Some of us don’t give a second thought to being able to ride a bicycle.  “It’s as easy as riding a bike” people always say. But for some children, in particular children with special needs, that may never happen.  They are often left behind as mere observers or relegated to using special bicycles or tricycles if they want to ride.  Neither of which allows them to feel or look like other children or young adults.

Until now.

Through the priceless and tireless work of Rainbow Trainers and Lose The Training Wheels there is another option that allows many children to achieve the freedom of the open road via a two-wheeled bicycle.  Retired professor, Dr. Richard Klein, known to some as “The Bicycle Doctor” and his wife Marjorie, a former kindergarten teacher, have developed a program called “Lose The Training Wheels.”  They travel throughout the United States working with local organizations to bring joy to the faces of many children and tears of joy to the faces of their families.

The Kiwanis Club of West Hartford, CT held an art auction fundraiser in January 2006 to raise money to be able to bring this happiness to their community.  This very small, newly re-chartered club with a membership of only 14 (at the time) did just that for its main 2006 community project.  This was a bold move for such a small club and they knew it would involve a lot of volunteer hours, hard work and diligence.  Fortunately, one of the club’s members also works for the town in their Human and Leisure Services Department.  The small club was therefore able to form a partnership with the town Leisure Services Department.  Together, they were able to coordinate a successful event that produced many overjoyed children and families who had tried so many times in the past that they had lost hope, only to find it again by the end of the program.

The bike camp was held August 7-11, 2006 in the gymnasium of Bristow Middle School in West Hartford.  Lose The Training Wheels brought a trailer full of adapted bicycles that were used to progress the rider from a very stable bicycle to one of graded lesser stability.  Using a series of eight rear-wheel rollers instead of the traditional rear wheel, the rider learned to control his/her center of balance and progress in bicycle riding skills. In this way, the children were able to get over their initial fear of falling while gently learning the feeling of riding a bike and, therefore, gaining the confidence they needed to progress.  Each day consisted of four 75-minute sessions during which 6 or 7 children in each session would progress over the period of one week towards the goal of riding a standard two-wheeled bicycle on their own.

Children were assigned one or two volunteer “spotters” or “runners” who assisted them during their session the entire week.  The volunteer runners got put to the test especially during the last two days when the children progressed to riding a two-wheeler outside.  Twenty- five (25) children who have physical and cognitive disabilities including cerebral palsy, developmental delay, mental retardation, Down syndrome and autism were able to participate in this program.  Volunteers included Kiwanis members, local teens, physical therapists and bicycle police officers.

This is the first time such a program has been held in New England.  While most children were local to Connecticut, there were children and their families who traveled from as far as Maine, Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts.  The Club’s desire is to be able to continue this program in their local community and to serve as a regional hub for the New England and New York areas by bringing this program back every summer.

Dr. Klein, a retired professor emeritus who once taught mechanical and industrial engineering at the University of Illinois holds no patents on his bike designs.  His hope is that some day, a charitable foundation will carry on his work.

He says, “these parents are seeing a miracle” as they finally are able to see their sons and daughters ride.

While we can all appreciate that wonderful feeling of finally being able to ride a two-wheeler, nothing can compare with seeing the joy on a child’s face that has tried so many times and never thought it would be possible – that they are now “like everyone else” and the sense of satisfaction in knowing that you have had some small part in putting it there.  The Kiwanis Club of West Hartford has been blessed to have been a part of such an event and to see the excitement that these children radiate after they have found that it is “as easy as riding a bike” thanks to a professor who was bored enough one day to develop these specially adapted bikes.

For more information, you can visit the Lose the Training Wheels website at www.losethetrainingwheels.org