NewMexiKen learned over the weekend that grandson Mack is planning to compete in a triathlon August 9th. The event includes running, swimming and biking. You have to admire a 7-year-old with moxie to try such a grueling event.
And it becomes particularly special because Mack can’t ride a bike. He’s having to learn. His mom reported Monday evening: “Today we moved to the sidewalk and he got the hang of balancing and started to go longer and longer distances before crashing. Eventually (after about 100 crashes) I got him to use the brakes and put his foot down when he felt unsteady, rather than just crashing. But it is still a 50/50 proposition that he will end a ride on the ground.”
When a neighbor girl asked if she could help, Mack replied, “No, I’m in training.”
NewMexiKen’s friend Don has an equally impressive athletic ambition. Don is 45 and also prepping for a triathlon. Except Don doesn’t know how to swim.
Good luck learning Don. It’ll be hard to compete if you have to wear floaties.
I went through the trauma of having a parent teach me on pavement. There’s a better way.
Find a gentle grassy slope. Start by coasting, staying upright – coasting straight down; feet on or off the pedals, though getting those feet on the pedals as comfort level is gained. Add turns. Add brakes. Add pedaling. Usually an afternoon works, once the balance/brain connection has been made.
Grassy may be hard to find in NM, but surely Albuquerque has a park someplace that might suit? Grass beats pavement for crashing.
Good advice Garret. Jill had included this in her report, but I didn’t include it in my excerpt — “Last night we rode exclusively on the grass …”
And there is lots of lush grass in Virginia where this is taking place.
Poor Jill. I taught her on pavement and we were on a slope (due to my not planning ahead). She got going too fast and I ended up crashing us both to stop her. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she had never ridden after that.
My dad competed in sprint triathlons, starting like four years ago. But he had a knee problem and had to have surgery and it looks like he probably will not be able to do the running portion of the triathlon again.
Me, I can’t swim. But maybe in a relay, I can do the running part for him…
I remember that crash well, although I was only five. I remember the terror of realizing I was going way too fast, and I remember feeling guilty that I made you crash (you got scraped up too). I still have a scar on my shin.
I didn’t ride for more than two years after that. Luckily, Mack is much tougher that I was. And his crashes are of the bail-out-onto-someone’s-lawn variety, with extra points for how quickly he can scratch up his brand-new bike.
NewMexiKen (my big brother) also taught me to ride a bike when I was little,–5 or 6, I suppose. We lived in Tucson then, and he taught me on the pavement, too. He put me on the bike and ran along beside me for a few strides until I got going on my own, then he let me go. I did fine for 100 feet or so, until the road ended at a T, and I suddenly realized that I hadn’t been taught how to stop. Needless to say, I hit the curb head-on. (Ouch in the crotch as I recall.) I don’t remember how long I waited to try again (maybe only a few minutes), but I did become very good at riding a bike in time. When I was older I could even ride with no hands for a short distance on a level space, and riding my bike was one of my favorite pastimes.
Hmmm. I see a disturbing pattern in my pedagogical approach.
I also once let someone drive without explaining how to stop.
She hit the garage.
Ah, the blind leading the blind. Parents and spouses should never be instructors.
Go to a Tri or bike shop and ask about age correct training.
Well, my little “blind” one did 123 laps around our cul-de-sac this afternoon. I consulted the Internets for teaching tips and what we tried worked in just a few days, with nothing more than a few scrapes (many more to the bike than to the boy).
I’ve been giving myself, as instructor, the lion’s share of the credit, of course.
It occurred to me earlier that FormerRacerCoach overlooked the pure parental joy of sharing the moment with the child.
Jill has confirmed my thinking. 😀
Like the DR visit when he has an injury?
Having been a former professional martial artist, and semi-pro bicycle racer in my glory days, I envy Mack. Oh how I would have loved to have just one of my parents come and watch me compete, let alone help me train.
A good triathlon or cycling club would be a great asset. Likewise, a bicycle safety course is an absolute.
Keep the rubber down Mack!
Official Great Uncle of Mack.
Oh, I think it’s well documented that my boys don’t need something as typical as a bike accident to send them to the doctor with an injury.
But your attitude is so depressing, Former. (Not to mention ridiculous.) My parents taught me almost everything, and my husband and I have taught our kids almost everything. I didn’t need or want to hire a professional to teach Mack to read, hit a baseball, tie his shoes, or work the DVD player. I like teaching him things.
Although if you were to suggest that it’s dangerous for a parent to potty train their kids, I might suddenly become VERY interested in what you have to say.
Let me make sure I understand you. As a loving parent, you are comparing cycling or competing in a triathlon to potty training, reading, and operating a DVD player? About 540,000 bicyclists visit emergency rooms with injuries every year. Of those, about 67,000 have head injuries, and 27,000 have injuries serious enough to be hospitalized. A bicycle is not a toy if used in a competition, or for transportation.
How many children do you suppose have suffered permanent head injuries from falling off the booster seat on the toilet or have collided with a parked SUV or hit by a car while using a DVD player.
These suggestions above were offered merely for the safety and success of YOUR child, who obviously has athletic talent. Not to depress you, I am certain.
After reading the comments above, I do not recall anyone suggesting a professional coach. The only recommendation is the consultation of experts. Would you hire a piano teacher if he wanted to learn?
It sounds like you had a lot of potty experience, but how many triathlons have you competed in? How many flat tires have you fixed during competition? Ever put a new link in a chain? What is the technique to use to prevent crashing if your front wheel rubs the rear wheel of the cyclist in front or you? What is the correct saddle height so as not to cause knee injuries in a growing body? How should the helmet correctly fit? True, this information is available from books and from the “Internets”, but a shop is full of this kind of information and usually with helpful people who are willing to assist novices and parents. Don’t you think you son would like to go to a bike shop to see the big boys equipment and talk to experts?
You should be appreciative that others care about your children rather than rebuke them.
A helpful link in case you have not visited it yet: NHTSA.
What color is the sky in your world? Why would my seven year old son who just learned how to ride a bicycle need to know how to change a flat tire or fix his chain in order to compete in a triathlon where he will ride his bike for a little over 1/2 mile. The children will be released at time intervals to ensure no possible contact with the other competitors.
Do you really think, even for a second, that we would allow him to be put in a situation where he was unable to cope with all possible situations? Do you also think that he really needs expert help to ride the equivalent of down to the end of the block and back?
But, since you asked I will answer your question. We purchased his bike at a bicycle shop. Specifically to get help in picking the correct bike and safety equipment. In addition, they assisted in the correct set-up and provided information that proved to be helpful. We bought there for that reason.
However, you mentioned none of this in your first post. Instead, you stated we were “the blind leading the blind” and that “Parents and Spouses should never be instructors”. There was no other context, so one can only conclude you meant what you wrote… verbatim. The potty training comparison was therefore correct.
I am guessing you are either: 1) a bicycle shop owner or 2) a bicycle enthuasist. Either way, you certainly have an agenda and one that I think most right minded people would assume is a bit extreme. I really do not think it necessary to teach my son any of the things your suggest. We will leave that to the competitive cyclists and if at some point he decides to compete in events like that, believe me he will be prepared.
Next time wait until you have a complete understanding of the situation before you leap to an asinine conclusion which includes delusions of my seven year old competing in the equivalent to the Ironman. Maybe ask a question before you offer advice to ensure that the advice is necessary or wasn’t already followed.
Or, quite frankly, you can continue being “that guy”. “That guy” dispenses advice cloaked under the guise of caring about a child he doesn’t know and is in no danger whatsoever just to prove to the world that he knows more than the rest of us. That is rebuke #2.