Who knew that when we took my daughter to the bike shop to look at mountain bikes we would leave the shop with a road bike… for our son! While we were weighing the pros and cons of different mountain bikes for my daughter, my 9 year old son asked if he could try the road bike that was just about his size. After 10 minutes of flying around the parking lot on that bike, we recognized the look of joy on his face.
It’s the same look we have when we ride our road bikes. All the way home, he could not stop talking about the fun of that ride. He caught the bug. The next morning, we were leaving for our last criterium race of the season (my husband and I both race). On the way, we stopped at the bike shop, picked up my son’s early birthday present and headed to our last criterium of the season… and his first! He loved his first race on his new bike and has already asked for a trainer tire to “train during the winter.”
The following weekend, it was my husbands first cyclocross race of the year. My youngest son decided that he wanted to do the kids race. He was so excited, he could hardly wait for his turn to race. So, that Friday night, we loaded the bikes… in the rain… and headed out to Cannonsburg Ski for their first race. It was a tough course, including a stream crossing… but my 6 year old’s determination helped him push through the rainy, slippery, cold race.
Throughout the race, my husband kept asking him if he was having fun. The answer was a resounding, “yes. “The reason he asked? His look of determination… could be mistaken for misery… but he really had a blast.
2 Comments
A love for good health and being active…the kind of thing that builds a a truly valuable foundation for your kids! And maybe one day your youngest will win his own awesome trophy, just like his mom.
Good for you in getting your children involved in cycling, a sport that can last a lifetime. I hope we get to see them at the MiSCA races in the future.
Steve Kinley
MiSCA Director