It was three-year-old Maddox Lewis' first time on a bike Saturday.
He lives with a neurodevelopmental disorder and his mother said biking wouldn't be an option for him without the help of a local charity looking to make cycling more accessible.
"[I'm] so happy just to be able to see him, that he can be involved in things that other kids can be involved in too," Kiera Lewis said. "Our whole family goes out biking, so then he can be involved with this with our family.
"It's just amazing that they have an opportunity like this for these kids."
You Can Ride 2 is an Edmonton-based non-profit that loans out adaptive bikes for children who have different cycling needs.
In 11 years, the program has grown from two bikes to more than 200. Kids can come in, try out the bikes, and find what works best for them before taking one home for the summer.
Karla Millar is a physiotherapist and works with You Can Ride 2, helping match riders with rides.
"A lot of the kids are kids that I work with in my regular job," she said. "I get to see them, and hear stories about them riding the bikes during the summer and how much fun they had with their friends or things like that, so it's a fantastic program."
Ethan Harris, born with a rare genetic disorder that affected his mobility, has learned to love bike riding with the help of a special bike that offers more support.
"Because he had mobility issues this bike opened up a whole new world of exploration for him," his father Tyler Harris said. "He loved it. We were out everyday."
"I can’t take him in the garage in the winter because he sees his bike and then we have to fight on how we can’t go for a bike ride at minus thirty," he added.
Families must register to reserve a bike, and the program requires a referral from a physical or occupational therapist.
There is a rental fee and deposit, but Millar said the deposit is refundable and parents can choose to pay the rental fee with volunteer hours.
"Most of these bikes, especially the more supportive ones, they’re thousands and thousands of dollars, and so there’s no way that most families would be able to afford them," Millar said. "Then again, as kids grow and they no longer fit a smaller size bike, a family doesn't have to shell out another $5,000."
While Ethan has grown to love his adaptive bike, he's outgrown it.
Saturday he tested out a new bigger bike, while the smaller one was passed on to first-time rider Maddox.
To Tyler's surprise, it was a moment of joy for both boys.
"It went a little better today than I thought," Tyler said. "I thought he was going to be really distraught that he was losing his lightning McQueen bike, but … he was a super happy kid."
It was a moment of joy for the parents too.
"It just makes it look like he’s everyone else and that’s all we want," Tyler said. "Not that he feels any different, but it’s just great to see him keeping up with his peers and we all saw the smile, that just makes everybody happy everywhere we go."
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Amanda Anderson
