If Dad Likes It, It Must Be Lame
As a kid, I thought that hamburgers at McDonald’s tasted wrong. Same thing for any other restaurant. The meat just didn’t taste right.
What I was not used to, it turns out, was the taste and texture of beef.
Why? Because at my house, all the red meat came from elk and deer. Similarly, we ate a lot of fresh trout. And a lot of pheasant and duck.
My dad, you see, is an awesome hunter / fisherman. It’s what he loves, he’s extraordinarily good at it, and it is a joy to watch him in action. He catches fish after fish while everybody else stands around the stream or lake, joyless.
He has killed — with bow and arrow, not rifle — at least one elk and deer pretty much every season since he was a teenager.
He had his prostate cancer surgery timed last year so that it would be right after the archery season, giving him plenty of recovery time for next year’s fun.
I am convinced that his one great wish in life was for me to be a hunter like him. And there were some early indications that I would be. I’ve inherited his talent for fishing, and used to do pretty well in 4-H archery competitions.
But I don’t care for hunting or fishing. I’m not against them; I just don’t have fun doing them. Not interested.
Why not? Maybe it’s a carryover from a teenage rebellion thing — if Dad likes it, I don’t. Maybe it’s that I backpacked so much elk meat back to the truck from where Dad cleaned it that I can’t help but equate hunting with manual labor.
Maybe I’m just lazy.
My Turn
So now I’ve got kids of my own, and I — like my Dad — am trying to share my passion (for bikes, not eating) with them. Here’s how it’s working out so far:
- The 13-Year-Old: My oldest son is quite possibly the most centered, ethical, honest person who has ever been born. He is smart, he is kind, he is friendly without being obnoxious. He and I share the same sense of humor, and we love working on the computer together. But he does not care about bikes at all. He doesn’t have a bike, and doesn’t want a bike. As I badger him about giving riding a try, he gently declines, trying hard to not hurt my feelings.
- The 11-Year-Old: The athlete / academic in the family, my 11-year-old son will in fact go out on a ride with me. But that’s the only time he gets on his bike. And when we ride, he finds a reason he needs to go home soon.
- The Twins: I bought matching sparkly pink bikes with baskets and tassels for the girls’ birthday last October. They seem oddly suspicious of these bikes, as if they were objects to be feared. The girls still prefer to be towed around in the bike trailer. Together. At age 5. Which is a good workout, I’ll grant you.
Where Did I Go Wrong?
Let me know if I’ve missed something, but I thought all kids are supposed to love bikes. I thought parents just gave their kids a bike at some point, and the kids started riding them all over the place, delighted in their newfound speed, mobility, and freedom.
So how come none of my kids care about bikes at all?
I have some theories:
- Spandex Avoidance: I go out riding in tight black shorts, stiff-soled shoes, and a brightly-colored, stinky jersey. How could they help but worry that if they start riding they’ll have to dress up like that.
- Pain Avoidance: I come home from bike rides all scratched up, bruised, and frequently with a dislocated shoulder. That doesn’t look like fun.
- Suspicion: I say vegetables are good, when it’s quite clear to my children that vegetables are gross. By extension, if I say biking is fun, biking must suck big time.
- Blog Fear: Dad writes about every little bike-related thing that ever happens to him, and then his invisible Internet buddies pile on. They don’t want to be a part of that.
- Helmets: I always make my kids wear a helmet, even though the rest of the kids on the street get to ride without helmets all the time. My kids probably avoid riding in order to avoid peer ridicule.
- Too Many Tips: As I teach my kids to ride, I’m constantly giving them advice. Useful stuff I have gleaned over years and years of riding. If I were learning to ride a bike, I would hate to have me as a teacher.
- A Curse: My father placed a curse on me that my children would be interested in biking to the same extent that I like hunting and fishing.
Has anyone else out there been trying to get (or, better yet, been successful in getting) a reluctant child to get interested in biking, or am I alone in this?
PS: The photo contest begins tomorrow. Make sure you’ve got your best biking photo ready to upload.
PPS: Hey, I know I’ve beat this to death over the past couple days, but just in case you haven’t, take a few minutes and go vote in the Bloggies. I’m in the “Best Kept Secret” category, waaaay toward the bottom of the list.
