Back to School - New Parents are just Babies having Babies

Ride home from school in '07

How's our son going to carry his trumpet back to school? How's he going to lock his bike? A solution that requires a visit to my local bike shop is music to my ears. I gave my son my trusted bike and cable lock. But I'm fresh out of a rear rack. In addition, my daughter's bike had a busted chain. Sweetness, more bike candy to spend money on!

Upon seeing my daughter's broken chain the shop clerk said "whoa, that's a busted chain all right. We can fix it". I was then asked if I was a mountain biker. After all I was wearing my camouflage baggy Fox cycling shorts..a dead giveaway. Only, I identify myself as a roadie. After explaining myself and learning that I ride to work from Novato to San Francisco when possible, she said, "Wow, you're...
living the dream, riding to work and burning calories and not even wasting any fuel".

There I was, Mo the humbled environmentalist. I envisioned myself standing on top of Mt. Burdell next to my trusty carbon, with my hands raised. This Generation X'er was showing the Millenniums and Generation Z what it means to be one with mother earth. Then I remembered I drove to the store in my SUV, and have a knack for wearing oil based latex clothing. At least someone noticed I was burning calories.

Earlier in the day I burned some calories by riding with my son to his new middle school. My task here was more akin to Bond, as in James of course. For I was discreetly carrying my son's trumpet to school. Apparently arriving to school with a musical instrument is the equivalent of your dog wearing the cone of shame. Which is tough to believe since it appears more than half of the kids play instruments here.

After successfully accomplishing mission one, I headed back home to bring my daughter to school. But, as you know, her bike wasn't fixed yet. Yep, my 9 year old broke her chain, and made her daddy proud. In style too. She bravely rode across a creek about seven feet wide, and 7 inches deep. Riding across the rounded slippery rocks I told her just to keep pedaling no matter what. As she climbed out of the creek that's when her chain snapped. Awesome!

So today my daughter and I drove to school. Carpool counts for my environmentalist crown! After nailing a prized parking spot we walked towards the playground. I immediately noticed there were clearly more parents on bikes this year than last year. Yep, Kindergarten parents are in town, and the first grade parents may as well be in the same group. I was slightly amused to see some new parents on their bikes. They had clearly struggled with what to wear. Let's see, a full kit, leisure wear, or messenger/mechanic cool, but I can't show I'm trying. Fail all the way around, but am I so much better?

Not really. I'm not one to judge for I simply don't care. Well ok I care a little. I had my favorite shorts, cycling t-shirt du jour, and my Tour de Cure jacket on...the outfit screams "hey I ride!". But my hair? Well no morning shower equals Harry Potter hair, or what we tend to call helmet head. You know the look, where the hair sticks out of the vents of your helmet, even though you don't have a helmet on. Think pseudo punk rock image may be my new Halloween costume.

But really, the parents I saw just looked like they were in their twenties. That's just not fair. I may be 40 plus but I ride and look like I'm in my thirties (helps me get out of bed in the morning). But if the new breed of parents look this young, babies having babies, then I can't compete. Hopefully they aren't the New Year's Eve resolution types and stop riding a week into their new routine. The more parents I see riding, the closer I am to getting the all the world riding. More bikes, fewer cars, more bad hair. And that my friends, is something I can compete with.