Taking off the Training Wheels

In the summer of 2007, when Maya was just four years old, one of her peers was already riding a bicycle without training wheels. Her parents told us that she was able to balance on her bicycle after she had learned how to balance on her scooter.

Of course, Maya got a scooter from Santa last Christmas. We brought it with us to Ecuador this summer and as June became July, I noticed that Maya had pretty much mastered the thing.

There was a large, paved courtyard outside the apartment building in Quito where we lived and many afternoons while waiting for Rebecca to come home from work, Maya and Jonah would scoot themselves around the yard at great speed and with impeccable balance. A lot of times Maya would have only one foot on the platform while her free leg would be poised in mid-air – her flamingo pose.

Other times, I would count Mississippi’s to see how fast they could get from here to there. In those instances Maya would be hunched over her machine, her leg pushing frantically off the ground to gain the speed to beat her last time. Yes, I always feared she’d hit a pebble or something and face-plant into the ground, but she never did.

The other feat that she accomplished on her scooter this summer was to inch her way down the steep hill on the way home from her school. She would keep both of her feet on the platform and control her speed with the foot brake while steering herself around the bumps, cracks, debris and dog crap littering the sidewalk. It was pretty impressive (especially since the sidewalk is not exactly what one would call “newly poured” or “just swept”) and I suspected that balancing on her bike would be a relative breeze.

And it was. I took the training wheels off her bike a day or two after we got home, and we went into the park to see if she could ride. I held onto her bicycle seat as she pedaled across the field. I let go for an instant and she was riding her bicycle. However, Maya has to be in the mood if she is going to do a thing, and that day she was not in the mood to ride her bicycle. So, after that initial test-run, we packed things up and went back home.

About two weeks later, she went out with Opa and bang, she was off and riding. She made Opa call me at my desk at work to tell me because she was too busy riding around to stop and tell me herself.

That night when we got home we went into the park and Maya rode circles around Rebecca and me on the basketball court. There was no doubt about it – she could ride her bicycle (but no pictures or movies were allowed).

Last Sunday I asked Maya if she wanted to go for a bike ride. Now, it turns out that taking a bike ride in Old Town Alexandria with a novice bike rider is no easy feat.

The streets are laid out in your typical grid, so to set a good example, I had us ride on the sidewalk and stop at every corner to make sure we weren’t going to get creamed by a car or truck while crossing the street. At one point Maya said, Boy, we sure have to stop a lot.

And because it was my first time riding with her, I didn’t know exactly how we should position ourselves. Should I ride behind her so I can keep my eye on her? Should I ride in front of her so I can watch for potential trouble spots? Should we ride two abreast so I can keep an eye on her and troubleshoot?

I alternated between my choices, and only nearly ran her down one time when she stopped short in front of me. I guess I’ll figure out the best way to bike ride with her as I get more practice.

We eventually made it to the post office to mail Grandma some pictures that Maya had painted at school. Then we went to Trader Joe’s to get milk and yogurt. Then we had a nice ride home in the September sunshine.

It was pretty cool experience - just a dad and his daughter out for a bike ride. I’m pretty certain that it’s one of those moments that will flash through my mind when I’m driving away from her college dorm that first time.