PPPS: Today’s weight: 173
Comment by Byrdbeth | 01.29.2007 | 11:27 am
I use to just as reluctant to ride my bike with my Dad when I was younger. It wasn’t till my freshman year of high school that I actually got into it (spandex and all). I am not really sure why I decided then to suddenly start watching cycling and going on bike rides but it did help that my Dad would just buy me awesome bike stuff for no apparent reason.
Comment by BotchedExperiment | 01.29.2007 | 12:10 pm
You know what might get your kids in to biking? Fall Moab, that’s what — or more specifically, watching their father go out there and attack obstacles like a rhino in heat (meaning, with myopia (but this is figurative in your case) way too much momentum and a little too much passion). I think your kids going to moab will resolve things permanently one way or the other; they will either see that there’s just nothing better, or they will be horribly scarred (again, figuratively for the kids, literally for the rest of us) and will never even be able to look at a bike again.
Comment by barry1021 | 01.29.2007 | 12:19 pm
FC
All your reasons probably add up to one most excellent reason. Here are a few more possibilities:
1. You are adopted. You are really from a very ancient alien race two galaxies over (one of your brethren can be seen in MIB 2, now playing on TNT). Therefore your children are only half human (never met your wife, but she sounds human, so I am going with it), and alas, the “love bicycles” gene is dormant on your home planet.
2. Your father, excellent hunter that he is, is actually shaky on curses, not having watched one of the great TV series of all time, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. So instead, he secretly BRIBES your kids with cash and plain M&Ms to not ride their bikes. Cruel, but effective.
3. Your children are ranidaphobic and blennophobic. They fear slime and frogs, and that, unfortunately is what they think of when you return from one of your world-class MTB outings. The dislocated shoulder thay could care less about.
Most people would lean toward 2 or 3. Me, I am going with 1. Definitely 1, it explains a lot.
b21
Comment by the weak link | 01.29.2007 | 12:26 pm
Two out my three kids enjoy bikes. The one who doesn’t just hates mountain biking, but is looking forward to road riding. Both of my sons-in-law enjoy MTB.
I believe this is because I’m a better parent than you.
PS–my first-borne was such a little monster that people were always giving us copies of “The Strong-Willed Child” and we were told what rotten parents we were. All three of my children are now pretty much perfect, so I wanted to pass that meaningless stupid insult along. But I don’t mean it.
Comment by Scott | 01.29.2007 | 12:47 pm
I feel your pain. I have a nice pair of wading boots (still in the box) that I bought my daughter for a birthday present one year. Seems she would rather go shopping with mommy while I go fishing. My buddies think that it is great and always ask what the girls are buying while we are out.
Comment by sans auto | 01.29.2007 | 12:55 pm
I got into cycling with my uncle who invited me to ride the Seattle to Portland (STP). My step-dad used to joke that he was going to do the STP (Sumner to Puyallup) in two days. I don’t think he would have made it. I think I rode my bike to get away from him. Maybe your kids are anxiously waiting at home to spend more time with you.
Comment by Boz | 01.29.2007 | 12:59 pm
Your offspring might like bikes if they weren’t spoiled rotten. We had to walk 20 miles to school uphill both ways when I was a kid. Bike was the only option. No car rides to school or friend houses. Walk or ride makes you appreciate a bike or shoes for that matter.
Seriously, I rebelled against my father as a youth. He and my brothers were always in the garage building or repairing something, while I was honing my athletic talents to a fine edge. No greasy hands for me. Funny, but I’m the only who eventually turned wrenches for a living. As a strange irony, I don’t wrench anymore, but tell a bunch of crabby-pants technitions what to do. Couldn’t get the best of dad back then, so maybe this is Freudian substitute for something weird missing in my childhood. Or, maybe I’m just a dufus who can’t fugure out anything else to do.
Comment by regina | 01.29.2007 | 1:07 pm
Not to worry remember, and I do mean remember, every parent curses their children to have children that will torture them on the level you tortured them, and it is the only curse that can be documented. The very first time Emory got on a bike without training wheels he rode it right into a pole, no real injury he was wearing a helmet and traveling only fast enough that we could not catch him in time to prevent the collision. He got up and gave us a look like we had put the pole there on purpose, we were in a public park and I swear we had nothing to do with the pole placement. He did not ride a bike for a year, he then only rode with great disinterest overall. At almost 16 he has followed my renewed interest in biking and this will be his first full road racing season, he is already planning on going to invitation only camps. And Byrdbeth awesome bike stuff for no apparent reason plays a significant role. Patience is all I have to offer.
