Yesterday I was riding home on my bike when I saw a little girl safely riding her bike on the sidewalk in front of her house. I noticed her bike was exceptionally small sized and still had training wheels attached. Once she reached the end of the block (they lived on the corner), she stopped. At that moment, I was approaching her corner to turn and did a “girls on bikes” solidarity wave. She smiled and returned the wave. Hopefully in seeing me ride my bike, she realized that someday, she too would be able to handle her bike with ease. I believe strongly in the empowering feeling attained from either seeing someone do that which you wish to achieve or being able to envision yourself achieving that goal.
As I pedaled away, I realized that when I was her age, riding a bike was completely foreign to me. I doubt if, at that time, I could have imagined myself ever successfully riding a bike. Growing up, I was underweight and undersized. I rode a Big Wheel for an abnormally long period of time. Other kids around my age were whizzing by with actual bicycles and I was pumping pistons of fury (left and right legs) on my Big Wheel. We won’t even discuss the countless times the pistons were pumping but the plastic tires didn’t gain traction and I remained rooted to the spot. I would imagine I didn’t learn how to ride a bike until I was around 13, maybe. Despite the slow start, I’ve managed to make up for lost time. Recently, I’ve pedaled on a local bike trail for about six miles out (then pedaled six miles back with adult pistons of fury as I became increasingly concerned about being caught in a thunderstorm). Last year, I used to ride my bike as a part of my daily commute to work. Just last night, I rode home from work with a coworker trailing me because she didn’t think it would be safe pedaling the short distance from work to home in the dark despite my flashing bicycle lights. According to her estimations, I made it home in about ten minutes. When we spoke, I wasn’t out of breath but felt somewhat invigorated due to the fast, high-gear pedaling I had just done. Because of the route I typically take when I meander out and about, it is quite likely the little girl and I will see each other again. Hopefully as she navigates the scary process of learning to ride with and without training wheels, she will remember seeing the big girl on a bike and realize it’s possible. PS: Two years ago, the last view I had of my friend in Germany is her on her bike with her daughter in a basket on the front, holding an umbrella in one hand and pedaling away from the metro station. I was in awe of her ability to be able to coordinate so many things on a bike simultaneously. I recently shared my awe regarding her abilities during a conversation while I myself was riding my bike. It’s not the same as an umbrella and a toddler but I feel that maybe, just maybe, I’m a little closer to her skill league.