Getting a kid started racing

[Tuckervill]

I have an almost 14 year old son. He's been riding with me for 3 or 4 years (mostly mountain). He's a baseball player, (good pitcher, but not a great hitter, and he's a slow runner--his chances of making it past college as a pitcher are not great). He is not giving up on baseball, but he is ready for another sport. (Doesn't like soccer, football or basketball, although he will play sandlot any time.) He even asked me about swimming recently, when previously he was really turned off by too much skin.

We already spend a lot of time/resources on cycling, so it seems natural that racing could be an outlet for him. Unfortunately, we live in no-man's land when it comes to organized anything, and while I think I've got the categories figured out, I'm really ignorant about racing altogether.

He doesn't expect to go out and race tomorrow. He knows he'd have to work up to it. We'd likely have to travel to get enough racing in to make it worthwhile (yay! travel!) Maybe there's a lot going in Texas, which isn't too far away. Or Oklahoma. We live in Northwest Arkansas.

We know a couple of former racers, so we could probably set him up with a coach/mentor relationship, which I think would be ideal.

Aside from riding a lot with experienced people, and finding events, etc., what would have to be done first? I assume he'd have to join some organization? What is it?

Thanks for any information,
Karen

[silver]

this is not exactly what you are asking for, I don't think. But silverson is also almost 14.

He not interested in other sports and not interested in racing, but enjoys daily riding and occasional tours. He wants to build up fitness and strength on the bike.

We have identified a group called Decycles/indiana

http://www.decyclesindiana.org/

They do an annual tour. We are hoping to get silverson involved next year and Mr. as a helper.

sorry I don't know anything about bike racing. What about triathlons? There are several teenagers getting involved this year. One of silverdaughter's friends asked her if he could come over tomorrow to ask me a question about his bike. (a 16 year old)

[smilingcat]

search around in usa cycling. I do not have children so this is the best I can do for you. You should be able to contact them and get your son started.

http://www.usacycling.org/lajors/

smilingcat

[Tuckervill]

I looked around on usacycling and it was lacking, but maybe I wasn't looking in the right place. I'll take a few hours this week to dig deeper on that site. Of course, there are no events or clubs anywhere near Arkansas! I love living here except for that, which occurs in many aspects of our lives. I spend a lot of time creating things for others just so I can have access to those things!

Thanks, Silver, for the suggestions. We do ride together a lot, and he does event rides. My goal for him is to be as active as he has always been--all through is adult life. Obesity is a problem for our family. I'm willing to let him try any sport or activity so he can continue to develop passion for fitness (he's so incredibly fit, he can juggle while standing on one knee on an exercise ball!) He also likes competition, so riding for riding's sake is not going to be enough eventually, I think.

Are there are other racing organizations besides USAcycling?

Karen

[Sheesh]

I've attended quite a few races this year because my husband just started racing. The Junior racers (ages 9-18, I think, broken into several different age categories) are so fun to watch!

To find a race in your area, try this link (http://www.usacycling.org/events/index.php?race=Road).

You can also find clubs in your area, here (http://www.usacycling.org/clubs/).

Many racing teams in our area also have junior development programs, but your son doesn't have to be part of a team to race. At the last race that I attended, a 16-year-old girl on an old 10 speed won her age category (she was the only one in that category), and as the announcer said as she crossed the line dead last (they grouped the older juniors together in the same race), "Everyone has to start somewhere!"

Good luck finding a group to connect with! I think that may be the easiest way to start. Maybe find a race near enough to drive, see if they have junior racing, and then make it a point to talk to some of the kids (or parents) from some of the teams that you see there.

[Torrilin]

He also likes competition, so riding for riding's sake is not going to be enough eventually, I think.

I'm pretty competitive, and most of the time I'm happy enough competing with myself (tho I'm happy enough to do "just for fun" swimming races and the like). This is a useful trick, because as you get older, it's not reasonable to keep competing with faster and stronger kids. It also gives me motivation to stay active, even if there's no one else to be active with.

There are probably things like century rides, lifeguarding classes (and jobs!) and other active things he can do that are fun and are more than just active for active's sake. Definitely look for ways he can race too :). But the more active things he enjoys now, the more options he'll have when he's 60 and injuries have closed the door on one (or more) activities he loves.

(Bringing this up cause I've seen how it affected my Dad to give up running due to a knee injury. For most of my life, running was his sport. He spent a couple years being a couch potato, until he saw me get a bike and remembered "oh, yeah, I liked that")

[Crankin]

My son raced as a junior from age 14-18. All you need to do is find a club with a "juniors" division. Even if he doesn't want to race, they can provide coaching and people to ride with. Some clubs are more commited than others to juniors, so you need to investigate. And cycling parents (usually dads) can be just as horrible as soccer moms. I had very little to do with the racing and I didn't start riding until my son had been riding a couple of years. My husband took him to the races, but we found other parents to share the load. When he started driving, we didn't go that often! Once he crashed in Connecticut, dislocated his finger, and they couldn't put it back without surgery. It necessitated a trip down there to be present for the surgery (he was 17). Cycling at that level is not a sport for the faint of heart. Scott got started by doing a 3 week riding trip from western MA, to Maine, across to Vermont. He had been mountain biking for about a year, but we bought him a road bike for the trip. He was definitely at a higher level than the others, so when he came back, he started going on group rides (a century!) with different clubs. Then he did a cyclocross race and came in second.
He got kind of burned out and obsessive at one point, but it's definitely a sport you can do for life. He's a Marine now, and just started riding again after about 4 years. He's been home for 10 days and after riding with him twice. I can see he has not "lost" it. He says he definitely wants to race again, when he finishes with the military.