Thank you, Jonathan and Josiah, for being willing to hang out where a bunch of women are jumping around to music as your mom and sister go to aerobics. Someday, I hope we’ll be going out together on our bikes. My guess is the day will soon come when you’ll be out riding your dad!

Thank you, Jonathan, for not minding having your dad show up at your baseball games in his cycling kit. I’m also sorry I’m not always the one taking you to your practices. I am looking forward to being there at the batting cages with you tonight.

Thank you, Emma, for being willing to put up with your younger brothers sometimes when your mom and I are in between things and you are there to keep them under control. I am so thankful that you are trustworthy and so imaginative! Your brothers certainly love you.

Thank you, Beautiful Redhead, for giving up some of the opportunities you have to do your favorite exercise and replacing it with a less enjoyable one just so I can get in my training on my bike. I appreciate so much your willingness to do more running around than you would have to. Of course, I’m also grateful for your willingness to arrange meals around my schedule.

These are just a very few of the things I recognize that you all do for me. I also know that you don’t have your dad and husband in the house for around 10 more hours a week. I am thankful for the time we do have together.

Of course, you know that the release the bicycle gives me makes me a lot easier to be around! Plus, unless I break my neck again (or something worse) the exercise will help keep me around for a bit longer. Thankfully, we have found a balance — but never be afraid to let me know if I start tipping too far.

I love you!

Here are the first two pictures of recipients of the riding gear.

Kirsten Dietz FINALLY gets her kit

This is Kirsten Dietz, she is a designer extraordinaire at The Worthwhile Company. She just started riding within the last year and is really starting to catch on. Now she has a cool outfit to go with her new clipless pedals! Plus, she can now stop bugging me about when the order will arrive.

Thing Three, Thing One, and Thing Two model their kits

This is the one I love. Yes, those are my offspring. Yes, that is my 5′ 6″ daughter who starts Junior High this year. Poor Thing Three is just a little small for his, but he’ll grow into it soon enough! Thing Two there looks like he is ready to turn pro! You can soon look for the whole Pait family out on the Swamp Rabbit Trail sporting our spiffy duds.

Oh, did I mention that there are only 8 more days before I’m “On the Road Again”?

Thing Two prepares for his first road ride

We headed over to Sunshine Cycle Shop where Phil Webb was going to leave the bike for me to pick up. As we pulled into the parking lot, my phone rang. It was Phil from inside the shop letting me know that the bike had a broken shifter and the part would have to be ordered. There would be no ride on the bamboo bike that night.

My son and I went on in to take a look at the bike. I also looked to see if there might be an extra small jersey that he could wear for this first adventure on the road. We continued to do some window shopping.

“Where’s the bike?” he asked. At first I wasn’t sure what he was asking, then I remembered we had come in the shop earlier this summer and had him climb onto a 49 inch Specialized Allez. He was looking for it. Turns out it had been removed from the floor, but was still in the shop. His interest in the bike made me smile. It won’t be long and he’ll be tall enough for it.

We headed home sans bamboo bike, but that didn’t keep us from riding. I felt kind of bad as we rolled away from the drive. Here I was on a full sized road bike and he was spinning along after me on a 24 inch kid’s mountain bike. Thankfully, it was a solid 21 speed Specialized.

There was nothing really eventful about the ride. It was just that the entire ride was an event. We had ridden together some on trails and had gone down some roads for a mile or so. However, never had we started out together on one of my training routes. This was a definite first.

We followed the route through neighborhood streets down to Cleveland Park. As we went, I was helping him understand the proper gearing for the hilly terrain while instructing him of how to be alert to traffic. We rode on two rather busy roads, but he followed my instructions well and I could see on his face that he wanted to learn.

In Cleveland Park we rode one full lap. As we were completing it, I looked over at him and asked if he wanted to do another lap.  He got a big smile on his face, but shook his head to say no. “I’m a little tired,” he replied. So, we continued on toward home talking as we went.

