The different ways to get on and off a bicycle for young and old

•Age influences the way a cyclist (dis-)mounts a bicycle.•Female cyclists prefer different strategies to dismount a bicycle compared to males.•Cyclists require a cycling velocity of at least 5km/h to start harmonic cycling.•Dismounting is not the same as reversed mounting and should be analysed separately.•(Dis)mounting thigh angular velocity and acceleration relate to age and gender.