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My oldest daughter has just sorted out how to ride without training wheels. This photo is from yesterday, the second ride, the second afternoon of success, when she felt more confident and I could snap a cellphone pic while running along side of her. I hadn’t noticed her grin when I was with her as I was positioned beside her, my eyes were on her shoulders & thighs, her mass, reading the language of her body, trying to anticipate her leans, my hands at the ready in case she required a bit of support. It seems she no longer requires my support. And for that I am most proud.
Then she asked me, “Daddy, do you thing sometime me and you could go on a bike ride?”
I just about collapsed in a heap right there in the street.
“Sweetheart, I look forward to that more than you can possibly imagine.”
By my last count, four of the regular DC contributors have young children that are new to cycling. Another four contributors have children whom are a bit older and have been riding for years. Blood runs deep. And so it goes.
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awesomeness. just dont be one of those parents i see at cx races, the assholes who make their kids race, you know the type. the kid looks miserable, crys, and the dad just continues to run along the course screaming louder at the kid.
i digress.
yes, she is smiling very big because she knows her daddy is so fucking proud. how cool bj. i always tell dominic we are going to adopt a 10 year old and teach him/her to ride someday.
Super cool!!
good stuff jonny! i’ll share: my oldest recently rode without training wheels and it brought tears to my eyes; and i am one cynical, old fart. he wouldn’t try riding w/o on my prodding though, it was the peer pressure of his similarly aged friend that got him to ditch the training wheels. now i’m already daydreaming of hanging with my boys at the bmx track…. good stuff!
Judi + 1
My sons are a little bit older than your daughters. They are fans of Tony PARKER, Dwight HOWARD and some other kind of stupid NBA icons. It costs me a lot. Perhaps this is what “getting older” means…
…different perspective from a non-parent…
…besides the obvious pride you family guys get when your youngsters discover the magical equation that ‘the wheel X 2 + inertia X balance = great fun’, i look a bicycles as these amazing learning tools to help understand autonomy, responsibility, personal safety & all kinds of important aspects of life…
…not to get too deep here but it’s all stuff that goes hand in hand with growing up & maturing & i can’t think of a cooler way to “grow into life” as it were, than to be moving along under your own power & seeing how it all translates…
My daughter’s still on training wheels, but she’s already asking to go for rides and enter races. Melts my heart every time!
My 4 year old is running his glide bike as much as he can during this winter. They joy he has and I get from that more than makes up for the embarrassment that Pro racers bring to cycling. Peace
Same proud moment here for me last August.
http://teamtrailmonster.blogspot.com/2010/05/she-did-it.html
She now pedals her fischer price (video cycling game thing) right along side Mom on her trainer.
Just be on the look out for the high speed wobble, the end result is usually a face plant, then tears, and eventually you will dry your eyes and she will be fine.
So…. the daughter goes to college next year and this fall she tells me, out of the blue, she knows what she wants for her graduation present. I go, ok, whaddoyouwant.
“A used Italian steel road bike”.
She now has an early ’90s Bianchi Volpe x-bike. ‘Cause a kid’s got to be able to jump up the curb, dontcha know.
And buying that made me the happiest dad in the world.
I bet she would like it more if you did not make her wear that blindfold. Do I need to call Child Protective Services?
i see that smile, i’ve seen it on my nieces and nephews, its quite grand.
thanks for sharing
OK, time to schlop a DC sticker on her forehead and enter her in a race, and don’t forget the DC socks that would come up to her knees.
Seriously, very cool, another little one who loves to bike.
Congrats, proud papa! What a blessing to watch a child learn to love cycling! Enjoy every minute of it. It goes by so fast. And, nice bike!
Seriously, you’re killing me! Love it.
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
Fuck. Yeah.
jonny….fucking awesome dude. i know what you mean…ran alongside my 3 year old just today as she rode her bike (training wheels still affixed but soon to be raised a touch!). the one year old wanted to ride so bad it hurt.
ciao
I think that chick passed me today out on the Sammamish River Trail. All I heard was a squeaky little “on your left!” and I didn’t even accelerate because I knew I couldn’t hold her wheel.
That’s cool, BJ.
Next up is teaching her to ski.
It’s good to be a dad.
When you go on that ride together, make sure to stop for ice cream. And enjoy yourselves.
“Daddy, do you thing sometime me and you could go on a bike ride?”
Sure the first time you hear those words, your heart just melts; here’s hoping she KEEPS saying them every year as you both grow older.
No matter who’s riding for who or who doped on what, just keep loving the sport and just ride.
Mine’s 20. She hates bikes and everything about them. Just the same, I’m proud of her.
Fuck, I could sure use a drink.
That smile says it all. Stirs up some of those deep memories of the first bike rides and the complete joy it brought out.
It really just can’t get much better than that.
Outstanding. Just wait until she’s busting your legs off going up Shultz Creek.
That’s awesome
Stunning stuff. You’ll never forget that day.
Lucky you don’t have triplets like somebody I know… http://fiforiders.blogspot.com/2010/09/take-that-pink-singlespeed-triplets.html
rollin’ like a big shot.
this post totally made my day, & that’s from someone without kids.
Hello!, I’m new on here and glad to be a part of the group!