De-Guiltification
I had a pretty extraordinary Summer, bikewise. I got down to the lowest weight I’ve been since high school, I got faster than someone with the nickname “Fatty” has any right to be, and I did about as well in races as a middle aged guy with no genetic gift or pharmaceutical enhancement could hope for.
And now I’m feeling guilt.
Any of you who have dedicated yourself to cycling knows that it comes at the expense of something: either your job or your family (or a little bit of both). And since I report to the CEO of my company (not because I’m a corporate bigshot, but because I warrant micromanagement), sluffing at work for six monthw wasn’t an option.
Now I’m trying to make up for it.
Cheating
The thing is, it’s not like I have a massive amount of time at the end of a workday. Of course, I can easily do stuff with the boys later at night – they like video games, I like video games. We all like trash-talking while we play video games. We’re all set.
The twins, though, now that’s a different matter. I’m not opposed to the way they play, but I simply cannot keep up or make sense of it. I think it’s a twin thing; they’re always doing very imaginative role-playing, and I think half of the communication about what’s going on happens via the psionic beam that connects them.
Plus, I just feel weird playing with stuffed animals. I’m just too macho for that.
But I’ve found a solution: a bike trailer:
(This is not my actual trailer; it’s an image I found on amazon.com. The real trailer has a chain, and the wheel has spokes. I find the distance from the hub to the rim stays much more consistent that way.)
Rather than going out on a ride by myself now, when I get home I give the twins turns riding with me.
So, yes: I’m making up for spending too much time on the bike by…riding my bike.
It has been a huge success.
Dirt
When I first started taking the girls out riding, we just rode around the neighborhood. And that was enough, for a while. Especially if we went and got a snow cone as part of the ride.
But that got boring.
So, just as an experiment, I took one of the girls out to Lambert Park, a little slice of singletrack heaven about a half mile from where I live.
I expected a little bit of whining, maybe some complaining, and almost certainly a crash.
Instead, I have found the girls’ new favorite thing to do in the world. I am not exaggerating. If I ask them what they want to do, they will say “Go mountain biking!” every single time.
My victory is complete.
Key Learnings
Riding a bike on the dirt with another person trailing behind you changes the ride experience. For one thing, the bike’s a lot longer. And it’s a lot heavier. Both of those things are pretty obvious, and not much of a surprise.
I have learned other things while riding with my twins, though.
- Be vigilant: Have you ever thought about how your center of gravity shifts when you turn around to look at something behind you? I hadn’t, until now. One of the girls in particular loves to look around while we ride, which means I need to keep both hands on the grips at all times to correct our balance.
- Be impressed: As I mentioned, one of the twins likes to look around while we ride together. The other one – to my amazement and delight — likes to stand up and hammer. Whenever we get to a hill and I stand up to pedal, she does too. When we reach the top, she always wants an assessment — could I tell how hard she was pedaling? The truth is, mostly I just feel like the rear end of the bike is wrestling with the front end of the bike when she pedals, but that’s not what I say. I say, “Are you kidding me? You were making us go so fast I almost had to use the brakes!”
- Be cool: I have a rule for myself when I’m riding with the girls: they’re in charge. If they want to sing while we ride, I sing along. If they want to stop and look at the deer bones, that’s great. If they want to scream on the downhill…well, actually, I do enforce a “no screaming” rule, but I do allow yelling. I don’t think they get the difference.
- Nothing is scary: At first, the girls called some of the twisty, downhill singletrack (Rodeo and Lambert’s Luge, for those of you who know Lambert’s Park) “scary.” I’ve been calling it “exciting” and “crazy” when they do, trying to get them to think of downhill riding as fun instead of threatening. This seems to be working, because the “crazytrack” (crazy + singletrack, apparently) is now a mandatory part of every single ride.
- You don’t spin out: This one’s just kind of wild. You know how when you stand up on an uphill climb you’re more likely to spin out? Well, if you have 70 pounds of weight (50 pounds of kid, 20 pounds of bike)pulling down on the seatpost, you can stand up and pedal to your heart’s content. Your rear wheel stays planted.
