The journey begins …

You know your daughter is becoming a teenager when she asks if joining you on a cycle ride is going to result in her having ‘big legs’.

I chuckled to myself and explained that she would not turn into a freak of nature after a nice cruise on our mountain bikes. The idea was to join the riverside path that runs for nine kilometres inland, taking us into pretty mountain biking territory.

Spring is here and we had (or rather I had) decided it was time to get the girls out on their mountain bikes. To be frank, I suspect they would have been happy sitting in their pyjamas playing on their Nintendo DSi’s all day.

The sun was out, and I am sure somewhere there were birds singing.

My eldest decided that she was going to look cool and trendy on her bike, so instead of her biking clothes she turned up in the hallway dressed in what can only be described as ‘avant garde’. I asked her to get changed, for whilst the sun was shining, it is still quite cold here in Barcelona and a backless top would have led to hypothermia. She hesitated and explained that the sequin top was really pretty. Which it was, I had to agree.

After encouraging her to step out onto the balcony to see just how ‘warm’ it was, she agreed and then returned looking like a throwback to the 80s circa Flash Dance time. I explained that whilst on the right track with regards to fending off the cold, her pink woolly leg-warmers would probably get covered in chain oil.

After what seemed like an eon, she returned looking like a pro cyclist.

I smiled, happy to see her looking the part and asked where her younger sister was.

“She’s in the bathroom – I think she wants to shave her legs,” she said.

I ran to the bathroom to find her sat upon the toilet, seat down, with one of my disposable razors by her side, half a can of shaving foam on her legs (and her feet) with her bike helmet already perched at a jaunty angle upon her head.

“What are you doing??” I said. “You don’t need to shave your legs honey.”

“But you do papa,” she said.

She’s right. I have shaved my legs ever since I started racing bikes and have never stopped. Perhaps one day I will stop but certainly not whilst I am still cycling. I had some explaining to do.

Eventually, after cleaning up all the shaving foam and getting her into her biking gear we set off into the bright spring sunshine.

We had a lovely ride. It was not too strenuous and it was nice to get out. Whilst we were cycling we talked about how we could design more ‘fashionable’ cycling gear for girls. We also discussed the pros and cons of shaving, which somehow turned into a discussion on fish and their sleep patterns, but that is another story and has nothing at all to do with family bike rides.

The moral of this story? Spring is here, take advantage of it and get outside. Oh and hide your shaving kit from your nine-year-old daughters.

Ted

Tagged as: Eduardo