Cycling Interests Start Early

A parent might be the first influencer that a child has to gain an interest in cycling and this exposure to cycling will also give the child the chance to enjoy the first taste of freedom outside the home. The cycling machine that is perfect for children under the age of four will be one that is based on three wheels, instead of the customary two and the largest wheel used for this type of cycling will be located in the front.

The parent will purchase a tricycle to let their child have the opportunity to build motor skills and get some form of exercise after being confined to a house all day. The child will be given handles to control the steering of the cycle, and rely on the two matching wheels in the back to support their weight while mechanisms propel them forward. This type of cycling does not have braking mechanisms and will rely on the child's feet to stop the cycle at any time.

Friends might inspire a youngster to graduate from a tricycle to a bicycle by pedaling around the neighborhood in front of their house. It will be the parent though that teaches the child to ride on two wheels. There will be countless attempts made by the child on a secluded street to ride solo for the first time in their life. There will be plenty of scrapes and bruises along the way but each one will seem like a badge of courage and a method to reach a certain level of independence.

The first solo ride on a bicycle might be wobbly at first. As the child learns to manage pedaling the bicycle and guiding the handlebars in the direction that they want to go, the final accomplishments of riding a bicycle solo will be a small victory that their child will remember throughout their lifetime. This simple feat will be one of the greatest memories that a parent will have of that child at such a young age.

With the help of a bicycle, a child will grow strong over the years and form many friendships along the way. Neighborhood friends might inspire a boy to ask their parents for a mountain bike so that they can perform competitively against friends on a local dirt trail that they have honed out in the woods. This will be the first attempt that a child will have at participating in a competitive sport and winning the first race will be a monumental advancement in the child's achievements that are reached in life.

If the family visited a state park on vacation, the children might be exposed to competitive cycling of another kind. College students usually gather at state parks and practice the art of drafting and pedaling in unison in small groups. A child could be inspired to try these techniques with friends in their local neighborhood and practice it enough to participate in local cycling tournaments that are perfect for their age group.