Handcycling 101

by Rick Mason

Handcycling?

Handcycling in Alaska

“What is that? It looked like a recumbent, but they were cranking with their arms.” Comments often heard by handcyclists while out riding. Handcycling is a sport enjoyed by thousands of people and is Ideal for those who have physical limitations, poor balance, or anyone that just wants to try a different sport. It’s an accessible activity that allows individuals to experience the great outdoors. And the reasons that individuals handcycle is as varied as those that bicycle.

Imagine you’re an active individual who enjoys the outdoors and regularly participates in a variety of sports and recreation. Then one day you’re swimming at friend’s pool and through a mistimed dive you wake up in a hospital with a fractured neck and are paralyzed from the chest down with some limitations to your arm/hand movement. It happens more often than one would imagine. After numerous questions about major life changes you wonder: What about fun stuff?

25-year-old prototype

One answer is handcycling, a sport that was developed in the 1980s by people working to create alternate types of human-powered exercise vehicles. It was almost by accident that a new world of cycling was opened to people with physical challenges. Handcycling can be used for racing or for recreational riding. It’s a barrier breaker that allows a disabled rider to participate in cycling with friends and families who may be riding conventional bicycles, or a means of filling a competitive need.

In the 25 years since its development, handcycling has continued to grow in popularity. It’s been part of the UCI cycling since 2006, and had initial inclusion in the 2004 Paralympics. Today, thousands of people, able-bodied and those with disabilities, have turned to handcycling as a means to improve their cardiovascular health, increase upper-body strength, compete, and ride with friends and family. Sometimes viewed by the uninformed as an eccentric alternatively powered vehicle, it is slowly becoming understood and more generally accepted within the cycling community. Many cycling events of all lengths incorporate handcycling divisions with various competitive classes. There are even off-road models for those who want to head into rough terrain or challenge a downhill. Handcyclists have participated in the Race Across America, ridden around the world, and a pair of quadraplegics will leave San Diego in January 2011 for a 2.5 month cross country handcycle ride.(www.transamericanquads.com).

Recumbent carbon handcycle

There are a few basic styles of handcycles, along with a variety of options to suit most riders’ interests. Handcycles benefit from today’s racing technology, using lightweight materials and thin-wall tubing for decreased weight and increased strength and continue to incorporate the latest cycling components. Current racing handcycles weigh between 21- 30 lbs., with the latest models including carbon fiber frames and components. An upright version is an entry-level bike for those who are new to the sport, who just want exercise or recreation, and who don’t want to ride very long distances or very fast. Recumbent models come in different levels of recline with racing models placing the rider in an almost horizontal position to minimize the wind resistance, but have inherent limitations in their ability to climb. Whether interested in recreational rides with friends and family, or a desire to compete against the elite athletes, there’s a handcycle opportunity available.

Group handcycle ride in Yosemite

The U.S. Handcycle Federation serves as the governing body of handcycle racing in the United States. Further information on handcycling in the Davis/Sacramento area, feel free to contact Rick Mason at: sacycle@sbcglobal.net.