Start ’em young?
Getting kids on two wheels is all a matter of timing
‘It was a genuinely moving moment’ Emma Franklin and Angus ‘Goose’ Dunn (aged 3)
I’ll probably get lambasted for admitting this, but I think there is such a thing as being too young for two wheels. Angus got his first go on an OSET 12.5R almost exactly a year ago, having just turned two. You can imagine my delight and amazement when I saw the penny drop as he correlated the small movement of his wrist with instant acceleration, and watched his eyes light up, smile spread across his face and then heard the giggles take over. It was a genuinely moving moment, and one I’ll never forget.
I started to believe that maybe he was a natural, some sort of motorcycling savant, so gave in to his requests to go faster. Turning up the OSET’s speed control slightly, Angus was now confidently circling the field, laughing away to himself. Until he spotted a pigeon…
I could see the crash unfolding and started running to him, shouting at him to stop. Wildly fixated on his feathered target, Angus was on a collision course with a fence and I was powerless to prevent it. He ricocheted off the fence and landed in a heap – completely unscathed (no tears either) – and we felt like the worst parents ever. Sure, he could just about control his bike, but the level of spatial awareness needed to operate one safely just wasn’t there yet. I decided to hang his helmet up, for the time being.
Once Covid restrictions lift I’m going to take him to watch a junior trial and see if that inspires something within him. If it does, he’ll be able to get his first ACU trials licence and compete on an electric bike once he’s four. If not, it’s no biggy – there’s always his burgeoning running career…