another beautiful weekend
another weekend with mandatory bicycle rides
last weekend I imposed a bicycle ride with both of the boys
it worked out moderately well
we logged over 20 miles... Dean doing slightly more as I had him loop back so that he got to ride at his pace rather than the pace of his younger brother
that ride involved several stops with some short breaks for exploration
this weekend I wanted to ride straight through
it can be tough balancing the interests/goals/intensity/and capabilities of a 12 year old and a 10 year old boy
12 year old Dean is not only two and a half years older than his younger brother
he is also fast\fit\and strong on the bike for a 12 year old boy
so having the boys ride together can be a bit of a Catch 22
too fast/too long/too hard for 10 year old Grant
or too slow/too short/too easy for 12 year old Dean
who wins? who loses?
who complains?
who benefits the most?
who benefits the most?
who ends up having a bad day?
Saturday morning came with the standard Saturday morning events
the boys woke moderately early and raced downstairs to get on their screens
their crappy show played on the television screen
while each of the boys played some POV shoot em up game on their laptops
SCREEN IS THE DEVIL
I know... I am dancing with the devil right now
I slept a few extra minutes while the boys had the freedom to do as they chose with their morning
well... the freedom do as they chose up until time to eat breakfast and get suited up for Karate
Dean had to finalize a test for his Green Belt
which involved a written history test and the breaking of a board
Grant had his standard Tae Kwon Do practice
they are at different levels and work out at different times in different groups
which had Grant home earlier than Dean
when Grant got home I tried to motivate him to go for a bicycle ride
my suggestion was met with opposition
my direct orders were met with strong stubborn opposition
so I tried to use logic and reason
and compassion
Grant would not have it... Grant fought me
I hate when Grant fights me on this stuff
it is so hard to get the kids to participate in activities
all they want to do is screen...
they fight me on everything
Grant denied having fun on the bicycle ride the week prior
I told him that I had photos of him smiling
Grant objected claiming that the smiles were fake
I disagreed
through more talking I was able to get a hug from Grant and agreement that we could go for a short ride
Grant wanted to ride to "the stump"
to the stump and back... a loop just under 11 miles
to the stump and back... a loop just under 11 miles
that would work for me
Grant was given instructions to suit up while I got the bikes ready
I also told Grant that we would be pedaling straight through
no snack break at the stump
once on the bike Grant admitted to having fun on the bike the weekend prior
those words meant a lot to me
it is always better on the bike
there may be hesitation to get on the bike
but once on the bike
it is always better on the bike
we did our loop without much stopping and hanging out
we just pushed through
it was a short ride... but a good ride
not a bad ride for a 10 year old
not exactly a work out for an adult cyclist
it was something... better than nothing
returned home... then focused on getting Dean to ride once he returned from Karate
Dean is not one for backpedaling
he may give up a little opposition
but nothing like Grant
Dean voiced that his legs were tight from his Karate test the night before and then this morning
so I assured him we would be going for a short ride
Dean accepted... a short ride... a short mellow ride
I pulled Dean's single speed mountain bike out of the garage when I put the yellow cyclocross bike that Grant rode away
Dean got suited up and filled a water bottle
without much hassle we were on our way
Dean's legs were sore but things loosened up quickly enough
Dean and I did pretty much the exact loop that Grant and I had just done
I wanted to do more... but wanted to be fair to Dean
Dean had said he was tired and sore and only wanted a short ride
so a short ride was the objective
there was part of me that thought that the boys would be amused by the chance to compare the data
Strava can be fun... thought that they would be amused by the time comparisions
the park was filled to maximum capacity
all sorts of people doing all sorts of activities
cyclists of all ages and varying skill levels were heading in both directions
roller bladers and dog walkers also occupied the street
the Rock Creek Velo Peleton was out in full force
broken up into various groups based on age and intensity
I saw a short list of familiar faces
it was a no brainer
a spring-like day is the perfect day for a bike ride
especially in a winter where we have been battling weeks and weeks of intense cold
and more snow than we usually get
and yes...
there is the threat of more winter weather right around the corner
