ALISO VIEJO – Joey Snyder of Long Beach really didn't want to go inside the gym on Aug. 2, the first day Lose the Training Wheels hosted a camp at Soka University in Aliso Viejo to teach 40 children from around Southern California how to ride a bicycle.

Joey stays active swimming, but biking around his neighborhood may bring ridicule, his father John Snyder of Orange fears. Joey has Down syndrome.

Orange County Bike Camp volunteer Kelly Culhane closely follows Cameron Graziano around the Soka University gym as he rides a specially designed bike created by Lose the Training Wheels used to teach participants balance on the last day of the weeklong camp.

MIGUEL VASCONCELLOS, THE ORANGE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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So Joey and his dad spent eight hours outside the gym at Soka while other kids circled the basketball courts in bikes specially made to train children with atypical neurodevelopment – kids with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism and other disabilities.

"He's 15 years old and I need him on a bike without training wheels," John Snyder said. "We're trying to keep other kids from ridiculing him. He has no friends in the neighborhood. It's one of the few things he can do with other kids."

By the end of the day on Aug. 2, Joey was helping put the bikes away. By Friday, he was riding with the other kids.

Joey demonstrates one of the challenges the volunteers and staff of Lose the Training Wheels deal with each day as they travel the country with their unusual bikes.

The bikes help. They are equipped with special handles that project from the back seat that allow volunteers to catch teetering bikes while in motion. The back "wheels" aren't wheels at all, but rather cylinders that can be shortened as a rider gains balance.

But the bikes can't teach compassion – for that the program needs lots of volunteers. Brothers Jack and Clint Gallivan learned about the camp from a bulletin at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Ladera Ranch. They both said they've learned from the experience, which helps them earn public service hours for school.

"I learned more patience," Clint said. "Some of the kids are hard to teach."

"I learned all the kids are individuals," Jack said. "They all go at their own pace, so you can't treat them all the same."

Esteban Rivera of Laguna Niguel started as a volunteer, but the mountain biking enthusiast became a staff member. Now he travels from state to state, bringing the program to children nationwide. He was glad to get a week at home after six weeks on the road.

"That was a hard one, living in hotels all the time, living out of a suitcase," Rivera said. "But there's so much support from my family and friends that it makes it easier."

Biking is a big part of Rivera's life. He made Laguna Niguel his home because of the city's long network of mountain bike paths. Helping others enjoy the sport he loves so much is satisfying, Rivera said.

"To be able to give that to somebody... it was an amazing experience," he said. "I fell in love with it."

The program collects $200 from each participant. The rest of the program's costs are split between United Cerebral Palsy and the Down Syndrome Association. Soka donated the gym space.

Kellie Perez represents the Down Syndrome Association of Orange County. She said people with developmental disabilities tend to have trouble with balance and coordination.

"Imagine if you were still 18 and had to ride a bike with training wheels," Perez said.

So taking off the training wheels can be a first step toward independence.

"They don't have to rely on their parents to drive them places. They can ride to a friend's house, or a job or post-secondary education," Perez said.

Contact the writer: pschelden@ocregister.com or 949-492-5128