www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday July 15, 2006 - 3 Cycling keeps retiree young at heart By Wilma Blokhuis OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Bent Fink-Jensen prefers a bicycle seat to a rocking chair. "I believe if you don't stay active you'll just wither away," said the 59-year-old avid cyclist. "You need to be socially and physically active. "As we get older, we need a couple of things like staying active physically and socially. It's nice to be active and hang out with people with similar interests." It's a philosophy he lives by, and something he would like to share with others through his love for cycling. He owns a 21-gear Cannondale touring bike. "Cycling is a great way to keep fit," he said. "Most people know how to ride a bike and have probably lapsed at some point, but today there's a growing interest in cycling. He launched and leads the Oakville Cycling Club's easy pace road touring rides every Sunday morning, 8 a.m., and Tuesday night, 6 p.m., meeting at Tim Hortons at Dundas Street and Neyagawa Boulevard. It has so far attracted about a dozen cyclists of whom about half come to each ride. "I started these rides for people who simply couldn't keep up with the faster rides, and as a way to introduce people to the club," said Fink-Jensen, secretary of the Oakville Cycling Club. "Some of my riders graduate to the faster paced rides. "Plus, most people prefer to ride with others rather than alone. There's a social aspect to cycling." Cycling at about 20 kilometres an hour, the Sunday rides are about 60 kilometres to Milton and back while the Tuesday cycles are half that distance. Fink-Jensen explained the Oakville Cycling Club has a variety of fast-paced and mountain bike rides, plus races. Born and raised in Denmark, FinkJensen grew up in Europe's cycling society, then gave it up temporarily when he immigrated to Canada in 1968, originally settling in Calgary, Alberta, where he met and married Pat, his wife of 33 years. He's the father of two his son who is in the military shares his love for cycling. Father and son recently toured Algonquin Park by bike. Fink-Jensen has five grandchildren. "In Denmark, we got around on our bicycles, but in Canada, the distances were quite different and I used my car more often." In 1980, he was transferred to Oakville. About eight years ago, he rediscovered his love for cycling, and now semi-retired from CIBC's information technologies division and working two days a week on con- Bent Fink-Jensen's passion for cycling led to the launch of Tailwind Touring LIESA KORTMANN / OAKVILLE BEAVER READY TO TOUR: Bent Fink-Jensen, 59, has visited various parts of the world on his bicycle and is planning to lead the first tours of his new company Tailwind Tours through the Finger Lakes district in New York and New England's Cape Cod region in the fall. The tours are aimed at cyclists in the 40-70 age group range. tract, Fink-Jensen has used his spare time of the past four years to do some serious cycling. He's toured the Bruce Peninsula, Niagara Region, Denmark, Germany and the JasperBanff area of Alberta by bike. He's met former hockey great Bobby Hull and slept in a bed once owned by the legendary Chicago Black Hawk sniper, visited a Second World War German concentration camp and saw the remains of a 1,000 year-old Viking town. The idea of touring was sparked by cycling in the Banff and Jasper area with one of his older brothers, Kjeld of Calgary, who at 66 is also an avid cyclist. They also toured the Bruce Peninsula and Niagara together. Fink-Jensen is the second youngest of six brothers aged 57 to 69, and over the years, more of his brothers joined him on his rides. "Last year, there were five of us on a bike trip, and three of us the year before, and this year, all six of us will be taking a bike trip through Denmark and Sweden in August except my oldest brother will be driving because he's just had a hip replacement." Having organized cycling tours with his brothers and sharing the camaraderie on the road has sparked a new adventure for FinkJensen. He launched Tailwind Touring, a cycling tour company, this year. His first trip will be from Sept. 11 15 to the Finger Lakes district of New York, an area known for its award winning wineries. The five-day trip will cost $995 including food and lodging. Next is Cape Cod, Oct. 9 13, cycling from Boston down the coast to Cape Cod, and then returning to Boston via ferry from Provincetown, another five-day adventure for $995. Next year's plans include a trek through the Laurentians in June, the Cabot Trail in September, and Denmark in 2007. "Tailwind Touring specializes in tours for smaller groups in the 40-70 age group who are not willing to settle for the easy chair just yet," said Fink-Jensen. "The focus is the enjoyment of spectacular scenery, good food and good company. We look after all the little details so riders need only ride and enjoy." Tour packages will also include a souvenir photo book of the trip, produced by Fink-Jensen. Next to cycling, he enjoys photography, and through an online publisher, he produces the colourful keepsakes. For more information about the Oakville Cycling Club, see www.oakvillecc.com and about Tailwind Touring, see www.tailwindtouring.com, call 905-842-8861 or e-mail info@tailwindtouring.com. -- Wilma Blokhuis can be reached at blokhuis@haltonsearch.com · Wood & Vinyl Shutters, Supplied & Installed · High Quality at Affordable Prices · Customer Satisfaction Guaranteed · Serving Oakville with Shop at Home Service Authorized Vinylbilt Dealer www.shuttersetc.ca Shop at Home Service FREE