Two Pre-Teen/Teen Tandem Team Rides down now

I'm leading a ride series with my bike club with the title, "Pre-Teen/Teen
Tandem Team". The concept was to get adult/kid tandem teams in shape to be
able to dovetail into the club's regular training series that begins in
March. My selfish motivation -- to get me and my daughter Rose into shape so
we can be able to similarly dovetail into the regular training series.

After leading two of these rides, I have found them to be a challenge. All
last summer I led kids' rides, but these were little cheesy rides down the
multi-use path for the most part, at a easy or leisurely pace. These rides
are at a low moderate (~15 mph), and are on the road. I not only have to
coordinate with my daughter on the tandem, but also coordinate with the rest
of the riders. As a result, my concentration is always up there -- there's
never a moment where I can let my mind wander a bit. How's Rose doing? How
are the other riders doing? What's that gravel doing there on the shoulder?
Look at this traffic -- holy cow! etc.

Last week's ride was tough. It had been cold but sunny up until the day of
the ride. The day of the ride, it was cold and wet. Then, it became cold and
even wetter. One team turned back; my daughter's lips turned blue and we had
to bail out of the ride a few miles before the end.

I felt awful -- I was ride leader, but I had to bail; my daughter was
hypothermic. I felt like I had let just about everyone down -- my kid, the
other riders, and even myself. I began to really worry about Rose and my
ambition to ride STP together this summer. Two hundred miles is a lot of
miles. Would we really be able to get into shape by July to be able to pull
it off? We couldn't seem to even do 20 miles on a rainy Sunday!

Today, I made sure Rose was dressed warmly enough. I made sure we had gotten
our stuff together and were ready to ride earlier in the morning than last
week, when we had to rush it. We had a 25 mile loop planned around Lake
Sammamish.There was a light rain, but not it wasn't pouring, and the temps
were in the low 40s.

This time, things went more smoothly. Rose was not in such bad straits. We
were damp but not chilled through this time. We got home in time for lunch.
Nothing like the restorative powers of tomato soup and mac and cheese.

We might even be able to pull off the 30 mile loop planned for next week!


--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

In article ,
"Claire Petersky" writes:

We might even be able to pull off the 30 mile loop planned for next week!

There ya go. In the end, things work out ...
despite our worriments.

Some of the ornamental cherry trees here are already
starting to blossom. It's gonna be an early spring,
and the weather will improve accordingly. Well, it'll
warm up more, anyway. I hope. Maybe in the meantime
it wouldn't hurt to pack along some extra pullovers,
though, for just in case. Lately for my night rides,
with temps around freezing, I've been wearing two
pullovers plus a padded jack shirt over top.
Sheer comfort!


cheers,
Tom

--
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Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

Claire Petersky wrote:
I'm leading a ride series with my bike club with the title, "Pre-Teen/Teen
Tandem Team". The concept was to get adult/kid tandem teams in shape to be
able to dovetail into the club's regular training series that begins in
March. My selfish motivation -- to get me and my daughter Rose into shape so
we can be able to similarly dovetail into the regular training series.

After leading two of these rides, I have found them to be a challenge. All
last summer I led kids' rides, but these were little cheesy rides down the
multi-use path for the most part, at a easy or leisurely pace. These rides
are at a low moderate (~15 mph), and are on the road. I not only have to
coordinate with my daughter on the tandem, but also coordinate with the rest
of the riders. As a result, my concentration is always up there -- there's
never a moment where I can let my mind wander a bit. How's Rose doing? How
are the other riders doing? What's that gravel doing there on the shoulder?
Look at this traffic -- holy cow! etc.

Welcome to my world. Training and pre-teens cannot happen together.I
have tried and they are always stopping to look at something or doing
something you have to correct, or traffic is too dense. Little Johnny
just couldn't resist that mud puddle and mucked it up, etc. 15 MPH, and
I get "Grandpa, you're riding too fast, so it winds up a non training
ride for me and turns into a sight seeing ride. The longest ride I have
been able to take with kids (17, 13, 10) was about 20-22 miles and when
we got back they said that was too long.

Last week's ride was tough. It had been cold but sunny up until the day of
the ride. The day of the ride, it was cold and wet. Then, it became cold and
even wetter. One team turned back; my daughter's lips turned blue and we had
to bail out of the ride a few miles before the end.

Back packs whether they look cool or not are a necessity with a lot of
kids and uncertain weather. Bike mount water bottles full, each bike,
and back packs with some cold weather gear in addition to food and first
aid stuff, tools, and gloves for the cold. Also a cell phone that will
cover the areas you ride in case of the worst scenarios, multiple flats
or a broken bike that needs attention. Worst still, an accident with
injury, and I have been lucky the worst was a fractured/badly sprained
wrist but I still had to make the call for my wife to pick up the girl,
9 at the time.

Stuff happens.

I felt awful -- I was ride leader, but I had to bail; my daughter was
hypothermic. I felt like I had let just about everyone down -- my kid, the
other riders, and even myself. I began to really worry about Rose and my
ambition to ride STP together this summer. Two hundred miles is a lot of
miles. Would we really be able to get into shape by July to be able to pull
it off? We couldn't seem to even do 20 miles on a rainy Sunday!

200 miles is a lot of miles for any age group and you will be lucky to
get any of the young ones through it. If you do it will be a minor
miracle but a major victory for you.

Today, I made sure Rose was dressed warmly enough. I made sure we had gotten
our stuff together and were ready to ride earlier in the morning than last
week, when we had to rush it. We had a 25 mile loop planned around Lake
Sammamish.There was a light rain, but not it wasn't pouring, and the temps
were in the low 40s.

