Kid Times

Once in a great while I can talk my kids into biking, but on this day they both asked to go (yes, it was shocking to hear this from them) and so we loaded up the bikes for some forest road riding.



Sadie is an amazing little endurance rider for someone that rarely rides a bike...on this ride we rode nearly 20-miles with 1100-feet of climbing. She has all but outgrown her bike and I am thinking about upgrading to a larger size for her this summer. It all depends on how much she will ride. Sadie is one of those kids with natural cycling ability and a strong mindset - a winning combination that could kick some butt if she ever decided to race. It's up to her though since I am not going to force my kiddos into any sport.



Alejandro is having a similar issue with outgrowing his bike. I put him on a small 29er a few years ago and he's ready to start riding my medium sized frames (and he does when I let him). Alejandro also has a natural athletic ability and could be a serious competitor if he ever decided to train a little bit. Without training he is starting to give me some competition up hills...it won't be long and he will be my equal or more.



Days like this one are special for good memories and fun times. I still can not believe that Sadie did this ride without a whimper. She was very determined to go the distance. Someone at a bike shop told her that if she rode her current bike 100-miles in a week that she could have a new bike (thanks a lot Seanman). Now she is asking me to ride almost daily, unfortunately I can not ride that much right now due to work and other chores. Time is coming though.

52

52...that is how I'm now judged and compared to others of this world we live in. We have some need to compare ourselves by age. It seems like a bragging right or an ego issue with most people who are talking about their age.



Me? I could care less about how many years I've been around. I do care about other people, living well, eating good foods, and having some fun along the way exploring anything that is available to me.



Of course my preferred way of exploring the outdoor environment is on one of my bikes. I usually go it alone (of course anyone is invited along anytime) only because my work schedule is so screwed up and inconsistent that I can not schedule a ride with anyone...the perils of working as a nurse in a dysfunctional medical care system.




I hope to change my schedule in the future to be more consistent, but I'm not counting on anything changing (that way I can't be dissappointed again. I could take a boring job and be much less happy I guess, but that would defeat any purpose in my life. So for now I ride alone at a young 52 years of age.