The post was contributed by Rebecca Miller, Development Director for Community Vision.

A special fleet of bikes arrived in Portland last week. You won’t find one in a store and you’ve probably never seen anything like it. Imagine a rolling pin for a back wheel that weighs about 50 pounds. Try and push the bike over and it rights itself like those inflatable punching clowns. Now imagine a room full of kids and a few adults pedaling around with volunteers running behind them. One week out of every year, the Lose the Training Wheels program comes to Portland to teach people with developmental disabilities to ride a two-wheeled bike. I attended the parent meeting last night at Concordia University Gymnasium because my twins will get a chance to participate, too. My kids are what camp organizers call “typical” — meaning they don’t have developmental disabilities like all the attendees at the Bike First! camp, so they’ll do the one day Quick Start camp on Saturday. Quick Start helps pay for Bike First! camp and uses the same technology to teach balance and control. It costs thousands of dollars to bring the specially adapted bikes and trained professionals up from California for this very special week. Every year, camp sells out and over 90% of the attendees lose their training wheels.

When I first heard of camp a few years ago I thought, “how nice”. They won an Alice Award for the program, some kids learned to ride, everybody wins. But what I didn’t know is the significance of riding a two wheeled bike to a person with developmental disabilities – and to their parents. Last August I started working at an agency that supports adults with developmental disabilities to live independently. My first week on the job, I met Steve, he saw my bike and started explaining his was broken. I made it my personal mission to “fix” Steve’s adult tricycle. After many phone calls I found a mechanic at Bike Gallery who has done some special adaptations. He looked at the bike and discovered the problem wasn’t mechanical it was just that the tricycle is tippy for a 200lb man with balance issues. With much reluctance, Steve put his tricycle up for sale and began the long wait until Bike First! camp this week. He’s there now, with a huge smile on his face, and learning to ride a two-wheeled bike — something that seemed impossible. There are dozens of others with their own unique story, but what unites us all is our love of cycling. For Steve, cycling means independence and freedom and health. For those kids and their parents it means fitting in, perhaps for the first time.

I remember the day I learned to ride a bike. My grandpa was running behind me and all of sudden I realized he was nowhere in reach. I was riding a bike! My summer territory expanded exponentially and I could keep up with my big brother. I was now part of the crew that cruised the neighborhood every day — I was a big kid and I belonged.  After 30 years, my love of riding has not diminished. The camaraderie and freedom I enjoyed that first day are with me every time I’m on my bike.  Recall that magic moment for yourself and imagine it for dozens of kids this week. More cyclists are joining the fold right now, June 14-19th from 8:30am-4pm at Concordia University Gymnasium. Drop in to take a peek at the magic and shed some happy tears. Visit bikefirst.googlepages.com for more details.

The graduates of camp will be strutting their stuff at the Harvest Century in October, a benefit for Community Vision and the adults with disabilities we serve.