- It’s easy to become the most popular guy in the neighborhood: After the twins have their turns, it’s pretty common for their friends to be hanging around the front yard, hoping for a turn on the crazytrack, too. My response: “Sure, kid, you can have a turn. Remember, though: no screaming, never let go of the handlebars, and go have your parents sign this waiver.”
- The bike turns sharper than you’d expect: Since the clamp that connects the add-a-bike to the seatpost pivots, the bike actually becomes articulated when you do sharp turns. Which means hairpins aren’t the problem I thought they would be. And the girls have never complained about brushing against the brush or trees. It’s all part of the game.
Master Plan
By the time everyone who wants a turn has had a turn, I sometimes have been riding for 2.5 hours. They’d want to keep going, but it gets dark a lot earlier now.
I have no idea if pulling an extra 70 pounds for two hours qualifies as good training. I generally don’t feel particularly cooked afterward — I’m never going full-tilt, and the climbs aren’t very steep or long — so I suspect not. But I am getting out on a bike, and I am brainwashing my girls into loving what I love.
I have, in fact, started hatching this fantasy: What if — at age 57 — I crossed the finish line at the Leadville 100 accompanied by my twin daughters?
That would rule.
And it seems like I might be getting some traction with that idea. A few days ago, I was telling the twins about how their cousin — Kellene and Rocky’s youngest daughter – is shaping up to be a real cross-country track star. I asked, “Would you like to be a runner, like your cousin?”
“No, dad,” said one of the twins — the one who likes to stand up and hammer on the climbs. “I want to be a mountain biker, like you.”
I don’t believe I have ever been so happy in my entire life.
PS: I wanted to get some pictures of the girls riding, but that’s nearly impossible, since I’m on the bike with them at the same time. So here are a couple shots of them hiking to Timpanogos Cave with me a couple weekends ago (yes, on Susan’s birthday. One of my gifts to Susan was several hours of peace and quiet). Also, I’m posting these pictures because I hardly ever remember to send pictures to my family members, so figured I’d take care of that right here, in the (almost certainly somewhat wrong) assumption that my family actually reads this blog.
Beginning of the hike — leaves are changing.
One of the weird things about having identical twins is their teeth seem to fall out in the same order, and within days of each other.
“Act like the cave’s really spooky,” I said. These, evidently, are expressions of fear.
Really, the girls didn’t like the actual cave that much. What they loved was the hike to and from the cave. Especially climbing the rocks.
Comment by Pammap | 09.28.2007 | 7:14 am
“Fatty” …I now feel compelled to use your nickname with quotation marks to denote that you are indeed no longer a fatty….
Great post! I’m a grandma and cyclist so I’m ALWAYS taken in by pictures of adorable children. They are quite adorable!
I was actually thinking yesterday how I wished that I’d had this bicycling lifestyle when my kids were toddlers so that they could grow up on the bike. To my delight, two of them are now avid cyclists (boys age 16 & 21) so I didn’t entirely mess up their lives, just the two older kids ;)
Comment by BotchedExperiment | 09.28.2007 | 7:18 am
Ok, this seals it, I’m definitely getting a trail-a-bike. I’ve been hemming and hawing for months. Also when my 5 year old and I were coming home from our bike ride, she inexplicably turned the wrong way and started to right straight across a highway, thusly taking 8.75 years off my life.
Further, I have been trying to decide which day would be nicest to take her up to Timp cave. I just hope my rickets allow me to make the strenuous hike.
Comment by Bones | 09.28.2007 | 7:33 am
Very cute girls (are there really any other kind?).
I just got one of these trail-a-bikes last week, and just yesterday got a custom bracket, a faux seat post, made to bolt onto my ‘bent main tube. Today, the hitch will arrive fedex (I got the bike second hand without one) and Saturday I’ll be puling my grandson out on the bike path. He’s high-function autistic, and this will be our first ride together. (author mists up here). I’m really thrilled.