Comment by LanterneRouge | 01.29.2007 | 1:22 pm
My 15 year old son has only recently decided to give cycling a try. I wish I could take credit. The real reason, of course, is that he has his eye on a girl at school and wants to lose weight. In the years before he discovered that girls are quite possibly the coolest thing ever, I couldn’t get him away from his computer.
Comment by Mrs. Coach | 01.29.2007 | 1:26 pm
Don’t have kids; ‘fraid I can’t help you. But I’m going to chime in anyway becuase I like to. Plus I have the traditional 10-kid Utah family and kids/parenting is in my bones.
Plus, I can try my advice on your kids and if your kids end up rebelling, then I’ll know what not to do with my own…eventually.
13yr old son of FC- Try taking him to races where there are lots of Pro/Cat 1/Cat 2 racers so he can see how many chicks they have thronging all around them. Give him little ego-boosting comments: “you look really aero,” and “I’ll bet you’d be really good at shavnig your legs”. These should get him along-side you in the garage in no time.
11yr old son of FC- You’ve got him right where you want him. Hook, line, and sinker (ha, didn’t even think about your angling father when I wrote that!), now all you have to do is reel him in. He’s getting bored too soon, maybe you’re not going hard enough. Let him suck your wheel while you show him what its like to ride in a real crit. He’ll have such a blast sprinting and whiping around the corners. You could even throw some Euro-style shoves, he’ll never want to come in.
Twins of FC- Little girls should be pulled around like the princesses they are.
Comment by Mrs. Coach | 01.29.2007 | 1:28 pm
Hmm, re-read my comment. I don’t have 10 kids, I came from a family of 10.
Comment by Eufemiano Fuentes | 01.29.2007 | 1:35 pm
That’s too bad FC.
Mostly because we are coming out with our ‘l’il doper’ line of products this spring and I thought you could help me out with the test phase
It’s basically just ground up sweet tarts and Guarana Extract (with a secret ingredient) ……but man, you should see those little legs spin when they are all hopped up.
Comment by SyracuseStu | 01.29.2007 | 1:36 pm
My son tends to like bikes. He likes that I let him ride around the neighborhood unsupervised, but mostly I think that he likes going on our little bike adventures. You see, as I’m grinding up whatever hill we happen to be on, one BPM away from a massive coronary I often hear something like the “whirr, whirr” of a backpedaling 7-yo simultaneously saying “Look Dad, I can pedal backward!”
Who wouldn’t like a bike ride where someone else leads you to cool places AND does all the work?
He does complain about the saddle though and would like some bikin shorts. So, I think the “spandex avoidance” is a pretty weak arguement. I would say that I make spandex look good and you don’t, but I’d be lying through my teeth. Which, incidentally, probably have some food stuck in them.
Comment by axel | 01.29.2007 | 1:40 pm
My kids (5 and 10) don’t ride their bikes by themselves either. What we have and what gets used is the tandem with the tag a long on the back which makes for the awesome triple rig. But we have to have a destination, just going for a ride is not interesting. So, Peacock Park, Zilker Park, Mount Bonnell, or Teo’s Gelato place have to be part of the trip.
Where I grew up (Germany), most kids rode their bikes to school. Where I live now (austin, tx), no kid rides anywhere – there are 5 bikes at the school. So the bike does not become a normal choice for transportation (and there is a lack of bike paths and safe crossings etc). People bike to exercise – that’s just not appealing to kids.
Comment by Ironmama | 01.29.2007 | 2:18 pm
My six-year-old rode his bike with me while I was training for a marathon this fall. Here are the tricks I used to make him believe he loves cycling:
– I bought him lots of stuff for his bike – like those little lights that only light up when the wheels are moving, like a cool horn, etc
– I bought him cool cycling jerseys and his own CamelBak
– I did not force Clif Bars or other food in bar form on him. He’s too young for that! Instead, I filled the pocket of his CamelBak with Jelly Belly Sport Beans.
– I ended each ride (run for me) at Krispy Kreme. You figure if the kid rides 20 miles over Seattle hills, he probably burned enough calories to have a darned donut.
– I came to school and told his friends he was not a liar – he actually did ride his bike 20 miles.
So on his own, he set a goal for this year: the Flying Wheels Summer Century. He wanted to do the full century; I explained to him that he needs a bike with gears first (you might disagree, but you’re not the mom who will have to push that bike up the big hills if I let him do it), so we compromised and he’s going to do the 25-mile loop.
