How to Ride a Bike: A quick start guide for Teaching & Learning

You might imagine that as a Triathlete and Dad, that my kids would have gotten an early start and by now they'd be able swimmers, riders, and runners.  While my daughters have shown an increased interest in both swimming and running the last few years, cycling hasn't been something in which they've expressed a lot of interest.

Circus aside, riding a bicycle is a uniquely human experience.  No other creature on earth has utilized the simple machine of wheel and axle as a means of self-propulsion.  It is a conveyance that is used for a multitude of purposes: recreation, business, exploration, necessity.  To my mind, knowing how to ride a bike is a life skill, on par with learning to swim, build a fire and how to cook. So yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised when my youngest daughter, suggested that she'd like to learn to ride a bike.  This guide chronicles what we did to make that happen in an afternoon.

Though nearly eleven years old, my youngest child has limited experience with a bicycle.  The majority of her riding was done via an "attached" bike that fastened to the seat post of my mountain bike.  Although equipped with pedals, she was more passenger than rider with that contraption.  She's never ridden a bike with training wheels either.   Teaching her to ride meant that we were essentially starting from scratch.

What you'll need: 

1. A bike
2. A helmet (place this on your child's head before starting)
3. Patience
4. A few long stretches of road including flat, slightly uphill, and slightly uphill (some folks recommend a stretch of grass or dirt road in case the kid falls.  IMO, a scraped knee or elbow is a "badge of honor" that comes with learning to ride).   Many neighborhood streets will work just fine and are preferable to highways and interstates.  

Recommended equipment:

1. Pedal wrench
2. Allen wrench to adjust seat height
3. An adult size bicycle and helmet (this is for once they're riding and you get tired of chasing them up the street on foot).  

Step 1: Learning to balance: The key to riding a bicycle of course, is balance.  One cannot ride a bike without the ability to make those tiny micro adjustments to their weight, steering, and body position, all while moving.   Obtaining an adequate level of balance takes time and will vary based on a number of factors including your student's age, gross motor skills, level of fear, and frustration threshold.  However, this can be accomplished in a single afternoon, with only an hour or so of practice.  The good news is that once balance is achieved, the subsequent steps of riding are fairly easy to accomplish.

To get started, remove the pedals from the bike and lower the seat far enough that your child can place their feet flat on the ground with just a slight bend in the knees (you don't have to remove the pedals, but it does make it a bit easier for this phase).  Have them practice pushing or walking the bike around in a seated position for a while.  Then, using a slightly downhill stretch of road, they should try to lift their feet slightly off of the ground as they roll forward.  They will probably want to look down at their feet as they do this, so remind them to look up.

Have them practice the downhill stretch several times.  On the way back up, let them get a feel for riding a bike by holding onto the bottom of the seat as you push them forward (some people will place a hand on the handlebars too, but I like to use only the seat, as this gives them a sense of steering).  After they've practiced a while, challenge them to try and balance for a count of "three" before having to put their feet down.  This encourages them to keep trying to balance and not just mindlessly pushing the bike around with their feet.  Eventually they'll get to a three count, and then they'll want to try five, ten, etc.  Once they can balance for a good 8-10 seconds, they're ready for the next step.

Step 2: Put the pedals back on the bike but leave the seat in the lower position for now.  Continue to practice balance, but have them try putting their feet on the pedals after they've gained some momentum.  Their natural inclination will be to start pedaling, and that's fine.  You'll likely discover that they are just about riding at this point.  They'll ride a few feet at a time, before putting their feet down to stop.  Soon they'll be able to pedal all the way down the street.

Step 3: Although they are able to coast and pedal at this point, your child may still have some trouble getting started from a standstill position, especially when they're facing a slight uphill.  Have them place one foot on the pedal, and push off with the other.  If they aren't successful after a couple of tries, it's perfectly fine to hold onto the bottom of the seat and help them get moving.  The more they actually get to ride their bike, the more fun they'll have, and the more they'll want to try.

Step 4:  Within just a few minutes, riding will start to click for them.  Now is a good time to adjust the seat height a bit.  You may need to move it up a bit so that their leg is just slightly bent when the pedal is in the bottom position.  This is also the point where having your own bike comes in.  Hop on and ride up and down the street with them for as long as they'd like.  Congratulations, you now have a bike rider!

Dealing with frustration: Learning to ride a bike can be frustrating and even scary for kids.  Your first goal in teaching them should be to mitigate their anxiety by staying positive.  Positive praise when they balance for even just a second or two will encourage them to keep trying.  Frequent reminders of how much progress they are making in a short time is also helpful for building their self-confidence.  If you feel stuck on step 1 for an extended time (like an hour), take a 10 to 15 minute break.  If they don't get it on the first or second day, keep trying.  You are never too old to learn how to ride.  Older kids may even get the hang of it faster.

A note about helmets:  Having your child ride a bike without a helmet is the same as putting them in a car without a seat belt.  Do you want your child to be able to make a living as an adult using both their hands AND their brains? Then have them wear a helmet.  And don't give me that line "In my day, we didn't wear helmets, and I turned out just fine."  For every hundred kids that didn't have a problem, there's one that did.  Do you want that to be your child?

There's an expression that once you learn to ride a bike, you never forget.  And this is surprisingly and pleasantly true.  The muscle memory and coordination required embeds itself in the brain fairly quickly (unless you don't follow the note about helmets above).  You have given your child a gift that will last the rest of their lives.  As they become more proficient at riding, your adventures can begin to expand beyond the neighborhood.  Have fun!

