Learning to Ride

At the end of the summer last year I'd worked with Sean a little on riding his bike without his training wheels. We have a small hill in the back yard and he was able to get some good speed going down the hill, but quickly had trouble trying to peddle through the grass around the playset.

Our neighborhood has a lot of hills which isn't an easy environment for a new learner.  A neighbor who has 2 boys a little older than Sean, told me he always uses the bus parking lot behind the school.  DUH, why didn't I think of that.. it's perfect!

So, this past weekend I took the training wheels back off and we loaded up the family to go over to the school.  While Amber and the girls played on the playgrounds, Sean and I tackled the bike riding.  He was very timid at first, having not tried this in several months and nervous of the hard asphalt beneath him.  After one excruciating lap, I decided to transition to the flat, somewhat grassy field besides the parking lot.  Immediately his attitude changed from self doubt, to I think I can do this.  Within no time he was riding around getting the feel of the bike, learning to keep his balance, even successfully navigating turns.

His confidence soared and he ventured a trip over to where the girls were playing.  After that success, he pushed himself more and decided to try a lap around the running track.  This is where he had his first major spill of the day... you gotta remember those brakes buddy!  Even after the crash, I was so proud of him that he wanted to keep trying.

A couple more sessions like this one and I think he'll be training wheels free.