Comment by Katie | 01.29.2007 | 2:44 pm
You know, I never really used to be into the things that my parents did either… running long distances (Dad), netball – I was forced to play it cause all the other kids do, etc. But now I do both – and my parents are my role models and idols in every respect. Perhaps it’s an age thing? I don’t think I know everything anymore, and I realise that my parents know a lot of stuff that I can learn from. When I was younger (as in ages 6-18, maybe a bit older) I didn’t want to do anything they’d done because I thought it was silly. Now, not so much.
They’ll grow out of it. Or, more correctly, into it. If you love something enough, your enthusiasm will start to rub off on them, and then eventually it will be “get off the darn bike, Dad needs it back.†“Who took my helmet?†“Why do you have my camel pack?â€
Comment by Pioneer Woman | 01.29.2007 | 4:22 pm
Hey! I like your site! Congrats on your nomination, Fatty. Oh, can I call you Fatty? I figured it’s okay since you signed yourself that over at my place. :)
Good luck. I hope you win. (Kind of. Wink, wink.)
Ree
Comment by blee | 01.29.2007 | 4:28 pm
FC, I think you need to try reverse psychology. Think about you own childhood: as a kid you always wanted to do what the parents said you can’t. Just be cool and say things like “Well, I don’t think you can really ride that far Junior” or something to that effect.
Comment by LMouse | 01.29.2007 | 4:32 pm
My boys always had minds of their own, too. That’s a good thing. I’ll tell you why. . .
I had a brother who grew up doing everything my dad wanted him to do. Then at age 30 he went berserk and left his wife (whom my folks adored) and baby boy for a blonde bimbo LA talk-show host! And then he suddenly became a Catholic and a Neo-Con! Yikes!
You don’t want that to happen.
Comment by tigermouth | 01.29.2007 | 6:07 pm
I’m lucky that all three of my kids like biking. Not as much as I do, but still.
For years I towed them behind me on a trail-a-bike, explaining all the rules of the road and the tricks I used to keep me safe from the motorists who seemed intent on driving me off the road.
So I was gratified that when each made the jump from our local grade school to the middle school, each one decided to bike the 2+ miles to school. I was bummed when my daughter quit after one year because only dorks biked to school. Now she walks or gets a ride with a friend.
Both boys still ride to school. My 13-year-old even joins me on weekend rides in the woods. He looked so cute riding his little bike trying to keep up with me and my regular riding buddy. But I eventually broke down and got him a nice Rockhopper which better fits his 5’11†body. He quickly adjusted to using clipless pedals and now gives me tips on how to get more air off the jumps. A couple of months ago he tried out my fixed gear bike and was so taken by it that I built one for him out of parts in my basement. Now that’s the bike he rides to school every day.
There’s even renewed hope for my daughter, a junior in high school. She just got a full sponsorship from a local bike racing club. They are giving her free coaching, free VO2Max testing, team jerserys and shorts, entry fees for all races, and get this, a new Merlin bicycle. It is a development club and they decided to really focus on teenage riders. My daughter is a decent athlete but only did 2 or 3 races about 6 years ago; she is definitely not a hot shot bike racer (yet). Give the club credit; they are looking for regular kids willing to commit to trying out the sport of bicycle racing; the club isn’t limiting itself to only sponsoring kids likely to be the next national champion.
So all in all, I am very happy with my kids involvement with biking. Of course every time my daughter asks for the car keys and I suggest she ride her bike instead, she just rolls her eyes. Pointing out that I bike commute every day doesn’t seem to help any. I guess driving, even if its just an old minivan, is still cooler than riding a bike.
Comment by Al Maviva | 01.29.2007 | 7:29 pm
Have you considered finding them jobs and arranging marriages for them? I find I’m a lot more motivated to ride when I’m having a tough week on the marital or work front.
Sure, silly government age discrimination means that you’ll have to move to India to get them jobs, and to West Virginia to get them married, but it would be worth it for the quality time you’d spend together. At least when their sweatshop foreman / spouse let them out of the legirons long enough to go hit the trails with you for an hour or two.
Comment by my middle name is fred | 01.29.2007 | 8:12 pm
I feel quite like Tigermouth — lucky that my girls (ages 3 &6) really seem to enjoy biking. Of course, most family rides involve biking 5 miles (3 yr-old in the trailer, 6 yr-old on single-speed), stopping for pizza, biking 4 miles, stopping for ice cream, then biking home. Great times…
Comment by Jerry | 01.29.2007 | 8:22 pm
Always been lucky. My kids like to ride with me. Always have. In fact the real highlight for me was the time we podiumed in as a team in a 24 hour race. my son-inlaw, my 2 sons and myself.
