For Parents

Years of science, months of planning and hours of volunteering lead to confidence to last a lifetime - achieved in just 5 days.

For kids with disabilities, learning to ride a bicycle can be a frightening endeavor. At Lose The Training Wheels camps, children learn to balance, pedal, steer and take off on their own, many in five days or less – a feat parents say is nothing short of miraculous, considering many struggle for years to teach their kids how to ride a two wheel bicycle.

When you enroll your child in a Lose The Training Wheels camp, they will be assigned to a 75 minute riding session which they will attend each of the 5 days. During this time they will ride a bicycle that gradually introduces the natural instability of the bike as each child is ready. They will be assigned one or two volunteers who will serve as their “spotters” to provide physical support and encouragement. While all children learn at their own pace, some will be ready to ride on two wheels as soon as the third day of camp, and historically more than 80% of children who attend our camps are able to balance on a bicycle by the end of the five days.

The goal of our program is to teach individuals to ride such that they can be independent riders. In other words, they have sufficient riding skills that they can start, ride and stop their bike without any outside assistance.

If you would like to enroll your child in a Lose The Training Wheels camp please review the requirements for participation and indicators for success below and refer to our schedule for information about how to enroll in each of the camps we are conducting in 2010.

Requirements for participation:

To ensure the safety of our participants and the best use of our limited resources we have established certain criteria that all participants must meet to be eligible to attend a camp. These criteria are:

1. Participant is at least 8 years of age
2. Participant has a disability
3. Participant can walk without an assistive device such as a walker or cane
4. Participant is able to side step quickly to both sides
5. Participant is able and willing to wear a properly fitted bike helmet at all times when on a bicycle.
6. Participant has a minimum inseam measurement of 20” when measured from the floor, not the pant leg.
7. Participant does not weigh more than 220 lbs.

It is important to consider behavioral issues as you evaluate your child’s suitability for this program. A participant may be physically able to ride a bike, but if their behavior is such that they cannot be persuaded to get on the bike and follow instructions, then it is likely this program will not be beneficial. Individuals with severe behavioral issues may be removed from the program if their actions are detrimental to the overall function of the camp or potentially harmful to themselves or others.

Indicators of Success:

The abilities listed below indicate the likelihood of any given participant’s success in learning to ride a two wheel bicycle at a Lose The Training Wheels camp:

1. Participant is able to keep feet on pedals
2. Participant is able to keep hands on handlebar
3. Participant is able to keep head up and look forward
4. Participant has adequate strength to maintain riding speed
5. Participant has adequate stamina to ride 75 minutes per day for 5 consecutive days
6. Participant is able to follow basic instructions in a group setting
7. Participant is motivated, or able to be motivated, to learn to ride a bike
8. Participant has an opportunity to practice skills immediately following camp