I think 25 miles in one ride is near the threshold for kids. 30 tops.

This time, things went more smoothly. Rose was not in such bad straits. We
were damp but not chilled through this time. We got home in time for lunch.
Nothing like the restorative powers of tomato soup and mac and cheese.

Even if she catches a cold on one of these it will not be a bad thing
and will actually boost her immune system. Just as long a she does not
go for broke and catch Pneumonia. I hope you have a healthy family history.

We might even be able to pull off the 30 mile loop planned for next week!


All I can say at this early point in the season is good luck with
training. Due to the hypothermic episodes I think you have a bit to
learn about layering and packing enough clothes for weather changes. It
is better to look 'not cool' than to be caught unprepared. A worst case
emergency rain suit can be fashioned out of a large garbage bag with
cutouts for the head and arms. It takes no room until used, looks like a
homeless person if you do need to use it, but could save your life in a
weather emergency.
Bill Baka

"Claire Petersky" wrote in message
...
I'm leading a ride series with my bike club with the title, "Pre-Teen/Teen
Tandem Team". The concept was to get adult/kid tandem teams in shape to be
able to dovetail into the club's regular training series that begins in
March. My selfish motivation -- to get me and my daughter Rose into shape
so
we can be able to similarly dovetail into the regular training series.

This sounds like a great program. I hope you have some better weather for
the upcoming training rides.

The snow and ice are finally melted around here and I had time to get out
for a short ride this weekend. It was great!

Good luck with the training rides.

Beverly

b_baka wrote:
Welcome to my world. Training and pre-teens cannot happen together.I
have tried and they are always stopping to look at something or doing

something you have to correct, or traffic is too dense. Little Johnny

just couldn't resist that mud puddle and mucked it up, etc.

They are on a tandem, and Claire (the grown-up) is driving. Rose
can't stop and look at stuff unless Claire does.

....
All I can say at this early point in the season is good luck with
training.

They live in the Seattle area. (The year I went out there to do the
bike show, I bought some shorts from another vendor, and wore them that
weekend. Blooming flower baskets on outdoor balconies. Green grass.
IIRC it was sunny all three days. This was President's Weekend, i.e.
today.)

Hey Claire, at least you got out. Know of any other pre-teens
wanting to do STP?

--Karen M.

Claire Petersky wrote:

...
After leading two of these rides, I have found them to be a
challenge. ...

Last week's ride was tough. It had been cold but sunny up until the
day of
the ride. The day of the ride, it was cold and wet. Then, it became
cold and
even wetter. One team turned back; my daughter's lips turned blue and
we had
to bail out of the ride a few miles before the end.

I felt awful -- I was ride leader, but I had to bail; my daughter was
hypothermic. I felt like I had let just about everyone down...

I rode many, many miles with my daughter on our tandem. And yes, I can
remember one day she got very, very cold on the back of the bike.
You're not alone.

Inclement weather clothing for kids can be tricky, and especially so on
the back of a tandem. Even on a single, the rapidly changing effects
of exertion and wind chill make it tricky. On a tandem, I think it's
even worse.

You don't say how old your daughter is (or if you did, I missed it).
But if you've got her even thinking about doing STP, you're way ahead
of where I was. We got along terrifically at that age, but long
distance biking just wasn't her thing. So you certainly deserve
congratulations.


BTW, my daughter did pretty much drop out of biking for six or seven
years. But after she graduated college, we rode coast to coast -
daugher, Mom & Dad - at her invitation. So sometimes the seeds we
plant do take root.

Keep it going, Claire.

Veloise wrote:
b_baka wrote:

Welcome to my world. Training and pre-teens cannot happen together.I
have tried and they are always stopping to look at something or doing


something you have to correct, or traffic is too dense. Little Johnny


just couldn't resist that mud puddle and mucked it up, etc.


They are on a tandem, and Claire (the grown-up) is driving. Rose
can't stop and look at stuff unless Claire does.

OK, tandem works.
...

All I can say at this early point in the season is good luck with
training.


They live in the Seattle area. (The year I went out there to do the
bike show, I bought some shorts from another vendor, and wore them that
weekend. Blooming flower baskets on outdoor balconies. Green grass.
IIRC it was sunny all three days. This was President's Weekend, i.e.
today.)

Been there, love the area, lived in Snoqualmie for 1 year, then moved
back to California, work issues.

Hey Claire, at least you got out. Know of any other pre-teens
wanting to do STP?

--Karen M.

Well Claire, as long as you are driving, have fun with it. It sounds
like a good way to get a kid to actually train.
Bill Baka

Claire Petersky wrote:
I'm leading a ride series with my bike club with the title, "Pre-Teen/Teen
Tandem Team". The concept was to get adult/kid tandem teams in shape to be
able to dovetail into the club's regular training series that begins in
March. My selfish motivation -- to get me and my daughter Rose into shape so
we can be able to similarly dovetail into the regular training series.

snip

We might even be able to pull off the 30 mile loop planned for next week!

I have soooooo many years to wait until Aixi and I are ready fot that
sort of thing. I have the kid cranks for the Tandem, but it will be a
while before she's ready for that. I hope you guys manage STP this
year. Hopefully I'll get a chance to do it also.

--
Dane Jackson - z u v e m b i @ u n i x b i g o t s . o r g
"If once a man indulges himself in murder, very soon he comes to think
little of robbing; and from robbing he next comes to drinking and
Sabbath-breaking, and from that to incivility and procrastination."
- Thomas De Quincey (1785 - 1859)