Comment by BIg Mike In Oz | 01.29.2007 | 9:22 pm
2 little stories (and a photo tomorrow that’s a partial tie-in).
1. My kids have never been allowed to ride without helmets. My 5 year old daughter started grade 1 this morning and she was so excited she was up at 5am (don’t panic it’s summer) and woke me already wearing her full uniform (with black laceup shoes on the wrong feet) including her backpack and bike helmet on.
2. In November last year I was promoted from “uncle 600 miles away” to “the only sensible adult in the world” for my 16 year old nephew. One of our first outings after his relocation was to the velodrome. After watching Anna and Kerri Meares race that night he was asking how long until he could go that fast and how much training he would need to do to have big legs like the guys racing open mens division. We discussed the details on the 2 hour drive home and I spent the next week scavenging parts to build him a road bike to start riding with. His first bike (ignoring the K-mart BMX he rode to school) is a 20 year old steel frame fitted with Tiagra 9 speed and tri-spoke polycarbonate wheels (look like carbon fibre but the pair weigh in at a touch more than my whole bike). In the subsequent 2 months he’s ridden the bike 3 times for a total of just under 25 miles. Every ride has been with me dragging him kicking and screaming (almost). So much for the enthusiasm of November. A photo of his “first” bike will be posted tomorrow.
Comment by Born4Lycra | 01.29.2007 | 9:29 pm
You know i’ve tried to talk my daughter into cycling with me etc but she always comes back with that she would not be seen in public with me if I am wearing Lycra (Spandex). 2 reasons – 1.she does not share the belief with me that that I was born4lycra and 2 she cannot believe my colour combinations when I go out. I like the bright lairy colours while at the same time I am colour blind in that I “confuse” red and blue and I truly believe the red jelly belly top matches perfectly with the blue mapei bibs. In fact I reckon the red jelly belly top goes with everything! So no cycling for her at my request.
However
As I mentioned once before she got words of encouragement from both Baden Cooke and Simon Gerrans at the TDU and now cycling is on the list of to do things for this year. Not actually with me of course but if she is out riding well that’s better than not all.
Comment by Weean | 01.30.2007 | 12:27 am
I didn’t get my first bike ’til I was eight (sniff), and didn’t get another ’til I had a paper round and could afford to buy it myself. Now I can’t get enough!
Here’s my advice to you, Fatty: confiscate anything with wheels; tell them they have to walk/bus/drive everywhere. Casually leave the receipts for your bikes around the house, showing how much you lavish on the toys they cannot have. If this doesn’t pique their interest, nothing will.
Of course, this could backfire spectacularly, so they end up car-driving, bike-hating maniacs who run over cyclists to rid themselves of the demons of their father who loved bikes more than his kids (I know you don’t love bikes more than your kids, but will they?), but it’s a risk I’m willing for you to take. Of course, I don’t ride on the roads of Utah, and have no real plans to over the next 5-10 years, so I’m relatively safe. Let us know how this works out.
Comment by TheLurker | 01.30.2007 | 5:28 am
“If Dad Likes It, It Must Be Lame”. Umm. That sort of covers it doesn’t it? You’re on a hiding to nothing trying to force them to like summat. Of course you could tell them that you’ll disinherit them and all your money* will go to the local bike charity when you hop the twig. Unless…
*There’s an assumption here, probably flawed, that you won’t already have spent it all on bikes and bike related bits.
Comment by Big Boned | 01.30.2007 | 5:32 am
Fatty,
Don’t know why you raised kids that don’t like bikes. One of the great mysteries.
Maybe you could auction them off on eBay or something. I don’t know what kind of price you can get for them, but it ought to get you enough for at least for a wheel upgrade or some spare parts.
My suggestion is that you don’t tell Mrs. Fatty until you are ready to box them up and ship them off. If she finds out before the auction has concluded, she may object.
It may give you some added “points” if you set the auction up so that it’ll end on Feb 14. Imagine her surprise when you announce your Valentines Day gift to her. “Honey, I sold the kids”.
Just a suggestion. I’m not responsible if you get arrested (or divorced)!
