Ahh...those summer days...

Last night, I biked with my 7 year old to the rock gym to climb, the sidewalks were hard-packed and plowed. Easy riding, though I expect it will be a little more challenging now that it has snowed, especially after the streets get plowed but before the sidewalks do. Happily, riding with kids in the winter isn’t too much of a challenge, except maybe mentally. When my boy was 4, I pulled him most of the winter in his chariot to daycare, before and after work. When he was in kindergarten, and had graduated to the trail-a-bike, I used the bus and foot to get him from school in the winter because I didn’t manage to get the studded tires on my bike that winter…don’t ask me why. This year he is in first grade. I have my studded tires on. The trail-a-bike doesn’t have a studded tire, and at first I was nervous about that, but it doesn’t seem to be a problem at all. Soft trails can be a bit more of a challenge because of the extra weight I am pulling, but I can make it up all of the midtown/downtown hills with just a little extra effort. Next year maybe he’ll graduate to his own bike with studded tires, but for now this is the quickest way to commute by bike.

The mental challenges can be big, though, and when I don’t feel up to pulling the weight, or it is extra cold, or it has just snowed (in general, most of the time) I am more likely to run over to his school and take the bus home with him. But every time we do take the bike it is a do-able, fun adventure. Even on the really cold days, it is never as bad as feared ahead of time. He wears a thin face mask under his helmet, and appropriate layers under his snowsuit. We put a blinky red light on the back of his helmet, and a white light facing front on both of our handlebars, and away we go! I’m not an especially athletic or adventurous woman, compared to some of the amazing moms I see around the trails, so most anyone in decent general shape should be able to occasionally bike commute with a child or two all winter – bike defensively, slow down or walk if you need to for interesting plowing conditions, and make sure you are both visible! Happy riding!