It’s only taken a global apocalypse for my kid to join his Spandex-clad dad

The last time I tried to get one of my kids into cycling it did not go well. At all.

It was a couple of years ago after my son made a passing comment that he’d maybe-sorta-kinda like to try road riding one day. With those few words of encouragement, I immediately leapt into action (and overreaction).

Within a few days we were cruising along in the bike lane when disaster struck. “Watch out for the ...” That’s as far as I got before his front wheel hit a baseball-sized chunk of asphalt that was, inexplicably, sitting in the middle of the pathway. I was just a few feet behind so had the perfect vantage point as the bike stopped dead and he went over the bars and landed, face first, on the pavement.

Beyond a scraped chin and a good scare, he was fine. But the ride and his interest in cycling were very much over. Until the pandemic hit. Being trapped in the house with your family will make you consider previously unfathomable things as there is, apparently, a limit to the amount of Netflix and TikTok one person can watch before wanting to, you know, actually go outside.

With a parental, no less. Cycling has been a passion of mine for more than a decade. I ride for fun, for fitness and for the sense of freedom and adventure that hits when you first start pedalling as a kid and never really leaves.

I buy bikes, build bikes, fix bikes and spend an unreasonable amount of time thinking about bikes. It’s a healthy hobby that counteracts some of my less positive lifestyle choices. (Post-ride chips and beer are guilt-free.)

But while the rest of my family has tolerated my bike-crazy tendencies, they haven’t really joined in.

My wife tried it for a couple of years, then gave it up for yoga, walking and other things I don’t participate in (a coincidence, I’m sure). I taught my kids to ride and they ripped around the neighbourhood when they were young but that’s about it.

Of course, the dad-engineered disasters haven’t helped. Every time they’ve shown even just a passing interest in riding more, I’ve become the cycling version of a crazed hockey parent, pushing them too far and too fast — with predictable results.

This time, I vowed to myself it would be different.

Our first ride was a short cruise around the neighbourhood so my son could get used to one of my bikes (he’s outgrown his old one). It went fine and there was only a little complaining about how much his butt hurt.

Each time out, we’ve gone a little farther and he’s pushed the pace a little faster. As someone who has played rep volleyball the last couple of years, he’s got a new mental toughness and a competitive streak that was missing before.

Who knows if it will last? As the lockdown restrictions are lifted and the freedom to hang with friends and go to the mall returns, going for a bike ride with dad may become as uncool as it was before.

Maybe I’ll throw a rock down by the mall entrance and see if he trips over it.

Drew Edwards owns four bikes and that’s not quite enough because there’s always room for one more bike. Reach him at drew@drewedwards.ca