Thanks for the idea of getting out on the singletrack with it, I’ll be trying that next!
Comment by mariah | 09.28.2007 | 7:37 am
Fatty… just so you know it works the other way also. I started riding about a year ago and now my mama rides with me and we are working on my dad. Say prayers about that one… it would be a miracle. Thank you for allowing us to go on the journey with you and your family. Can’t wait to see the pictures of you and the girls crossing the finish line holding hands!
Comment by Bryan (not that one) | 09.28.2007 | 7:53 am
I have one of those trail-a-bikes and they are awesome! When I ride on my local rail-trail, I get ignored by most women. But when I pull my daughter, I get lots of smiles! I know, I know, they’re smiling at my daughter, but I don’t wanna hear that!!! ;-)
Comment by Tom | 09.28.2007 | 7:59 am
How cool would it be if your twin daughters “tow” you across the finish line at Leadville???
Comment by Lowrydr | 09.28.2007 | 7:59 am
Great way to hook the next generation of riders there Fatty. It looks like you have a great set of chasers for the Tag-along. Here I figured you managed to knock their teeth out on the Crazytrack, just days apart. What with rubbing them against trees and brush and all.
Have three of my own (1 boy and 2 girls) and never managed to get them (the girls) really interested in Road riding. I pulled the two of them in a trailer for several years and then onto bikes of their own. It lasted for only about 5 years before they discovered boys and other things to do. Hanging out with Dad was out at around 12 years old. My son managed to be interested in the Mountain and Road bikes till he got his Drivers Permit.
Have set my sights on the 2 Grand-kids now. So enjoy it for as long as you can, I hope it really lasts.
Good Karma to Susan to, and what a way to help her celebrate her B-day.
Comment by swimmin' at sea level | 09.28.2007 | 8:08 am
I love the idea of you and your twin girls crossing the finish line at Leadville together. Dads who take time to share their love of sports with their daughters (and sons) are worth their weight in gold. Absolutely. Especially if it requires creative marketing.
Comment by fatty | 09.28.2007 | 8:25 am
botched – you should come over, bring your girl, and take her for a ride at lambert, see what she thinks. i’m pretty sure she’ll love it.
Comment by Dino | 09.28.2007 | 8:33 am
Thats the coolest post yet. Nice job Fatty.
Comment by Mike Roadie | 09.28.2007 | 8:39 am
You are very lucky! Not just because you are blessed with a beautiful family, but also because they want to bike! Speaking as one who has been there (my kids are 14, 16 and 19) ENJOY this time while you can….they grow up so fast….and then you’ll be asking yourself why you felt so guilty about not sharing time with them; since they won’t want to have anything to do with you by then!!
I feel guilty too…..I have been suffering with a skin disease for months now; which really keeps me off the road. I am fighting the bulge (and the itch) and WISH I could spend more time on the road. If you can take the kids, more power to you. It’s something they will remember all their lives! My son is an athlete….and built for cycling.triathlon; but he has no interest. I try so hard to get him involved with all the charity rides I do, etc. But he doesn’t care to join in—they have to be raised that way!
Speaking of charity rides, good luck to Clydesteve at the LiveStrong Portland this weekend…it was great for so many FC’ers to support him. My ride is in Austin, Texas in two weeks…..and my last day for donations is not until next week, the 5th of October; so please help us now:
http://austin07.livestrong.org/mlevin
You can make your donation in honor of Susan Nelson or your own family and friends right there on the site!!!!
Comment by Denise | 09.28.2007 | 8:48 am
Your daughters are beautiful! It is awesome that they have fallen in love with riding time with dad. It is such a blessing when our children actually enjoy doing what “we” love. I am hoping to have the same succuss with my daughters. Thanks for brightening my days with your blog! Sending up prayers from Missouri for Susan and nothing but well wishes and love for your entire family!
Comment by monkeywebb | 09.28.2007 | 9:02 am
That’s awesome! I wish my dog could tell me how much she loves getting pulled around in the trailer. Then again, it’s much more likely that she’d be yelling at me to let her out…
Comment by Derek | 09.28.2007 | 9:03 am
Wait – your tail-a-bike seats TWO?
