I Like To Ride My Bicycle

Why knew that I could be trusted in charge of a six and a seven year old on the back roads and tow-paths of our local town? I found out this afternoon that I could indeed be trusted, but that I also needed eyes in the back of my head. To take two small children out on bikes “ on the road “ you need to be able to ride a your own bike completely on autopilot (luckily I can do that bit). You need to watch how straight a line they are keeping on the road, how far they are from the kerb, how consistent that distance is, how fast they are, and look both ahead and behind you for hazards, other road users, and situations you might avoid before they even start to happen. We left in the early afternoon with the promise of cycling down to the river “ a journey that would have been a pretty short and uneventful cycle if not for the local Rugby Club deciding that their fields are “private property” from the town side (which is completely untrue “ there are a couple of rights of way through their grounds). I therefore found myself taking the children on a magical mystery tour of the edge of town “ across railway lines, down quiet avenues, across playing fields, and finally onto the towpath alongside the River Thames. Half a mile of bumping and giggling saw us arrive at a suitably shaded spot to refuel on chocolate bars and water. It didn’t escape the children’s attention that the river could probably be waded into on a sunny day. “Can we go swimming?” “Do you have a swimsuit or a towel with you?” The journey home saw us take a shortcut through the earlier avoided rugby fields, and back through town. Continued success in keeping to the correct side of the road let me drop my guard for a moment, and suddenly Little Miss Seven was on the wrong side of the road at a junction. Thankfully the road was deserted, but it was a great reminder to explain WAY further ahead where we would be going. I’ll try to forget our first turn out of the house “Are we going left or right Dad?” “Left”and she proceeded to turn confidently right.