foundation.
“At Fairbrother we are passionate about giving back to our local communities and supporting projects that positively impact health and wellbeing,” Mr Ransley said.
“Providing funds towards the purchase of Motiview bikes was a perfect opportunity to do this.
“Whilst the Fairbrother team is very excited that OneCare residents will get the opportunity to take part in the Road Worlds for Seniors event for the first time, we are even more excited that beyond this, the bikes will create opportunities for healthy movement and social engagement for residents for years to come.”
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