Comment by my middle name is fred | 09.28.2007 | 9:12 am
“Crazytrack” I love that word! It seems your daughters have the family creative bug, too. Cheers.
Comment by uncadan8 | 09.28.2007 | 9:17 am
Too adorable! So when will they be giving us a ride report of your riding skills? Do we have to wait until you are 57?
Comment by lil'est sister | 09.28.2007 | 9:21 am
I love the pics of the girls! They grow up so dang fast – it just seems like I was there in WA with your family picking blackberries with the twins. Can’t wait to see more pics from the family adventure in Oct! Oh, one more thing…any tips to share so we can get Blaze to not be scared of falling off a bike? He won’t ride now because he’s fallen too many times.
Comment by Argentius | 09.28.2007 | 9:42 am
excessive cuteness alert!
—
On the riding side of things, how much do you weigh now? How much did you weigh at your heaviest? Does that come close to the weight of one daughter? I’d think it would make your weight-loss achievement seem all the more awesome.
I don’t think I would have 1/8th the cojones required to do twisty single-track with a TRAILABIKE. Crap, I didn’t even think that was, um, possible…
Comment by Clydesteve | 09.28.2007 | 9:55 am
As someoone else said, cute pictures of little girls is the only kind. And, lucky for you, they look like your wife and your sister, fatty. I applaud you in your success with hooking them. It is a worthy thing. Next try taking one of the boys, on the tandem, with one of the girls hooked on with the trail-a-bike. I’ve done that in the past – but only on paved trails. That much length can be pretty exciting without trying to jump a log!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It’s past the dead line for donating to my LIVESTRONG ride as of today. No more tacky pleas from me. I take that back. For a cause this worthy, I make no apologies for my fund-raising. Donate to Mike Roadie’s ride. I am still hoping to draw doorprize of the free plane & hotel to Austin. I qualified for the Ride for the Roses by raising donations of over $10,000 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation to use against cancer. Final count – $11,637.
Looks like a good chance that instead of making myself miserable by riding fast, my misery will be imposed from on high this Sunday for 100 miles of rainy ride. I went out and bought a clear cycling rainslicker this morning, so my Pink Lemonade WIN! jersey would still show.
I will make a ride report and send it to donors. And anyone else that wants one. Mr. “Fatty” – anyplace I could post it for FC readers?
Comment by Clydesteve | 09.28.2007 | 9:57 am
lil’est sister – Tell Blaze: “Chicks dig scars!”
Comment by srobb54 | 09.28.2007 | 10:49 am
Being the father of two grown boys and now a grandfather, your article brought tears to my eyes as I looked back upon the fun times and missed opportunities I had with my sons as they grew up.
You have two beautiful daughters. Enjoy the time that you have with them and the rest of your family now. Because before you know it, they’ll be grown and gone.
What a great post!
Comment by Jason | 09.28.2007 | 10:56 am
“The real trailer has a chain, and the wheel has spokes. I find the distance from the hub to the rim stays much more consistent that way.”
Brilliant! Thankfully, I’d already swallowed my mouthful of water when I got to this line.
Jason from RocBike.com
Comment by BurkeInTheOzarks | 09.28.2007 | 11:35 am
Okay, Fatty, I’m now properly motivated to drag my daughters out on some ‘crazytrack’! Up until now, I’ve only used the trail-a-bikes on pavement, which they pretty much dig. I didn’t think it was a possibility to pound dirt with them due to the seeming lack of turning radius, but now I’m going for it! Thanks for planting the idea! I’m excited already…
Comment by Less Fat Mike | 09.28.2007 | 11:35 am
Fatty. You are living my dream. My daughter is only 2.5 years old, but loves going for ‘bike races’ with her Dad in the trailer or on her own bike with training wheels. I can’t wait for her to be big enough to ride a trailer like yours. I have found that it’s much more fun now that I have lost the 32 pounds my daughter weighs. Now I can see how much fitness I’ve gained by trying some hills with her on the back.