Rez Run

This morning my oldest child had a speech and debate tournament, and since I'm her personal chauffeur, I found myself out near the Pueblo Reservoir in Pueblo West this early this morning.  The weather in SoCo has been unseasonably warm the last couple of weeks think (65-75 degrees) and though it was a bit cool and cloudy this morning, it made for perfect running weather.

My route included a mix of paved trail, dirt roads, and mountain bike trail.  I also managed to accidentally work in about a half mile of "off piste" when I happened to run out of discernible trail.  All told, my run was sixteen miles.  Here's a map of the route:

The "rez" is fairly quiet this time of year, unlike the summer where there's plenty of boaters, campers, anglers, and other "outdoors enthusiasts."  The fact that it was just a bit after seven in the morning also helped. I saw only a few cars here and there, along with a few people.  I also used this run to do a little "recon" for some potential Paddle Boarding locations.  The far end of the lake seems to be the ideal location for hanging out.

February makes for a calm, tranquil time out at the reservoir

The first five miles of the run flew by fairly quickly as most of it was on paved path or dirt roads.  There were a few rolling hills here and there, but nothing too dramatic.  A ways into the trail, that changed a bit. Miles 5.5 to 7.5 were a mixture of short, steep climbs, and winding mountain bike trails.  This was also the point where I found myself losing the trail and just running among the scrub brush that dots the landscape.   I tried a few times to pick up a path, but nothing lasted for more than a few hundred feet.  Thank goodness it's the middle of winter so I didn't have to worry about snakes (the reservoir area is prime rattlesnake country).  I was high up on a ridge line skirting the side of a few cliffs and since I'm not the biggest fan of heights,  I finally doubled back and caught a trail that eventually spit me out into a neighborhood in Pueblo West.  I followed a few streets that led back toward the trails before coming to "the end of the road."  Fortunately for me, the sign below only referred to vehicles!  It wasn't a true dead end, but rather a trail head.

I worked my way back down to the trails and under a railroad bridge.  I was now on the return leg of my out and back run.  Although the trail was steep in some points, it was nothing compared to last weekend's slog up the side of Pike's Peak along the Barr trail.  That run was only a total of about six and a half miles, although it felt much longer.  Although I had to stop a time or two to get my bearings, I was not doing my usual 5:1 run:walk ratio that I often do on long runs.  I tried to keep a bit stronger pace throughout the run today.

The railroad bridge near the reservoir.

Close-up under the bridge

Just past the bridge, I ran up to the point where the railroad maintenance road comes to an end.  I'd run by this point a few miles earlier and noticed that there had been a recent bonfire, perhaps from the night before.  As I passed by again, this time I noticed that some of the wood from the fire was starting to burn anew.  Although it wasn't out of control or anything, I decided I better let them know back at the entrance gate in the event that the wind started to pick up.  There's plenty of brush or trees, and coupled with the dry warm weather, it could turn into a bad situation pretty easily.  However, when I arrived at the gate, it was still closed. I did manage to find the number for the visitor's center and I gave them a quick call to let them know what was up.  Better to be safe than sorry, they decided to send a couple of park rangers over to check it out.  With my citizenship badge earned for the day I continued with my run!

I still had about 5 more miles that I needed to run.  However, because I'd made a straight line for the park gate, I was only about a mile and half from the car.  I turned right and ran back down towards the reservoir picking up another trail (Skyline) which followed above the water line.  Eventually this trail slid north and kicked me back out onto the road.  I passed back by the gate again and checked my phone.  This little loop had added about three and a half miles, so I was able to head towards the parking lot and my awaiting car.

For some reason, I started thinking about Golf at this point, even though I don't play!

I made it back to the car with a total moving time of two hours and forty minutes.  Overall, I felt pretty good.  My legs were a bit tired, but I chalk that up to a bit more trail running than I'd planned.  I'll do another lower mileage run next weekend before making a push up into the 25-30 mile range in two weeks.

Nice view of Pikes Peak from the path.

Five Years

This past weekend, my blog ticked over the 5 year mark.  In many ways that's very hard to believe.  I've certainly had a lot happen both personally, athletically, and professionally in that time.  So here's a look back at my top 5 posts of all time (Note: these are ranked for no particular reason other than my own preference.  Click on the link if you want to read an entire post). 

I kind of have to start here don't I?  This was my first entry back in 2012.  I seem to recall having the house to myself that night, and having some new home brew to drink.  Truth is, I've made very little beer since that first year or two.  But this was the post that started it all. 

A little over a year later, I'd just completed my first ultra trail run, a 50 miler in Buena Vista, Colorado.  Just a few weeks later, I leveraged my physical conditioning into an epic Memorial Day Weekend.  Couple that with the end of the school year, and this was just a great time. The post covers it all!

Any post that involves family and friends is going to be a favorite.  This was actually the second time I recorded the Bolder Boulder in pictures, but it marked the first time that the whole family did the race together.  This year will be the third!

I haven't done a beer retrospective of this level for a couple of years.  Maybe 2017 will be time for a return of this post.  Already in 2017, I've had some great beers.

Okay, probably not a surprise that this one rounds out my top 5 favorite posts.  It was one of the most fun to write because I got to really savor the experience all over again.  Since I first wrote it, there have been a number of views.  It was fun to see the spike in "views" in late July/ August last year as expectant 2016 IM Boulder athletes visited the page.  

With a number of events planned for 2017, I'll continue to enjoy reading and sharing my experiences with endurance and beer on this blog.  Whether you've been here since the beginning or you just started today, thanks for reading!