Today’s bad weather couldn’t keep us away from the Recycled Cycles Brad Lewis Memorial Criterium. We arrived a little early for the kiddie race and saw some of the juniors. It made my husband nostalgic and me scared. The juniors raced for 35 minutes, but our kiddie heat was two laps for real bikes, one lap for balance bikes, and “Why don’t you have him start 20 yards back and just ride up to the start/finish line” for the really little guys.

I didn’t get to see the whole course–our little guy started with the rest of the field, but then someone made eye contact with him so he got shy and froze and dropped his bike. I talked him back up, but then it happened again. So he bided his time riding up and down a driveway slope while the other racers did their thing.

The top few finishers got medals or special ribbons and everyone else got little yellow ribbons printed with AWESOME. I was a bit embarrassed about dressing the kids in full rain gear; the real racers didn’t wear rain suits, nor did most of the other kids. But the crab fishing boat comment by the announcer is my favorite park of the video.

My husband transported both balance bikes in the single trailer so I only had to carry kids. And on the way home he led me up Latona, one block east of my usual half ride/half walk block and I made it up! Nice, too, that it’s one way the proper direction so I can ride in the street and not sidewalk. He thinks it’s less steep than 2nd, but I think I’ve tried it before and didn’t make it so I’ll have to try again without my domestique.