Coming out of the park there is a short section with a 12% grade at the top. I was going ahead and encouraging him. My fear was that he would get into the climb and then have to stop. I was talking to encourage him and about to slow to allow him to come up to me when he came flying around my right side. He didn’t need the pep talk!

Then it was time for a nice downhill. My son can be a little fearful at times and is very calculating about the risks he takes. I wasn’t sure how he would respond to getting up some speed.  I went ahead and turned into our next road on the route.

Looking around I saw him coming down the hill. His face didn’t really give me any indication of his response. However, he took the hill just fine and made the turn in perfect control. As he came up to me, a smile broke out on his face and he said, “That was fun!” Inside, I breathed a sigh of relief.

As we rode on, I told him we had been riding for nearly one hour and had covered 8 miles. “An hour?” he said, “Wow, it didn’t seem like an hour!” It didn’t. For me it seemed way too short. We were almost home.

Climbing the last uphill portion before home he finally had to stop and take a break. We started off again with me coming up behind him and pushing him along as he continued to pedal. One final coast down and we were back where we started.

What a feeling. For me it was just a glimpse at the reason I started to ride the bike in the first place. By the time my children will be in their teens, I will be in my mid to late forties. I want to be in shape to be able to enjoy those years with them. If we can ride together, that will be icing on the cake.

To see the look of enjoyment and success on my son’s face gives me hope that someday soon he will put his leg over an actual road bike and we’ll do that route again… and again… and then another route.  As I told him, “Someday, you’ll say, ‘Let’s do another lap, dad.’ Then you’ll say, ‘Let’s go do Paris Mountain, dad.’” He didn’t say anything when I mentioned the mountain. He just looked up at me with a huge grin on his face.

Father and son after the ride

The Beautiful Redhead and Thing One were going to do aerobics together at 5:00.  That would be about the time I got off work.  They would take Thing Three with them and he would play with some friends as they exercised.

It was more problematic for Thing Two.  He had baseball practice at 5:30.  The plan was to drop him off at my office until I got off work.  I would then take him to his practice and head over to ride with my group.  The rest of the family would pick him up from practice on their way home.

Well, things were going according to plan until the severe thunderstorm warning came over the radio.  The practice got canceled and Thing Two was with me at home at the time I was supposed to meet my friends.  Granted, it was raining then and most likely no one else showed up either.

When the family was back together we sat down to eat something and the wife said, “Hey, we’re all here together, why don’t we watch a movie?”  Glancing out the window I saw the rain was still falling, but was starting to diminish.  Hmmmmmm, I could still probably ride… “Yes!” said the kids and the movie started.

Then one of my friends I was planning to ride with sent me a text, “I’m planning to ride at 7 PM.”  I glanced once more out the window.  Yep, it would be doable at that time.  I looked back at the screen.  It wasn’t a movie that was captivating me.  Then I looked at my three kids and the family sitting there together.  My fingers replied that the rainy evening had led to a family night and I wouldn’t be riding.

Then I started getting hit with guilt of not being on my bike.  Not so much because I had to tell my friend that I wouldn’t be riding (though that was part of it), but more because I knew I was not showing discipline to train.  Then I started feeling guilty about feeling guilt about not riding instead of seeing the time with family as a greater priority.

Sometimes you can’t win for losing — or lose for winning… which one is it?

I am resolved.  The bicycle has its place.  I have a desire to give my best to be as good as I can be with the time and ability I have.  However, I will not feel guilt again about spending time with my kids and wife.  Bicycle be warned.  I will feel no remorse when I let you know that I need to do something with them instead of you.

Thankfully, I have a family that might not share my passion for cycling, but they do have a passion for me.  They sacrifice to allow me to pursue this hobby that gives me health, confidence, and opportunities to stretch outside my comfort zone.  Thank you Beautiful Redhead and the Things Three.