Share your cycling passion with your children
It’s not that easy to live your passion and at the same time to get a glowing family life. It's the case in several passions, especially in many sport and cycling in particular. It’s indeed a sport where you have to train a lot, during hours (it’s different if you’re practicing middle distance for example). Between the training, the mechanics, the team meetings, the races, cycling is a passion that monopolizes a lot of time. But that's no reason not to share your time and passion with your family. So we’re going to try to help and to bring you some advice to share your cycling passion with your family and your children.

Teach your children how to ride a bike
It seems obvious but if you want to share your passion with your children, just begin by teaching them how to ride a bike. You will not waste your time, everything will be easier if your child is comfortable with the practice. Try to find the good moment in a year to spend time with them to teach : spring, in holidays in summer or in September when they are going back to school.
Age is an important factor to take in consideration when you will start to teach cycling to your child. In most cases, a child can learn how to ride a bike without small wheels around 4 years old. Keep in mind that every child is different and that a “normal” age is just a theory on paper, and that it has to stay a pleasure for children.
Try to teach funny with creativity and originality to make children want to ride. Children have to learn and understand by themselves the brakes, how to push on pedals, how to make the bell rings… Try some funny exercises to make it feel like a game.
Choose the suitable bike for your children
It will be easier to ride with your children if they are comfortable with their bike. It seems simple to choose when you are an adult : you follow your tastes, a brand, your budget… but different type of bikes exist for children depending on their age and other factors. Let’s discover them :
- the tricycle bike (obviously for babies) : a small box is at the back of your bike to carry your children. It’s a way to discover cycling from an early age.
- the balance bike (when your children begin to walk) : without pedals, your children push on the balance bike with their feet on the ground. It’s a way to learn balance, one of the essential things to know.
- the small-wheels children’s bike (for children aged 3 and after) : the bike has small wheels to ensure stability even after the child has learned how to balance with the balance bike. Don’t hesitate to customize the bike !
the children’s bike without small-wheels : let’s go without small-wheels ! After controlling the balance and stability, it’s time to have a “real” bike like an adult. Pay attention to your children’s height to change the bike as often as necessary.

Share the advantages
We spoke a lot about children but you can also share your passion with other people close to you : people you love, your parents, your family, your friends, your colleagues… As long as you’re not alone if it’s what you want of course.
If riding is not their passion, try to explain to them the advantages to ride (and there are a lot!) :
- Begin by speaking about the well-being that you feel when you’re riding, whenever it’s during your free time or for your work-house journey.
- Share about the mental health benefits : mood, maintaining the brain, avoiding stress, preventing sedentary lifestyle…
- Speak about the environmental advantages for the planet, and the advantages to take your bike compared to take your car or the metro
- And talk about the advantages to share a sporting moment with the ones you love !
Choose a route that is adapted to everyone
Depending on with whom you’re riding, choose a route that is adapted to them. You can follow cycle paths, minor roads, paths or anything else. Especially when you’re with your children, try to think about a route with a goal at the end : it can be a beautiful lake, a play area, a place that they love, a thing to eat (an ice cream for example). The idea is that they’re riding without thinking about the bike in order to never get bored.
If you’re with adults, try to think about an interesting route, with a beautiful landscape like a lake or a pass : they have to remember that they went to a nice place by bike. Help yourself by looking on the internet websites with maps.
You can also try to participate in a short-lived event organized by a cycling federation or some private association.

Prepare your day
In addition to the preparation of the route, try also to prepare the entire day :
- Get enough water for everyone, or give some advice to the others as they will have the adequate quantity
- Prepare the place where you will be able to get some extra water
- Prepare also the picnic and look for a place to eat before the ride (people are always irritable when they are hungry). Try to think about something special that your children like to eat : it will be a very nice source of motivation !
- Look after the weather : the ride will not be a good souvenir for everyone if you take a rain shower
Don’t forget that the experience will be better if everything is serene and easy, and a lot will look forward to the next ride.
Don’t be too greedy
It seems evident but it’s not that easy for a cyclist who is used to ride fast and in a particular way. Riding with your family means also to take your time, more time than alone, and accept to make some efforts in your practice. Accept to make some breaks, to visit a church, to take some pictures, to have a drink… It will be a new bike pleasure by taking your time.
You now have the keys to ride with your family and to share your cycling passion with your children. Let’s ride together !