Fathers and Sons

Hello Crew!

Well I rode one of the most significant rides of my life tonight (this is me waxing poetic - be patient). My 16 year old son has been here all summer, just like every summer. In the past, he and I have camped and hiked and fished and had lots of great times, but over the last couple of years, he's not had a lot of interest in spending time with his Dad (me).  And I know that is normal and OK, but I have been trying to get him to go for a bike ride with me the entire summer.  He's not wanted too, and I don't force him to fish with me, or hike - not even go biking. But tonight, for some reason, he agreed to go out for a small bike ride!  Just up the street and back.

I was so taken aback, I didn't even know what to do, so I quickly pumped up the tires on my Fathers Eddy Merx, quickly lowered the seat and this boy and I set off on a small, 2 mile ride up the street.  At first, he didn't even know how to break the bike!  But he quickly learned. Then he even learned how to shift the gears. My son has never been much of a bike person, and that is just fine with me.  But seeing him on my Fathers Eddy Merx, in the cool evening dusk - well, it was profoundly beautiful.   And this, only because I could tell, he enjoyed not only the ride, but the bike. Heritage is a curious thing.

The experience provided some insight for me into my own fathers interest in my cycling over these years. He always said, watching me cycle was a beautiful thing to watch. I love to watch cycling - it is always a beautiful thing  to me.  But seeing my Son on my Fathers bike.... well.... I understand. Even if this is the only 2 miles my son and I ride together, it is significant to me.