Jackson Rides a Bike

Sometime last summer, back when we were still living in Castle Rock, Jackson requested that we take the training wheels off Travis.  Travis Michaelson that is.  Because every child gives his bike a first and last name right?  We obliged, took a few obligatory photos and  a video or two and let him roll.

It was a valiant effort, but not particularly successful.  It was only a few days before he wanted the wheels back, but we insisted that they were off for good and he needed to learn to ride without them.  As a result, the bike sat untouched for nearly three months.

On occasion Drew or I would suggest that he give the bike another try but Jack was completely uninterested.

One day in late October while taking Ruby for a quick walk after school Jackson asked if he could ride Travis.  He was worried that Travis was getting a little lonely hanging in the garage all by himself.  (And I imagine the twin 6-year-old girls next door who rode their bikes - without training wheels - had a little to do with it as well.)  It was the first time Jack had expressed an unprompted interest in his bike since the training wheels came off so I seized the moment.  I spent the rest of our walk explaining to him how easy it was going to be for him to ride on two wheels.  I told him it was all about keeping your balance and looking straight ahead while your legs did all the work.  I reminded him what a good athlete he is and that he is very strong so it was going to be a piece of cake for him.  By the time we got back to the house he was pumped up and ready to go.

Drew was still at work, but I decided to keep going while we had this momentum.  We walked across the street where there is a nice wide sidewalk through a green belt area.  I held on to the back of his seat while Jack got his balance.  Then I gave him a little push and let go.

I'm not sure which of us was more surprised when he pedaled away as though he'd been riding forever.

No running behind and holding the seat.  No crashes and skinned knees.  No lesson from Dad, a former cyclist himself.  I like to think my pep talk had a little to do with his instant success, but more than anything I think he was just ready.  We were both pretty proud to show off his new skills when Drew pulled down the street and witnessed the little cyclist in action.

Since then Travis has been replaced with Travis 2 thanks to Grump, the avid cyclist who always seems to have the next size bike ready and waiting for the grandchildren.  Jackson has been on countless bike rides, including a 6 mile trek on the river trails when Gram & Grump visited over Thanksgiving.  There were also a couple of helmets under the Christmas tree this year so now the whole family is ready to hit the trails once the weather warms up.

And just like that, Jackson Rides a Bike!