A nice Saturday ride

Saturday morning came and my grandson got up before the heat was too great so we decided it was time for another ride.  He had been asking to go, but it was always after it was well over 100 degrees and that was just too hot.  This morning it was only 93 or so and there were actually a few clouds about so it was time to go.

We headed to the garage, me following him since he had no patience waiting for me to get my shoes on.  He had "checked" his tires, but only by feel and he was about 10 lbs. low on the air pressure.  Of course he then had to wait for me to top mine off - they were close to 20 lbs low.  It is amazing to me how quickly the tires lose pressure in the heat and dry conditions.

I decided to take him around my normal training loop which was about a mile in length and the goal was for him to ride 5 miles.  We started off and he was raring to go.  He set a relatively quick pace for his 20" and it didn't last very long.  The route takes us on a gentle climb up the block, around the corner and up a little hill. He was quickly slowing on the "hill" but made the first lap with no problems.

On climbing the hill the second time he said hit was time to stop for a rest.  We pulled over and he removed his helmet and relaxed for a minute.  Then he was ready to go.  I don't think he got much rest there in the time we took, but he felt it was enough.  We completed that lap and moved into the third.  He again wanted to rest at the stop sign at the top of the hill, but I convinced him he could keep going and he did.  I showed him how to recover on the gentle descent and he rested his legs.  he did decide he needed a drink as we approached the house.

As he headed in, I told him I would be back and took off for a lap on my own.  I think I doubled my speed and halved my time on that lap.  As I approached the house he wasn't out yet, so I did a couple of circles in the street waiting for him.

He came out and jumped on his bike with out his helmet thinking I wouldn't notice.  I sent him back in to get it and we were then off for another lap.

I could tell he was getting bored with the route, so to vary it, I took an lap around the inner loop through a small subdivision the main loop rides around.  After this we headed back towards the house and he asked if he could be done.  I said sure since the sun had come through and he had reached his goal of riding 5 miles in one stretch.

As soon as my wife came home he couldn't wait to tell her "Grandma I rode 5 miles!" and he was very proud of himself and I of him.

Here is a look at the Strava for the ride:

I had told him I was going to look for a larger bike with gears on it for him so that is my mission this week so that we can extend his range and get something that he can put more miles on.  I'm looking at a 24" mountain bike as he likes to take his bikes off curbs and over obstacles instead of going around them.