It's Sunday morning, the sun is up and the heat is starting to build for the day. The forecast is only to hit 103, unlike the 113 we hit last week. My riding partner is finally up and we are ready for a ride about 8:30. Jacob and I head out to the garage to check the air in the tires and get ready for our first ride of the summer.
He feels his tires and declares them OK, but I know better. I put on the pump and show him the gauge which reads about 18 lbs. I ask him how much air they should have and he doesn't know. I show him how to figure it out by reading the sidewall of the tire. His require 35 PSI max. We pump them up and then attend to mine. Once we are all aired up we put on our helmets, open the garage door and head out for our ride.
The sun is warm, but not oppressive as we pedal west. We stop a few houses up the street to adjust his seat as it was too low for him. It seems he may have outgrown his 20 inch bike he just got at Christmas.
I show him the new wall on Quarterhorse where the desert has been hidden and new houses are being built. We head uphill to Pebble and he mentions that his legs are already getting a little tired. I use this to pitch finding a larger bike for him with gears. He says he doesn't like gears, but by the time we are done with the ride, his opinion will change.
Once we get to pebble, we can then head down to Durango with the slight down grade all the way. He notices the lack of pedaling on my part compared to all the work he is doing and decides that gears and larger tires wouldn't be a bad thing. So now I'm in the market for a used 24" bike to get him some better gearing for the road.
Once we hit Durango I instruct him on the proper etiquette and riding position as it can be a fairly busy road and there is a section about 30 yards long where the shoulder is only about a foot wide. He is excited about having ridden on his first "road ride" and when we get back is eager to go on more over the course of the summer.
We didn't go far, just over 2 miles, but it was a great ride. No we have to work on building his strength and stamina and get him more experience on the road.
He will remember that ride for the rest of his life.
ReplyDeletetj
And so will you Dan!
ReplyDeleteHey Dan, I wanted to say thanks to you for visiting and commenting on my blog. I've been catching up and reading some of your older blogs.....Good job on fatty's 100 MON! That 4AM start time shows your dedication.
ReplyDeleteI hope you keep up with the riding, it has been a lifesaver for me, physically and mentally. A brief story; I was officiating High School Basketball but had to quit because of some foot problems. I got up to 244 lbs. Got busy on bikes and got myself down to 185. That was 8 years ago and I have settled into a normal weight of 205 or so for the last 5 years. Less during the summer as I ride more. The bike made it happen! Still a Clyde but a happy one!
Good Luck!!
Jim