The Twelve Mile Bike Ride

I've been chronicling Kayla's journey to becoming an independent bike rider and two years ago she finally started riding a bike.

The year following that we didn't do much bike riding out as a family, but Kayla would frequently ride her bike around the block and gained more confidence and independence. Finally we took a family bike ride was off of our street/block and through a different part of our development. It was about 2 miles and I don't know what took me so long to do that with Kayla. For some reason I kept thinking that although she was riding around our street, she still wasn't ready to venture beyond that. All went well and we did that multiple times last year.

Because we live in the South where it's warm pretty much year round, we found ourselves taking our bikes out to an actual bike/running/walking (paved) trail on Christmas Eve day when it was near 70 degrees. This was the first time we took our bikes out of development ... and one of the things I had been longing to do while waiting/hoping/wishing Kayla would learn to ride a bike.

We had no set goals or predetermined spot along the trail where we planned to stop and turn around. We just figured we would ride a bit until Kayla got tired and then turn around. This particular trail actually ends up at Kayla's school ... about 6 miles from where we started. We mentioned that to Kayla, not with the intention of biking out there, but just as a point of reference - Hey this goes to your school!

Well, that was all the motivation she needed and the goal was set: she wanted to bike to her school. Of course the context of six miles means nothing to her. She was on the Running Club at school last year and part of their run would take them on this trail, but no where near where we were starting, it was only out near the school and back. But since the trail looks similar most of the way through, Kayla kept thinking we were closer to her school by saying that's where they would run for Running Club.

Anyway, we made it out to her school and what I was afraid of happening did happen. She was done. There was no motivation to go back the six miles we just came to get back to our van. We just started pedaling to go back when it started, "My legs are tired." Not that I blamed her. I think we were too ambitious thinking we could do a 12.6 mile bike ride our first time out as a family. But we had no choice, we had to bike back the way we came.

Joe was able to distract her and make her forget about her tired legs and we were once again off. A few more complaints here and there, but overall she did great on the way back. Until that one time she decided to stop. She came to a dead stop with Joe biking right behind her. He was behind her because a couple was walking on the opposite side of the path. He crashed into her bike with his handlebars going into her back. Of course there were tears, lots of tears. I worried about her getting back on her bike and just knew she wouldn't after that; yet we weren't quite close enough to our van for it to be a quick walk either. This was the moment of truth - would she quit after the crash and refuse to get back on? Or would she get back on that horse again?

Joe was able to calm her down and thankfully the tears dried up and she did it. She got back on her bike and we finally made it back to the van.

I was so proud of her for completing our first bike ride out on a trail, and just over 12 miles at that!

The Great Bike Giveaway

Last summer I posted about Kayla's progress with riding a bike and how fortunate she was to win a Strider balance bike in The Great Bike Giveaway.

She hasn't progressed to a pedaled bike yet, she hasn't wanted to get back on her bike since she started riding the Strider bike. I think with the Strider she feels more in control since her feet can be constant contact with the ground to maintain balance and to easily right herself. While I'd like to see her attempt pedaling again I'm not rushing it since she enjoys the Strider and has some independence with it.

Example: Last weekend was Lucas's 7th (say what?!) birthday party. He wanted it at a park and he also asked his friends to bring their bikes so they could have fun riding around. Kayla was able to join in on the bike-riding fun too.

The Great Bike Giveaway is happening now and I wanted to share this great giveaway with other families who might not know about it. This is a national contest for children with disabilities to enter to win an adaptive bike. Friendship Circle partnered with several adaptive bike companies to offer several different styles of bikes for the contest.

Read more about how the contest works and enter here.

The Bike Chronicles Continued

I haven't done an update on Kayla's bike riding since this post in Feb 2013. After that post Kayla started riding her bike with training wheels fairly regularly. I thought I blogged about it, but can't find the post. She was finally independent on a bike; however, a bike with training wheels doesn't go very fast.

Last summer Kayla attended an I Can Shine (formerly Lose the Training Wheels) bike camp. While I wasn't expecting miracles, I was hoping for progress. She didn't get very far with it. They have a handle you can buy (which we did) that would attach to the back of the bike so the adult can help give support on a bike with no training wheels (and not hurt your back bending over to hold on to the seat). As you know when riding a bike: you have to have some speed to keep the bike balanced, upright, and going. She just wouldn't do it.

We brought it home and practiced whenever we could convince her to get on the bike. Her balance is just not there. She continued to enjoy riding the tandem-bike with me though, so at least there was that!

She would ask for her old bike - the one with training wheels - but they discourage you from going back to the training wheels after you've been to this camp. She really wanted to ride her training wheel bike down the street when other kids were riding their bikes, but I didn't want to take that step back. I finally sold it at a yard sale and then felt guilty. Extra guilty because it was her means of being independent on a bike and I took that away from her. But I wanted her to keep trying on her new bike with me holding the handle. She wanted me to take her new bike back to the store.

A few months ago I heard about a contest online called The Great Bike Giveaway. I had been eying the Strider bikes for a few years and saw they were one of the sponsors giving away bikes in this contest. But then I wondered if she was now too big for one of those balance bikes. She wasn't - they now make larger Strider bikes!

So I entered Kayla; and she won a Strider bike!

I should have taken video to show how she was when she first started using the Strider - just as with the bike with training wheels it was slow going. She basically was just walking with the bike between her legs. She wouldn't even really sit on the seat at first. I thought to myself that she will never get anywhere going like that! But she kept getting on it, kept wanting to ride it...was excited for this bike. She would ask if she could ride "my Strider." She started to get a little faster on the bike.

This is a very short clip of how she was on it in June:



And now look at her: She is getting enough speed and lifting both legs off the ground and coasting. Coasting! She is balancing on a 2-wheeled bike!


I might be just a little bit excited to see this progression in her. And I am feeling more confident that she will transition from her Strider bike to a pedal bike with 2 wheels.