Boulder balancing act: Tour de France of tots
Pedal-free bikes propel kids 2 to 6 in competition
BOULDER» Another summer weekend in Boulder, and another group of athletes will be descending on our fair city. Hundreds of them, from 23 states and 13 countries, will compete for gold and glory in a race to the finish. There will be sweat. There may be tears. There will almost certainly be snacks.
For eight hours Saturday, Boulder will host hordes of tenacious tots, ages 2 to 6, astride their balance bikes, scooting and swerving through 650 feet of turns, tunnels and an obstacle called the Noodle Monster. The Strider Cup World Championships have come to town.
The South Dakota-based maker of leading balance bike brand Strider selects a different city each year for the culminating event of the racing season, dubbed the toddler Tour de France.
Events are held all over the globe, wherever Strider’s pedal-free bikes are sold.
Competitors are flying in from Russia, China, Chile, Ecuador and more. This year, all eyes will be on the Japanese contingent, whose entrants have swept the podium the last two years.
“I’ve watched some videos on YouTube,” Duncan Morel said. “They’re pretty intense.”
Morel’s 3-year-old son, Sawyer, is perhaps Boulder County’s best chance at claiming the Cup: He won every race at a preliminary tournament this summer. He’s been training hard, his dad said, riding his bike every chance he gets at their Erie home, along with making frequent visits to the Valmont Bike Park.
“He’s got this competitive edge that we’re exploring,” Morel said. But mostly “he just wants to get out and have fun. I think I have more butterflies than he does.”
Saturday’s championship event will be at Boulder’s Civic Area and Central Park. Qualifying is not necessary; registration is open to all. And while everyone gets a medal, only winners take home trophies.
Balance bike racing has not yet acquired the ultra-competitiveness of other youth sports. Parents tend to cheer their own kids and others, said Nolan Schroeder, Strider’s outreach manager.
“We do our best to (maintain) a very encouraging atmosphere,” Schroeder said.
Racers have been known to stop midway through to marvel at things like the orange course-making cones or passing butterflies. Some never get going at all; others put their own athletic ambitions on hold to help fellow contestants.
Ryan McFarland invented the Strider after watching his 2year-old son struggle with heavy trikes and training wheels. McFarland found that a pedal-less cycle helped teach balance more quickly. Now, with 11 years in business, Strider has sold 1.9 million bikes worldwide.
Easton Timbo got started as soon as he was tall enough to stand over his Strider, mom Sue said. Now 4, Easton switches between the balance and a regular bike. He will be racing Saturday, having been bitten by the bug while watching his older brother, Dash, place fourth in a local event a few years ago.
There’s no pressure from his parents to uphold the family honor, said Timbo: “It’s all about getting out and having fun.”