Where it all starts on two wheels

It was Father’s Day, and I got to spend a delightful afternoon and evening with my wife, daughter, son-in-law, and two of my favorite people in the whole world, my granddaughters Rylee (age 6) and Jaelyn (age 4).

Three days earlier, Rylee decided she wanted her bicycle training wheels removed, so she can ride around her neighborhood with the little boys her age who were beginning to ride around her block without the outrigger aids.

After a short time, Rylee became quite frustrated with getting her balance. She was fearful, discouraged, and angry that she couldn’t get the hang of it. Some tears followed, along with her desire to quit. But after some hugs and conversation explaining that riding was difficult, but like everything else she had accomplished as she grew, it would just take more practice and patience. As long as she saw the other kids able do it, I told her that she would be able to master that skill too, just as they had.

The three before the two- kicking it on the legendary “Big Wheel”, or a reasonable facsimile.

So with a renewed spirit and determination, Rylee buckled her helmet and got after it. The most difficult thing to get her to understand, and trust, was the concept that the faster you go, the easier it is to balance the bicycle. Now I had banked a lot of trust and credibility with her over her 6 short years, so I knew she’d buy into that idea. It was the same trepidation I remember having when I began learning to ride a motorcycle. Holding up a 700 lb. machine, and trying to duck-walk it, or by feathering the clutch  around a parking lot, is a lot more difficult than riding it down the road at 30 or 50 miles an hour. 

So only an hour later, everything clicked in for Rylee, and she was riding her bicycle steadily up and down the street and around the cul-de-sac near her house. The look on her face was priceless, and her whole demeanor changed to one of confidence, and pride in her accomplishment. Her little sister Jaelyn took notice too, but that’s a story for another day.

Oh yeah, she’s rolling with the big kids now.

Shortly thereafter, Logan, a classmate of hers, came zipping down the street and yelled out, “Hey Rylee, how ya doin’?” Then he zipped past her to the end of the block. He turned around, and on the way back he called out, “Hey Rylee, watch this!” (That is the smitten little boy’s attention-getter equivalent of “hold my beer”). So Logan raced up to us and at the last minute, jammed on the rear brake and cranked the handlebars sideways, attempting a rear-wheel slide stop. Unfortunately, his courage exceeded his skills, and he lost it, low-siding the bike. Still, he bravely popped up immediately, like he intended to do that, and announced, “I’m OK! Wasn’t that cool?!” Being a sensible girl, Rylee didn’t see the benefit of trying to fall, and dismissed his achievement as “silly.” (we don’t use the word “stupid” in her house – regardless of how stupid something really is).

That brings me back to Father’s Day. As soon as we took the bikes out, I could see a huge difference just from that previous day. Rylee was much more steady and more proficient in getting started, with a strong push-off on either pedal. She was also going faster. It was then that I began to recall my days back in the Motorcycle Safety Foundation classes, and the way I have helped several people learn to ride over the years.

They’ve always held an affinity for my motorcycles.

The first thing we needed to work on was lifting up her head to look out in front of her instead of looking at her feet or front wheel. I urged her to look down the road and watch for cars, or people backing out of their driveways, and anticipate any problems, so she could have an escape route if necessary. I also suggested she keep scanning her view and not focus on one thing like a bump or pothole, so she doesn’t get target fixation, and instead steer the bike to where she wants it to go.

I then explained that when she was turning around in the cul-de-sac, she needed only to lean the bike over a bit, and not try to wrestle the handlebars, as is necessary at low speeds. She didn’t have enough speed for the need to go into counter steering, but she caught on to the leaning idea, as I knew she would.

Sisters on wheels.

Her bike has a handbrake on the right side for the front wheel and a coaster brake for the rear, so I had her practice smooth stops and gentle use of the brakes, and when to put her feet down coming to a stop. That went well, too. Then we practiced panic stops. That was a little shaky, but she never dropped the bike or fell. I just wanted her to have the experience to stop quickly, if she gets spooked by a car or anything else she might encounter unexpectedly.

So when I sat down and watched her hone her newfound skills, I reflected on this day. She, unlike her sister, has always been interested in learning new things and skills with me, and always listens very well, asking good questions, and is patient enough to understand what I am saying before I let her try something. And I am always very patient with her. Rylee usually picks things up quickly. She is fun to coach up, whether hitting a baseball, golf ball, dribbling a basketball, raking leaves, or cutting food.

My “pit crew”.

But this was different. I think her bicycle is going to be for her, like my motorcycles are for me. She’s never gone faster other than an amusement park ride, and now this is under her own power. She loves the feeling of the wind in her face, and having more freedom of movement, outside of her small world. Mom will let her go around the block, out of site for a while with no supervision, to explore her world  a bit more on her own. And her range will only increase every month.

Rylee will like the social aspect of riding with other kids, too. She won’t be going on “poker runs” anytime soon, but just circling the block with two or three other kids is the same thing for her, socially. She’ll figure out the do’s and don’t’s of riding solo or in a pack. I, like most of you readers, consider my motorcycles to be my “freedom machines”, an activity to get out with the wind in my face, enjoying the sights and sounds around me, and exploring new roads and places. And if you’re riding with buddies, the friendly interaction when you stop is another benefit. Rylee’s two-wheeler will become just that for her very soon. More than transportation, mastering the skill will give her satisfaction and confidence, and it will be an exhilarating experience that she’ll miss in the winter.

Another little “hard case nugget” to one day teach how to ride as well. And no, I would never actually haul a child like this. Did make for a funny and even cute photo, however.

Since Rylee was a year old, she LOVED to sit on my motorcycle, to hear the noise and feel the vibration of the machine. When I’d take her hand and rev the engine, she’d giggle with delight. As she got just a bit older, she could rev it herself, which she really got a kick out of. She couldn’t talk, but she called it my “Zoom-Zoom”, and even helped me wash the bike as soon as she could walk. She still asks me if we can wash the bikes anytime she’s here when the weather is warm.

I am envious of guys who become grandparents at a younger age, so they can get to do more things when they still are more fit and athletic. I’d have loved to buy her a pee-wee dirt bike, and go riding with her and teach her, as I learned that skill myself. And I dreamt of the day when she would be old enough for me to take her for a spin on the back with me. But as it stands now, I may not be riding by the time I get permission from her mother. The best I can hope for is that in the next few years I can teach her how to keep a secret from her mother, and not throw me under the bus!!

Starting them young,

Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman