ZippyThePinhead

I was out on a local MUP with a gaggle of 3rd-6th grade boys this morning. About 20 in all, plus the adults. We went down to the beach and back, 27 miles in all.

The reaction from several cyclists on the trail was interesting. I recall one 50-ish guy, in particular, shaking his head with obvious disdain. I narrowly avoided a collision with another rider who attempted to pass the mass of all of us without saying anything except "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" as he narrowly missed me and a couple of the kids. I would guess he had slowed from 20+ mph to maybe 15 mph.

I think I understand where that disdainful guy was coming from; I'm not much of a cyclist, but I do about 75 miles/week on that same MUP. Kids are worrisome when you're on the trail.

At the same time, is it bad to try getting some kids interested in riding?

WhyFi

As long as you also instill some type of discipline, how could it be a bad thing?

RUOkie

It was a saturday. Saturdays are made for kids. It is a MUP, if he wanted to have an unobstructed ride, he should have been on the road.

shopgirl

I think it's great to get kids interested in cycling. It's better and cheaper than a lot of other things kids are interested in, like video games.
Also- kind of on topic here- I think it's funny how many of those kids that started riding fixies a few years ago, when they were in middle school and high school, eventually got bored with them and have now moved to road bikes. I've met plenty of guys who got really into cycling that way.

chicagogal

I think getting kids into cycling is FANTASTIC!!! Not only do they get to try out a great sport, but they get introduced to a healthy lifestyle.

However, you had a HUGE group ride on a MUP, and whether it is a group of adults or kids, I don't think MUPs are the place for a ride of that size, because sharing the path safely can be a major challenge. I would recommend bringing smaller groups of kids out at a time and making sure that they understand the importance of respecting the center line, etc, and you should be fine.

Good luck!!!

surfrider

Nothing wrong with getting kids into bicycling, even a good +20 mile ride if they want to try it. I always think parents underestimate what kids can accomplish, and don't let them learn by failing (or experience) once in a while.

Won't fault the other cyclists on the SART, nor the kids, without more info, especially since it gets busy by mid-morning on a weekend: Were the kids made aware that there's traffic going both ways on the SART? And that they should stay on the right-hand side of the yellow lines that runs down the center of the SART? Do you expect other bicycle riders on the SART to treat all kids on bikes as "Tommys"(like Pete Townsend's character); deaf, dumb, blind, and totally oblivious to the real world around them? Were the other bicycle riders completely disregarding others (including kids of bickes) on the SART? Kind of a lot to consider.

kleinboogie

Do it. Teach them the rules of the road/MUP and they'll outnumber that bonehead going 20/15 past a pack of kids. GL

EventServices

I ride the rail-trails quite a bit to get to a better riding area. The one group that I dread more than any other (and thankfully only see them once or twice a year) is a gaggle of Boy Scouts. They are all over the place and completely in their own little world.

Sounds like you had your hands full. As long as you make an attempt to not be a menace to others, that's about all we can expect. Anyone who encounters a large group on the MUP just needs to chill and get through the ordeal.

It's hard for you to get them excited about riding if you're constantly yelling (ironic, huh?) at them to move right, slow down, speed up, move over, stop, wait, and follow all those rules.

DerekMcC

Get them riding. Keep them riding. It is probably pretty hard to control with a group that large. I worked with the cub scouts for a couple of years and we referred to all activities as "herding cats."

ZippyThePinhead

I've probably reacted the same way to kids on SART, and that's part of my point.

The kids were told simply and clearly to stay to the right, collisions are dangerous, the trail is crowded today, and so forth. But like someone I know is fond of saying, two boys together equals half a brain, three boys together equals a third of a brain, and on it goes. And for many of them it was their first time on the MUP, and they were rambunctious, excited, and, at the start, full of energy.

But having a trail like SART requires a certain critical mass of users, and seeing that one guy shake his head over such a minor inconvenience was sort of an epiphany for me, and got me to thinking: many probably think like him (even me sometimes), and don't show their reaction externally. We forget how we were twenty, thirty, forty years ago.

I'm going to try and remember this the next time I slow down for kids on the trail, and hopefully I'll not be so quick to grumble in my heart about the inconvenience.

thedeadone

yes it is great to get kids off the x-box and out in the sunshine. One thing you do not want to do is over push them. I learned this from experiance riding bikes with my own children.

Harun

that old grumpy man was shaking his head because he wished he hadn't waited half of his life to start riding, and all those kids were rubbing their happiness in his face.

nixternal

Take the kids to a crit, where they can watch the racing all day long. If they get bored, then it isn't for them. My daughter fell in love. I haven't had to push, do this or that, it is all her. She is all about her Trek, and of course Justin Bieber.

oilman_15106

If you do 75 miles a week on that MUP then you probably have seen just about every issue they can present a cyclist. Dog on one side, owner on the other with a 20 foot leash strung across the trail, roller bladders with Ipod that will not yield, gaggle of women talking blocking the entire thing, women jogger does a U turn without even looking and gets nailed by a bike, kid trying to learn to ride for the first time without the training wheels. The list is endless.