Comment by Bryan (not that one) | 09.28.2007 | 12:10 pm
Less Fat Mike, the Adams trail-a-bike has an optional backrest with two straps to go around the kid’s chest. I used that with my daughter when she was 3 so I didn’t have to worry about her holding on to the handlebar. I would think 2.5 is still too young, but thought you’d want to know!
Comment by Little1 | 09.28.2007 | 12:56 pm
2 PINK “WIN” cycling jerseys coming up! Go girls make your dad ride, round and round and round again!
Excellent work Fatty, girls should be introduced to cycling from as early an age as possible.
Comment by WMdeR | 09.28.2007 | 1:03 pm
I love it! Unfortunately, my dog jumps out of the trailer and runs ahead of me on the hills, then doesn’t want to jump back in at the top, so I don’t benefit quite as much as those of you with children. I do get some wonderful cross-training in though. Stop at the top of the hill, recover enough to whistle the dog down, and wrestle her back into the trailer. She really doesn’t enjoy it much–I tipped it when she was a pup and she hasn’t trusted trailers since–so I don’t get to cart her about on my bike much.
Towing children during your workouts or other similar additions to your bicycle can only make you faster–and more popular with your family. You’ve provided a wonderful example of how fun it can be. It is also a fantastic means of compressing workouts into your busy daily life.
For example, towing a full trailer of children and parcels was one keystone of Jan Heine’s training program for PBP (I believe he was the first North American to finish the randonnée). He’d take his youngest son and part of the print run of the Bicycle Quarterly out for his hill workouts, run hill repeats fully loaded, recover and stretch at a park while his son explored, drop off his mail, pick up groceries, and head home to cook dinner. True multitasking–he’d provided quiet time for his wife, a purple-spots-in-the-vision, I-can-see-the-tunnel-of-light-inducing workout for himself, fun at the park for his child, and gotten his errands for the day run. Of course Jan is also a Very Fast Person, about three standard deviations above the mean in the hills, and a practical man.
And just think, as you age, the kids start in the trailer. Then they’ll be in the stoker position, next the captain position, and (eventually) you’ll be in the trailer. And you’ve provided an opening into a wider world to them.
Comment by sans auto | 09.28.2007 | 1:23 pm
I was once riding Mt. Evans (7,000-14,000 ft. in ~30 miles in Colorado) when I passed a guy hauling a trailer with two girls (the younger being about the age of your twins). he also had all of the accessories necessary to be hauling two kids, games, water, food, etc. I made a comment when I passed expressing that I was really impressed. I’ll never forget what he told me. “It’s the difference between Father and Daddy.” Words to live by. I’m going home now.
Comment by axel | 09.28.2007 | 1:52 pm
I have put in my time pulling the trailer and the tag along. My kids loved riding it, these things are great. It was a daily thing, riding to school. We have gone off-road for a little, but that wasn’t too popular.
But now they owe me, when I am 57 I’ll be taking it easy on my tandem with a cushy seat and independent pedalling while the kids peddle hard. It’s just fair, right?
Pingback by RocBike.com » Links Of The Day: 28 September 2007 | 09.28.2007 | 2:38 pm
[...] De-Guiltification [...]
Comment by Al Maviva | 09.28.2007 | 3:47 pm
Beautiful kids. I can definitely believe they’re Susan’s daughters.
Comment by Bob | 09.28.2007 | 4:25 pm
Is there a contraption that would let you carry both of your twin daughters at the same time?
Comment by cyclingphun.blogspot.com | 09.28.2007 | 4:32 pm
HOLY %^*#!!!!! That might be one of the coolest ideas I’ve ever heard! OK, so maybe not cooler than the ideas on how to sneak the new bike / equipment, but pretty darn cool!
Comment by TIMK | 09.28.2007 | 4:45 pm
Next thing we know we’ll see clips on YouTube of you taking them over log piles and teeter totters.
