Singer Harry Slinger is 76, but you wouldn't know it. He still performs several times a week on stages across the Netherlands, and he's fit, healthy, and full of energy. None of that happens by accident.
His secret, besides performing, is simple: "Cycling a lot. That's what keeps you feeling young."

Being closer to 80 than 70 hasn't slowed Harry down. When his age comes up, the irrepressible Amsterdammer has a ready answer: "I was born in 1949, which sounds much better to me." Two or three energetic performances a week demand real physical condition. "On stage, you have to be flexible. Everything has to work. Cycling keeps me active and on top form."

Balance problems

That fitness hasn't always come easily. As a child, Harry already had hearing difficulties. Twenty years ago he was fitted with a specialist hearing aid anchored directly to his skull, but that didn't solve his balance problems with balance and stability. "I was always falling over," he explains. "On a regular bike you can only touch the ground with your toes, not your whole foot. Cycling just wasn't possible anymore. "He tried his local bike shop, but nothing in their range was suitable. They pointed him towards Varsseveld. "Have you ever been out to the east of the Netherlands? There's a bicycle factory there with its own test track. Of course I went, as we were performing at the Zwarte Cross festival nearby, so I took the Balance out for a test ride beforehand. I was sold on the spot. I thought: I can take on the world again."

Electric start assist

The bike has an extra-low step-through frame, fitted to his height, so he can always get both feet flat on the ground. "Wouldn't everyone want that? I genuinely don't understand why this isn't standard." The electric start assist has become equally indispensable. "It's a world-class invention. You press the button and you're away, giving you just enough time to get your feet onto the pedal and just cycle away."

Balance problems had looked set to rob Harry of one of his most reliable tools for staying healthy. With the Balance bicycle, he has it back. "With everything going on out on the road, I'm glad I feel completely in control. And I do. I've got control back. On the road, and over my own time, my own life. Wonderful, isn't it?" ■