Boca Raton Bicycle Group

Dawn has not yet broke over Florida’s Gold Coast; it’s 6:45 AM, and we’re already on our way to meet with a group of cyclers from the Boca Raton Cycling Club. It’s a unique group of athletes to say the least. They are mostly men, but there are a few women sprinkled among them. Almost all of them are over 70, with a few who are well into their eighties. They are composed of retired professionals, including dentists, stock brokers and erstwhile business leaders who have nestled into South Florida retirement life, but who still choose to ride 15 to 20 miles a day, three or four days a week. Each of them is understandably concerned about the ravages of memory loss—often an inevitable accompaniment to aging—but more importantly to the focus of our documentary, they have all witnessed or cared for a loved one suffering from Alzheimer’s or an associated form of dementia. They have come to understand the value of disciplined exercise to keep their own motor skills honed, and also, the importance of friendship and camaraderie to promote health and healing.

They cherish their early-morning bicycle rides and the stimulation of the conversation, which ranges from politics, to art, to current events. Over the past two years we have spent researching, interviewing and filming experts in the field of dementia, a common denominator upon which all our medical professionals have agreed is that regular, heart-pumping exercise as well as social bonding is key to a more fulfilling life at any age, and especially among older folks. The Boca Raton Cycling Club is a prime example: like-minded seniors who have become, in ways, super-athletes and who seem to have discovered their own Fountain of Youth.

Throughout production, it has become increasingly clear that as a society, we will have to look well beyond the Big Pharma medicine cabinet when searching for a cure—or even a slowing down-of cognitive decline among the elderly. The Boca Raton Cycling Club has perfected their own recipe for a healthier journey through the aging process, and while doing so, the laughter and camaraderie they express is invaluable—both to them, and to those who witness it. If there is a life lesson to be learned from this by those of still in our forties and fifties, it’s a matter of inspiration. If men and women in their eighties can exercise vigorously for several hours each week, there’s no real excuse for the rest of us not to—quite literally—follow in their footsteps.

Thank you to the Boca Raton Cycling Club for setting such an encouraging example. Also, a special thank you to one of our Executive Producers, Robert Stone, a Boca Raton resident, for having made the introduction.

To learn more about this very important film, please go to: http://ontodaysfrontlines.com/alzheimers/