I’m impressed. Now I am imagining you catching “that guy” on a climb, only this time not sporting the commuter back pack but towing one of the twins. Make sure that she knows the conversation rules, because it would be so delightful to have a young, adorable kid make the “this is some hill” comment to the guy she and her dad just caught.
Best to you and the crew.
Comment by Simon Sharwood | 09.28.2007 | 6:33 pm
I’ve got a trailer, which I use to get my 5 y.o. son to school.
He likes the ride, which is nice, but I think he likes the attention more.
It is amazing how many strangers are moved to say “wow” when they see a trailer bike go past, here in inner-city Sydney Australia
Comment by Simon Sharwood | 09.28.2007 | 6:34 pm
I’ve got a trailer, which I use to get my 5 y.o. son to school.
He likes the ride, which is nice, but I think he likes the attention more.
It is amazing how many strangers are moved to say “wow” when they see a trailer bike go past, here in inner-city Sydney Australia.
It does take its toll on the towing bike, though. My tread is far more worn on the rear wheel than the front, and the rear wheel also pops spokes at a fair rate.
Comment by joliver3 | 09.28.2007 | 6:44 pm
Oh sure, where were all of you when I was trying to sell my Burley Piccolo trailercycle this summer? (Sold fairly quickly using Fatty’s “For Sale” Forum — thanks FC!)
My son and I had many fun rides with the trailercycle, and have now moved up to a road tandem. He’s also joined me mountain biking a few times this year, and he’s making noises about wanting his own road bike…..
Bob (and FC, if you’re interested in Bob’s question): Check out the Adams tandem trail-a-bike (http://phoenix.craigslist.org/bik/428508171.html). Apparently no longer in production, but you can find used ones for sale once in a while.
Comment by Adam | 09.28.2007 | 7:02 pm
Wonderful images, thank you. Just a reminder — when you have a kid in the tandem trailer, keep in mind that you are teaching them how to ride. What you DO there you are validating for them. If you engage in seriously nasty law-breaking you’re teaching them to do the same thing. You have to ride like you want THEM to ride. And you have to TALK to them all the time about what you’re doing and why. And saying “don’t do what Daddy does” won’t cut it because it’s what you DO that matters.
It’s a fabulous opportunity to teach them the joy of cycling — and to teach them how to ride properly so when they’re off on their own you’ll have to worry a little less.
Comment by Big Mike In Oz | 09.28.2007 | 7:44 pm
Bob – I was thinking the same thing. Then it hit me. So I got up and kept thinking and it hit me again. So I had a look at it and the idea that hit me (twice) was… why not just hang another trail-a-bike off the back of the first one. Twins are supposed to do everything together anyway. And that would also overcome the whole “I generally don’t feel particularly cooked afterward” syndrome. Maybe that would be the point where u-turns became an issue.
Comment by Born 4 Lycra | 09.28.2007 | 7:56 pm
So how long until the young ladies will be wanting to fly solo along side dad rather than behind him.
My daughter 16 soon is happy to watch cycling but not actually participate she was not interested in the trailer when I bought it. If she could not be at the front she was not going. Rode by herself on a BMX bike for a while but was the only girl at school riding and soon got put off by peer pressure. Still we did have fun riding our local bike trails while it lasted.
Comment by kellene..the favorite oldest sister | 09.28.2007 | 7:57 pm
I love the no guilt theory! Rocky has subscribed to that for years…he says ” guilt is overrated.” So nice job. Glad you are enjoying that together…soon they will be teens, know everything and basically hate you. So enjoy it for now! I have great biker babe photos for you…our girls group went on a 3 day road trip to Telluride, Durango, and Cortez. The most amazing fall colors and best single track we have ever ridden. And yes, we did some most amazing photo ops for you! Just wait….say hi to the family!
Comment by Mom | 09.28.2007 | 8:04 pm
Such fun for all of you. I would like to be a spectator. In fact, let’s go on a big adventure!