Kids and cycling a good thing. MUP and cycling with a large group a bad thing. Don't know if you have this option but several of the rail trails in our area are more rural and lightly used which would be better for the kind of group ride you described.

urbanknight

Anyone who rides the MUP on a Saturday should not expect to have an unobstructed workout. You gave the kids rules and had chaperones. Perhaps it would have been nice to break the kids into groups and space them out a few minutes apart to reduce the strain in passing all of them, but aside from that... if you got 20 kids to get into cycling, junior racing in So Cal has hope yet!

javal

Cool kids ride! Cooler kids have the right brand aswell!

Sixty Fiver

Cycling is one of the most enjoyable things a kid can do and as experienced cyclists and parents there is no better thing you can do than take them out and while they enjoy themselves and get some fresh air and exercise teach them the rules of the road.

My daughters have been riding on the road with me since they were 8 and 10 and are now 11 and 13 and have great riding skills and when we ride the MUP they follow the rules... they slow and ring their bells when they are passing peds and always slow when there are dogs about.

The oldest likes her laid back English three speed and won't ride anything else while my little monster commutes on her three speed with her sister, loves her mountain bike, and if she grows enough between now and September will be able to ride her new road bike and wants to come on an annual century ride I stage every fall.

The force is strong in my little one and my oldest, who struggled more with developing skills, has turned into a very capable rider and has some excellent form on a bike and this is her favourite form of exercise and relaxation.

Walter

Yes, yes and yes. And yes to the OP's question.

One of the (several) things that tell me that I'm getting older is the fact that kids and bikes are not a natural combo any longer.

I won't go into a long discourse except to say that when I was a kid my bike and I were inseparable and that I was pretty typical.

If you can help reverse the current trend you're doing good stuff.

EventServices

Truth.

miyata man

Ahhh, I remember when the cops started enforcing bike speed limits in parks and on MUP's in CO. You are only nimble at 25 mph until you scare someone into your wheel. Though it alternately infuriated and provided laughs there is no doubt it settled everyone down enough to make use of the public trails in multiple ways. If you can't take a group of kids down a 13 mile trail both ways without serious incident you should contact the authority who spends their budget to build and maintain the trail system. That is if you are sure that you were making all reasonable attempts to corral your rolling blockade so others could pass and not taunting them.

berner

Some days one wakes up full of energy and the desire to hop on the bike and go fast. On those days it is best to find quiet country roads where that road is almost yours alone. If on a particular day I merely wish to go for a bit of a spin, I'll ride the bike path. I've come to see that the bike path will have other people and many will not be cyclists. There will be strollers, joggers, runners, old folks and children on bikes or trikes. I think it is great that someone clearly in their 50s or 60s is out on roller blades with elbow and knee protection being active. I'm very careful around kids and I'm sure to announce I'm passing. I'll typically say to those kids,"Hey, great bike". I enjoy the fact that people are out with families. We need more MUPs.

learnmedia

I ride the SART frequently. Distracted, squirrelly kids–on bike and foot–are part of the landscape. Especially on Saturday. I love to see kids out there making their way to the beach. They are always riding with big grins on their faces. Of course, I'm an educator so I frequently deal with gaggles of 8-11-year-olds (try taking 300 kids on a field trip and being the one ultimately responsible for them). Sounds like you did great job. So what if a few roadies were inconvenienced.

That said my son's initial interest in cycling came by way of BMX. He raced and practiced at the old Coal Canyon track between Corona and Yorba Linda, the Orange Y track and others around So Cal. Being on a bike, making friends, training, racing, riding trails, et al was a great experience for him that has kept him into bikes. Over time and with a lull in between where he was focused on cars, this interest progressed into track cycling at the Velodrome in Carson and riding road (interestingly, he didn't ever transition to MTB). As a matter of fact I'll try to wake him up (some things never change) to see if he wants to ride as soon as I'm done watching Liege.

Whatever you can do to get kids out on bikes and encourage the healthy habit is good.

sdgrannygear

As long as the kids are doing what they should do and not weaving in and out of the other lane, ignore the curmudgeons. People that ride MUPs fast without expecting to slow for others, especially on weekends as many have mentioned before have a certain type of personality. These are the type of people that you just say whatever and move on, they have their own issues unrelated to the bike ride.

Mike F

My 9 year old daughter has picked up the desire to ride herself from watching her mother. She did a "USA kids triathalon" last year with her Target unicorn bike, streamers and all She finished in the end but was so happy. Friday, I was at Performance looking for some stuff and she ran off to the bike section and started screaming "daddy!!" She found this bike. We set some goals for her to meet (pretty big, but realistic) so its up to her. She love too ride and it beats the damn Disney Channel.

When riding we keep a tight leash on her with regards to safety and etiquette. Hope she meets her goals!

Fuji Ace 20

chicagogal

Mike,
I LOVE that story about your daughter. Do you mind telling us what goals she has set for herself? I am totally rooting for her!