services Nonprofit uses handcycling to get wheels turning for disabled

Laszlo Babos looked out on the bicycle path at Bolsa Chica State Beach as Aldric Shim passed by, grinning from ear to ear as the ocean breeze whipped across his face.

Shim, who has only partial movement in his legs, came to the beach from Monterey Park to try handcycling for the first time.

"He's experiencing freedom," said Babos, a counselor for amputees. "It's totally transformative."

On handcycles, riders grip the handles and rotate their arms in a circular motion to propel the vehicle. Riders can steer right or left. The brakes are on the right handle.

Shim, 42, was diagnosed with a neuroblastoma cancer, which attached to his spine shortly after he was born. He had only partial leg movement after having surgery to remove the cancer.

But Saturday, he found a way to be active, thanks to Ramp It Up, a nonprofit program that meets the second Saturday of every month and offers handcycling training to physically and cognitively challenged people of all ages people. The service is free.

Shim, a radiologist, does all he can to stay active at the Don Knabe Wellness Center at Rancho Los Amigos in Downey, but getting out in the morning air and taking a 7-mile ride was a much different feeling.

"I've been searching for something like this for a while," Shim said. "It was a thrill to be active while enjoying the sights.

"Being on a workout station is one thing, but it's so nice to be able to be outside and exerting energy," he said. "There were times growing up where I wanted to be active with my family. This puts me on par."

The organization was started by Huntington Beach resident Tom Gregory, a retired science teacher at Huntington Beach High School and a cycling enthusiast.

Gregory used to bicycle to work and back but was struck by a vehicle in 2001. The accident left him in a wheelchair.

Wanting to remain active, Gregory, 55, took a leave of absence in 2007 to try wheelchair tennis, but he wanted to get back on a cycle.

Since 2010, he has kept 15 handcycles in a trailer, which he takes to Bolsa Chica State Beach once a month to allow new riders to experience the thrill for free.

Riders meet at 10 a.m. and have the freedom to use a cycle to ride as far as they would like along the path. Some riders make the 5½-mile trek down to the Huntington Beach pier and back. Others, riding for the first time, feel the rush as they get a handle on how it works.

After his right leg was amputated in 2015, Julius Schram said, he wasn't sure where to turn. He lost his leg when he was a detective in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, he said, and was beaten with lead pipes.

He came to his first Ramp It Up event that year at Babos' request.

"My first thought was that I was stuck not doing anything, I couldn't be active anymore," said Schram, of Westminster. "but this really brought everything forward."

Since his first experience, Schram, 61, races, participates in biathlons and bought a handcycle with Gregory's help. He is also taking classes for peer counseling and abnormal psychology at Long Beach State.

Such sights and stories are what fuels Gregory, who gets to the north side of Bolsa Chica State Beach at 9 a.m. to pump up tires and check cables.

"We have no paid employees. People come to volunteer to give back to others who are not as fortunate," Gregory said. "We wanted to bring this to people who don't have the means or know it exists."

Gregory's family joins in each month, and various volunteers assist new riders into the machines.

Gregory has put some of his own money into the venture, while other cycles were donated.

But the events offer more than just a chance to exercise. Gregory said the events also allow people to connect with others who might have similar disabilities.

"It's really a great chance to network," Gregory said. "That's a big part of the reason we do this."

For more information about Ramp It Up, visit rampitup.org.