Someday

Today, was the first day of singletrack for my son, Collin. He's 11 and he's always wanted to test his skills off-road. We loaded up after church and headed over to the 'wood for a little workshop. Now, the bike he's riding is at least 10-15 years old and it's a 14.5" Giant fully rigid mtb. It sports the tiny wheels - 26ers, so his learning will continue the curve until he hits the 29ers. At least that keeps him away from my bikes for a while, too.

I have to say he did a really good job with the trails. Granted, we didn't roll anything beyond the dirt crit loop or the River Scene trails, but he handled the roots, rocks, and sand portions without so much as a little braking. I told him the bike would be much more stable at speed so don't go too slowly if you think the particular section of trail begins to look more technical. He kept his speed up and many times, I'd look back to see him rolling right up to my wheel. I'd hit the gas and put some daylight in between us and he'd roll right back up to me. I rode in front of him to help show the lines and call out what I wanted him to do or think about. He was a good student and had a fun time on the bike. At the end, his hands were getting tired, as the rigid bike was fairly unforgiving.

Our next stop will be to Ballwin Cycles to get a real bike for him to ride. We'll donate the old one to charity and get one that fits him a little better and is updated with some better functioning gear. I look forward to the day when he feels strong enough to actually push me on a ride. I've got a feeling that 'someday' will come sooner than I think.