Page 13 - North State Parent June 2020

Tips for Mountain Biking with Kids
Before Heading Out
Now that you have your route planned, it’s benefi- cial to be sure you’re prepared.
That means a few things:
• Snacks. Gummies and fruit squeeze packs are a hit
with my crew.
• Water. Either carry extra yourself or find a way to
have your younger rider carry it.
• Sunscreen. Watch the brow line so it doesn’t sweat
into their eyes.
• Windbreaker. You can wear it or sit upon it to enjoy
snacks.
• Bike check. A quick pre-ride brake, tire and helmet
check to ensure proper function.
Time to Rally and Ride
Make time for play. Kids are great at this! If the trailhead parking allows for it, encourage your child to ride and practice skills like steering through a little rock slalom, wheel lifts over sticks, and stand-up pedaling. This is a great parent hack for giving you time to focus on packing and gearing up for your ride.
On the trail, practice safe riding etiquette. When riding with two adults, ride sandwich-style—placing one adult in front and one in back, with kids in the middle. When riding with one adult, place the adult in the front. This is critical to control the speed of your riders and to stop and regroup before approaching something technical on the trail.
When approaching another rider, remember that the uphill rider has the right of way, so pull to the side, just off the trail and let them pass. This goes for snack breaks or other stops along the way. Keeping riders and bikes off the trail makes for happy trail users.
Now let the good times roll! While it is mostly fun, at times mountain biking can be frustrating or difficult. Riders differ and adding kids to the mix only heightens the variability. I’ve found that it helps to stay positive and
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not react to their stream of consciousness. Cheering on successes and setting goals like, “Let’s just pedal up to that tree and then take a quick rest in the shade” can be helpful. Or sometimes acknowledging, “I’m tired too. This is fun but hard work. We’ll be at the creek in a few more pedals. Let’s take a break there.” When in doubt, high-fives, distracting games like 20 Ques- tions or I Spy and trail-side dance parties can usually shake off the grumpies.
Enjoy the Journey and Maybe the Destination, Too
Help your kids build their riding skills first, so they feel confident and enjoy the challenges and rewards of mountain biking when you hit the trails. At home, take neighborhood adventure rides. Set up little obstacle courses to help build skills for balancing, aiming and turning, riding uneven surfaces and offering some practice uphill and downhill. When you help a child gain stamina and confidence on their bike, you help create a great first mountain biking experience that leads to a lifelong love of cycling.
For some adult riders, mountain bik-
ing can be all about the destination. We
feel satisfied when we’ve completed the
loop or reached our turnaround point.
Kids, for better or worse, are not this way.
They are so much more invested in the
journey than the destination. Kids might
also be inclined to session or repeat a fun
and challenging section of trail. Embrace
it! As adults, we should practice this more
often. Although kids may need some prodding to perse- vere, they may be just as happy to ride to a creek, stop for a swim, climb a tree, chase a butterfly and then ride back. And some of those times, we as adults need to dig deep, plunge in the creek, celebrate with them and then plan the next ride. Ó
– Anne Thomas, Executive Director, Shasta Living Streets (shastalivingstreets.org)
Jenn Adams is a Bozeman, Montana-based parent, and a coach for Bozeman Youth Cycling. She’s always angling for more time to ride her bike, with and without kids.
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