Comment by Tim D | 01.30.2007 | 6:14 am
Big Boned, I tell people that’s how we got our kids. I thought I was bidding on some Bart Simpson action figures, turns out I got the real thing.
Axel, tandem with a trailerbike is nothing, try a triplet with a tandem trailerbike. I’ll be winning Fatty’s picture comp with a photo of the rig.
Comment by VA Biker | 01.30.2007 | 6:27 am
I do have a minor suggestion for the twins. Get a tag-along bike. This would put only one of them at a time on the bike, spending time with dad. The other would get insanely jealous and need her “bike time with dad”, too.
So, she could either wait her turn or ride on her own two-wheeler while the other is on the tag-along. Next outing, switch who gets to ride the tag-along. Trickery? Hmmm, just a little bit, but not in a evil, maniacal kinda’ way…
Comment by Diego Noronha | 01.30.2007 | 10:01 am
It’s odd how your children don’t want to get into cycling.
It’s the other way around in my family. I’m trying to get my dad into cycling but he’s just not into it. He goes on rides with me but goes halfway and then waits back at the car for me.
I think he only comes along so that my feelings don’t get hurt.
Funny how things work really.
Comment by JLS | 01.30.2007 | 10:46 am
My nearly five-year-old son likes to ride his bike with training wheels. But that kid can’t sit still to save his life; from the time he learned to walk until age three or so, his favorite play activity was running laps inside the house. So I’m not surprised he likes to go fast.
His bike is a tank, though – I put it on the scale and it weighs about the same as my road bike. It’s about 50% of his body weight. I wonder if the frame is bar stock instead of tubes…
JLS
Comment by LMouse | 01.30.2007 | 10:58 am
How timely. Last night the boys (my sons who are in their 30’s) and my golfer boyfriend held what they called a “bikervention” and got me to consider other, safer pursuits. The child becomes the parent, I guess. I’ll consider it. I’ve always wanted to try rowing. And there’s always (sigh) golf.
Comment by Mrs. Coach | 01.30.2007 | 11:04 am
JLS- your kid will most definitely become a crazed cyclist. Likely to achieve great heights. Most of the cyclists I know are suspiciously close to ADD. I can’t even watch a movie start to finish with my husband unless he’s on the trainer.
Comment by axel | 01.30.2007 | 11:13 am
Tim D wirtes: Axel, tandem with a trailerbike is nothing, try a triplet with a tandem trailerbike. I’ll be winning Fatty’s picture comp with a photo of the rig.
I’d expect the bikebuilders in the fine state of Utah to offer more options on multi-adult, multi-child bike rigs due to their unique customer-base. Just imagine, the wives and the kids all pedalling hard together to to the Patriarch who deserves a free ride.
Comment by Molly | 01.30.2007 | 4:30 pm
Oh, that’s just the way it works! Didn’t you read the parenting book? My husband’s grandfather played baseball–well enough to get offered a spot on a major league team, except that wasn’t a respectable occupation back then for a man who was married with kids. His sons wanted nothing to do with baseball but my father-in-law was an outstanding football player–played for a team on what later became the NFL. My husband wants nothing to do with football, but he had some success as a ski racer and skiing is his passion. Oldest daughter doesn’t ski, but her swimming is putting her through college.
Comment by Mark W | 01.30.2007 | 5:41 pm
My lesson learned is that if I try to sell or push them into doing something, they would rebel. A few years back, I never thought about selling them into cycling. It is something they do for fun and I commute on. We watch tour de france together, talk about teams and so on. Now my son can name a couple of teams and a couple of the riders from the tour. When I try to “encourage” them to learn say Chinese, they rebel and don’t want to do it. My son said “because you try to force us”.
Comment by Cheeky | 01.30.2007 | 10:42 pm
Good morning FC!
What an awesome site. Glad you made the bloggies now the best kept secret has been found.
Hhhmmm what an interesting challenge… All posts above seem to agree force and get rebel. I was lucky to grow up on a huge rambling estate. No traffic and my folks both worked long hours, nothing for kid to do but get out on the bike and ride with friends. when we moved to town I missed my bike, and my dad made a rule, want to ride = wear helmet, no choice, I wanted to ride so I put up with my “friends” calling me mushroom (check a kid in a helmet). Now my Fiance thinks there is a problem… he reckons no sane person gets up at 4:30 to ride 40+km before work… maybe he’s right, maybe we are actually a superior race and will rule the world!
Look forward to more interesting points of departure!