Raising confident kids on two wheels.
Let them ride
By lunchtime at Sherwood Pines, five-year-old Atlas has got considerably faster.
He started the morning a few bike lengths behind Sabine; by the afternoon, he’s charging after her whenever the trail opens up. Sabine is a few years older and someone Atlas clearly looks up to, while Sabine's brother Torben, on his 16-inch wheels, is bumping his way down the same trails and pedalling hard to catch up.
We spent the day at the well-known riding spot of Sherwood Pines with two British families riding the red route and hanging out in Pedal & Play, a dedicated area for younger riders, where skill sections and flow trails give them plenty to get stuck into. The kids gradually find their favourite runs, pick up speed and, before long, seem much more interested in another "hot lap" than they are in stopping for lunch.
The mums – Phoebe and Kelly – are never far away, but they’re not hovering either. Both have found ways of helping their kids ride with a bit more confidence while leaving enough space for them to work things out for themselves.
Pick the smooth line
“My kids have good self preservation. Making sure they are well protected helps. I try not to say slow down or be careful. I say pick the smooth line, or check your speed.” – Phoebe, Paediatric Emergency Medicine Consultant, solo mother and bike lover
It’s a small change in language, but an important one. “Be careful” puts the possibility of something going wrong at the centre of the conversation; picking a line or checking your speed gives them something positive to do instead. Phoebe wants her kids to understand the trail and make good decisions without feeling like they should be worried about every corner.
Wearing a helmet is the one part that doesn’t come into question. “I always wear one to set an example to my kids. Sabine and Torben have worn helmets since they were on balance bikes so the habit is built in for them too. It’s non-negotiable for us.”
Her work in paediatric emergency medicine means she knows better than most that some injuries are simply part of growing up and learning to ride, but that there are things worth taking seriously. “I know they’ll hurt themselves at some point. But I also know it’s likely to be just scraps and grazes. In my line of work I know most things can be fixed fairly easily in the growing child so as long as their head is protected.”
And once the helmets are on, she tries to leave the rest alone.
“I just like watching them enjoy it and shout wohoooo.”
All the whoops, all the time
Kelly usually rides behind 5-year-old Atlas, where she can keep up a steady stream of encouragement while still letting him figure things out for himself. She’ll remind him about his body position, talk him through a section and, importantly, make sure there’s plenty of praise along the way.
For Kelly, keeping the experience positive matters as much as getting the technique right. “It’s all supposed to be fun, right, so it’s a case of giving him reassurance and guidance in the most positive way possible – all the whoops, all the time.”
Her approach has helped build something that matters when the trails get more challenging: trust, on both sides. “Throughout every stage of learning to ride, we've built a level of trust with him and confidence in his ability. That's what makes me feel okay about him taking risks while riding.”
Sessioning the trail
When Phoebe rides rougher sections with Sabine, they sometimes use walkie-talkies to session them together. One rides down, calls the other, and then they swap over, with three simple pointers to think about before the next run: stay relaxed, look ahead and push into your feet.
There’s time to try a line, get it wrong, talk about it and have another go. It’s riding, but it’s also a pretty good way to learn.
The day finishes with the dual slalom: kids versus adults, with considerably more competitiveness than anyone had planned for. The kids attack the course, the adults try to keep up, and there’s plenty of shouting from the sidelines.
By this point, nobody seems particularly interested in going home, which must be the best measure of the day. The riding has got faster, the lines have got more ambitious and the kids have spent hours figuring things out for themselves, with their mums close enough to help when they need it.
And somewhere down the trail, we inevitably hear another “wohoooo”.