Comment by bradk | 09.28.2007 | 8:22 pm
Blaze? Lil’est Sis, really? Next thing you know one of your sisters will name one of their kids Boone. When I have my next kid I want one of the Nelson sisters to give it a name.
Comment by bikemike | 09.29.2007 | 6:41 am
fatty,
you have the best family in the world, well, except for mine and they would debate that because of me.
Comment by Brandon | 09.29.2007 | 8:16 am
Riding with my daughter is on of my favorite things to do.
Comment by Tim D | 09.29.2007 | 8:23 am
Have a look at http://tkfiles.storage.live.com/y1pcQNDFhcUxqGYWiGYRQ45CP6SDJ68X1ZjD1CgQmYK4QCKIu-pM0YS6qihkk1WO-KcWdXVnqK_ans for our old rig. We couldn’t do any proper off roading, but it was good for smoother trails. The boys were 4, 5 and 7 at this time. I wouldn’t recommend attaching a trailer to a trailer unless the kids get good at not wobbling. We used to suffer from the two on the back trying to look past each other. One would lean one way, so the other would lean further to see round him, then realise he couldn’t so lean the other way to see round the other side, then the front one would lean the other way to see what the back one was looking at. I swapped the drops for the widest flat bars I could find, but we still rode in long sweeping S’s.
Tim
Comment by Tim D | 09.29.2007 | 9:02 am
Apparently Adams were displaying their tandem trailerbike at Interbike this week, so maybe they will be on sale again soon.
Comment by Errorista | 09.29.2007 | 11:44 am
It’s so funny you got this thing – Roan and I have been pointing them out on the road lately and I’ve promised to get one for him in the Spring. (Eh…I also need to get a bike to hitch it on. Any suggestions?) Our trail will be a little different, but what better way to see the Statue of Liberty, ride over the Brooklyn Bridge, and get some Italian Ice in Little Italy than on a bicycle? One question – do you think it is a safe ride for a four-year-old?
Your girls are unbelievably cute. Thanks for the pics.
Comment by fatty | 09.29.2007 | 2:14 pm
errorista – roan will be fine on it; just make sure he’s got a helmet that fits and have a cute catchphrase you can use to remind him to keep a grip on the handlebars. I use, “Hang on to your handlebars, this ride’s about to get ka-razy!” bring roan over here and we’ll give him a ride right now. it’ll rock.
as far as what bike for you, you should get a cool electra cruiser: http://www.electrabike.com/cruiser/
Pingback by Video Games » De-Guiltification | 09.29.2007 | 4:21 pm
[...] unknown wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerpt [...]
Comment by cat | 09.30.2007 | 2:04 pm
This is the best post I have ever read. I would love to have shared stuff like that with my dad. Glad you are doing it with your girls! Crazytrack, that is the best.
Also, glad your wife is doing so much better.
Comment by cat | 09.30.2007 | 2:05 pm
This is the best post I have ever read. What beautiful girls you have!! I would love to have shared stuff like that with my dad. Glad you are doing it with yours. Crazytrack, that is the best.
Also belatedly, glad your wife is doing better. I think about you guys.
Comment by jeffy | 09.30.2007 | 6:36 pm
Hey – the tandem trail-a-bikes are fabulous, and yes you can feel it when they’re pedaling. I’ve even attached a Burley to the tandem so I could pull all three kids – it made quite a train! Problem now is the youngest is 3 and can just reach the pedals on the tandem, so all 3 kids want the 2 seats…Jeffy
Comment by MichH | 10.1.2007 | 12:39 am
That dream ain’t so unrealistic. My dad turns 60 in January. So far we have climbed Kilimanjaro together in 2000 and ridden 2 multiday mountain bike stage events together. We’re doing a 4 man team relay across Nambia in December (24 hours, 340km), and we’re entered into one of South Africa’s best multi day events, sani2C. 3 days, average 80-100km of singletrack a day, ascent between 1000m and 2000m per day.
And we love the shared memories!
Comment by buckythedonkey | 10.1.2007 | 1:00 am
That is the best new word I have seen in years.
Surely this is a job for…Twin Six!
