There is a kid in town that races a few different disciplines of cycling: Enduro, XC, and some cross racing.
He is mid teens and has already seen some solid success on a national level.
I hear through his dad, that he is getting coaching, he trains almost like a pro, and, from the outside looking in, he is obviously a driven rider.
One night after work this week, I took Rhyley and Regan down to the Sportsplex with their bikes, in the hopes that I could burn them out a bit before bed.
Both my kids wanted to race down the hills and then blast back up for another lap. Soon they were bored with the sidewalk and found some more challenging terrain on the bumpy grass slopes.
While Rhyley and Regan were smashing out laps and giggling non stop, I noticed the local racer kid.
It didn’t look like he was training, or really focusing on anything. He was just jumping around, doing some manuals, and generally goofing off on his bike.
I watched two little kids just having fun in the park, and I watched an up-and-coming racer spend some spare time on his bike … it looked alike in many ways. Just some young riders goofing off, doing what they are passionate about, for no other reason than having fun.
My kids don’t race, but they clearly love riding bikes and any time you ask them what they want to do, it’s riding.
And it’s nice to see that as kids get older and get far more focused on training, and racing, and results, that they still manage to just goof off on their bikes once in a while.
So, next time you’re commuting to work, ride through the puddles. Next time you’re trying to set a Strava time, take the slow technical line instead of the fast boring line. Next time you’re riding up a big long hill, slow down a bit and practice your wheelies.
Just goof off on your bike once in a while, because isn’t that why we all started?
I’m James Durand and I’m Going’ Ridin’…