Just have to share... I Couldn't be more proud...

[SpinSpinSugar]

of my 14yr old son. He finished his first 75 mile in-one-day-ride yesterday all smiles and with no complaining! Yay Nick! Not even the 2+ mile dreaded "Bay City Hill" which leaves grown men's legs quivering could stop him.

It was hot, humid, and he had no small gears on his vintage Raleigh 12sp road bike. But the promise of the next "pie stop" and the knowledge we were all in it together kept his spirits high.

My dear friend came along on her huge heavy MTB - fat tires, suspension, the whole 9-yards and was having considerable trouble from the very begining. Nick helped keep her spirits up telling jokes, (fart jokes of course with plenty of examples thrown in for emphasis) helped carry some of her load, and re-assured her over and over again that it didn't matter how fast she went.. bike rides are measured in smiles not miles and overall was generally the best kid a parent could hope for.

So a big cheer for Nick and all the kids who bike :D
Kids can do it too!

SpinSpinSugar

[ridenread]

Way to go Nick. Sounds like you have a great kid.

[owlice]

Wow, that's great! Congrats to him for the ride and the support he provided and to you for your parenting!

[callmej]

thanks for sharing.... what a great kid! you should be proud.

[channlluv]

Golly, can you bottle up some of whatever vitamins he's taking and send them to me for my 11-year-old daughter?

You've got a lot to be proud of there.

Roxy

[sundial]

My dear friend came along on her huge heavy MTB - fat tires, suspension, the whole 9-yards and was having considerable trouble from the very begining. Nick helped keep her spirits up telling jokes, (fart jokes of course with plenty of examples thrown in for emphasis) helped carry some of her load, and re-assured her over and over again that it didn't matter how fast she went.. bike rides are measured in smiles not miles and overall was generally the best kid a parent could hope for.


That put a big smile on my face. :D What a neat kiddo and I hope someday to ride with him. :cool:

[SpinSpinSugar]

Thank you everyone :) I feel very lucky to have such a good kid. His first few teenage years have been challenging, but not in a bad way. We've learned as much from him as hopefully he has from us.

We've learned not to ask him "if he wants to go?" lol.. (he's a teenager, of course he doesn't want to do anything) we just tell him... "you're going!" And then tell him all the fun stuff that will happen.. like lots of pie and ice cream stops along the route. "It's really an eating tour with a little biking in between..;)"

We started bringing him on Hiawatha Cyclery sat. morning group rides this summer and "the guys" have really fostered a team spirit in him. At least when it comes to biking anyway. The acceptance and encouragement he's received from older guys has completely changed his attitude.

A little positive feedback has gone a long long way...

SpinSpinSugar

[Tri Girl]

Wow- you SHOULD be incredibly proud!!!! What a great kiddo!

Just out of curiosity- what ride did you do? Was it a group thing or just a small group. Sounds like a killer ride. ;)

[nolemom]

What a wonderful son - he sounds perfect for my 14 year old DD;). In all seriousness, I love to hear about adventurous, thoughtful teenagers. I taught high school before moving to the community college level, and I had the privilege to work with many outstanding young people. I was always surprised that many people in the community had such a distorted view of them. It sounds like your son is not only an amazing athlete, but a first-class person. Hold on to this memory to help balance out the times he forgets to take out the trash, feed the dog, etc.

[Crankin]

My son started riding when he was 13, went on a multi state tour at 14, came home and rode a century with a group of adults from a local club. At 16 he was the #5 junior racer in the US.
Get your son a bike with easier gearing! Doesn't have to be new, but he will enjoy the challenge a lot more. And the above poster is right. Most teens are great people. After 30 years of teaching mostly younger teens and raising 2 kids, I don't why people *expect* that kids are going to be awful at this stage. Mine were normally challenging, but fun. Teenage years much more enjoyable than babies to me...

[andtckrtoo]

How wonderful!! I love hearing stories like that! Thanks for sharing!

[KathiCville]

Wow! Fabulous! Great job, Nick!!.....Sounds like you've got yourself a great son and cycling sidekick!

[arielmoon]

Spin you obviously have done a great job raising your son. Kudos to you both!

[GulfCoastAmy]

This story puts a smile on my face - thanks for sharing!!

[momtohanna]

wow what a great kid you've got there. I love the bike rides are measured in smiles not miles. That is awesome.

How long ago did he start riding? My daughter is only 3 and already wanting to "share" my bike. (have to admit I'm enjoying the silence away from her at this point) but would LOVE for our family to start riding together.

[runningteach]

Congratulations Nick! That is awesome.

[SpinSpinSugar]

Again, thank you everyone for all the positive comments. We as a family have only had bikes for the last 3 years - and only bike during the summer months due to the frigid Minnesota winters. This summer is the first time any of us have attempted any distances past 20 miles or so. For Nick, this is his first real "biking summer."

A wonderful gentleman known as 'The Bikesmith' has kind-of adopted our little family - Nick especially. He tracked down a BEAUTIFUL , nearly mint, Red/Gold 1980's Raleigh Pursuit 12sp road bike and gave it to Nick after he saw him struggling with his big heavy hybrid on one of the Hiawatha Cyclery rides. That was all it took. Nick Looooooves his "Road Red" as he calls it, and is very proud that he can keep up with the older guys on the group rides.

Mark (Bikesmith) already has plans to upgrade Nick's bike for him... in exchange for Nick helping to build his new front porch. :p ;)Nick could care less about upgrades, but is loving the grandfatherly attention he is getting from Mark.

The ride around Lake Pepin this weekend was organized through Hiawatha Cyclery. Jim has been doing one long group ride per month this summer along with the usual Sat. morning breakfast runs. We did the same ride on Memorial day weekend and had such a good time he decided to do it again. We knew Nick would be able to go that far after a summer of 20-40 mile rides no problem.. and it wasn't. Plenty of water and food breaks kept "The Bonk" away despite the high temps and humidity.

So all in all.. we are ready to do some longer distances. If it wasn't for the bike fitting issues I've been having we all would've ridden to Duluth and back already this summer. Hopefully when I get those resolved (or get a new bike!) we'll be hitting the century mark together as a family.. I can't wait!

SpinSpinSugar

p.s. Oh yeah.. Nick went on the Sat morning ride the day before, and basically clocked a Century between the ride on Sat and the one on Sunday. Yay!

P.P.S. Teenagers are awesome. I prefer them to babies as well. His friends all love coming over because we do so much fun stuff... "Lets go out for dinner! Grab a bike and a helmet and lets go!" :eek::cool::D