1 “Crazytrack” T-shirt please. Usual size, usual place. Can you do kids (not just baby) sizes too please?
I hope your girls get into the sport. I spent yesterday at Swinley Forest with Mouse (9) on her bike (an Islabike – simply the best kids bikes on the planet). Her half-happy, half-surprised face when she pulls something off is a joy to see. Priceless!
Finally, I’d like to withdraw the suggestion I made that you ride Leadville 2008 with Kenny on a tandem. I think you already own the perfect rig for a duet. Kenny on the like-a-bike would be my WoC.
Pingback by Biking Circle - Today’s Top Blog Posts on Motorcycle - Powered by SocialRank | 10.1.2007 | 1:21 am
[...] De-Guiltification [...]
Pingback by Biking Circle - Today’s Top Blog Posts on Motorcycle - Powered by SocialRank | 10.1.2007 | 1:21 am
[...] De-Guiltification [...]
Pingback by Biking Circle - Today’s Top Blog Posts on Motorcycle - Powered by SocialRank | 10.1.2007 | 1:21 am
[...] De-Guiltification [...]
Pingback by Biking Circle - Today’s Top Blog Posts on Motorcycle - Powered by SocialRank | 10.1.2007 | 1:21 am
[...] De-Guiltification [...]
Comment by BurkeInTheOzarks | 10.1.2007 | 6:27 am
Well, we did it! The wife and I took our two daughters out on some ‘crazytrack’ on their trail-a-bikes. We rode Lake Fayetteville, which is a slightly hilly, very rooty, 5.5 mile trail. Betty Rose (4), who was riding with me, loved it, had no fear and was singing most of the time. Eve Sunshine (6), on the other hand, mostly whined and would bail off of the bike on most climbs and descents. Near the end, we finally swapped kids and realized that it had to do with whether they were riding behind me (happy) or behind the wife (terrified). My wife is still working on getting her strength back (breast cancer survivor) and was a little too wobbly for the girls’ liking.
Just the same, we’re doing it again next weekend, albeit on a slightly smoother trail. Thanks for the motivation!
Comment by susie b | 10.1.2007 | 10:01 am
LOVED this post! LOVED it! I enjoy everything you write, but this was funny, touching , adorable. A Trifecta. Your daughters are beautiful & are lucky to have you as a Dad.
And when you all finish Leadville together, I’m hoping for real-time VIDEO! :)
Comment by Karst | 10.1.2007 | 11:04 am
I can recall that hike to the cave as being pretty neat; it sticks in my mind more than the cave does….and I’m a caver (and cyclist).
I’m going to have to get one of those bike trailers to haul around my 7 year old girl; she would love it.
By the way, what makes you think you’ll be able to finish within sight of the twins at the Leadville 100 when you are 57? How old will they be? They just might leave you in the dust….
Comment by rexinsea | 10.1.2007 | 12:11 pm
We LOVE the “add a bike” with the 6 year old boy. I’m looking forward to having the same fun with my twins when they get older. Glad to hear it’s working on single track. I’ll have to give it a try if we ever have a break in the rains here. I’ve just done the rails to trails thing so far.
Nice post thanks!
Comment by Jay | 10.2.2007 | 3:50 pm
I would never put a damper on anything you do because i like you so much. But i can tell you from experience to enjoy those two as much as you can now. Eventually they will become teenagers…….mine did with a vengence. I can barely get her to admit i exist at this point. But it was fun for a few years.
Comment by Jay | 10.2.2007 | 3:50 pm
I would never put a damper on anything you do because i like you so much. But i can tell you from experience to enjoy those two as much as you can now. Eventually they will become teenagers…….mine did with a vengence. I can barely get her to admit i exist at this point. But it was fun for a few years.
Comment by flossy | 10.3.2007 | 4:05 am
Fatty, those girls are just adorable. Enjoy the time you spend with them
We don’t have any kids but as soon as my niece (14 months) is old enough, auntie will be taking her out for rides. I even bought her a little Giro jersey to wear!
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