Awkward Beginnings: Bike Guiding Pacific Northwest

Seattle, Washington

As I lay in my cozy sleeping bag, a sea of kid-filled tents surrounding me, I hear the rustling of sleeping bags, the continuous giggles and the friendly fueding, “Why are you guys sleeping that way, turn this way, it’s much more practical for space!” “Why are you touching my stuff?” “I am going to poor salsa on you in the middle of the night...” This is just a few of the shouts of banter I hear coming from the tent walls.

Just moments ago, we were sitting in a circle in the dark as the comedian in the group gathered us around for a joke. This joke... it had a punchline that could have easily been wrapped up in 30 seconds to a minute and a half. But later, the boy tells us he saw the “circle vibe,” so preceded to adlib nearly 15 minutes into the story before making it to the punchline. I’ll admit, he had our attention and continuous laughter throughout this scheme, his witty humor and light-hearted nature has kept us continuously entertained in even the driest moments of this journey so far.

Today was our first official day of biking, we left downtown Seattle about 9 am, and most of us couldn’t wait to get out of the cluster of the city and begin the journey north. Seattle has an impressive biking lane running through the majority of the city. It’s refreshing to bike in a city with road landscaped to share with bikers, especially when leading young cyclists who may or may not be used to city riding.

Once we we escaped the inner city, and reached the Heights of Seattle, we were in for a quick reality check as we realized the mountainous terrain we were headed through. 2,000+ feet of incline, 35 miles ..and many hours due to the awkward beginnings and inevitable mess ups that come with heavy biking on Day 1. Just to name a few- Kids forgetting to leave drops, missing turns, not following directions correctly and leading the group off route, legscramping, exhaustion, hunger, over heated, disobeying street traffic laws (because we are training non-drivers how to bike on the same roads meant for cars) kids distracted and veering out into traffic or passing each other on a busy road with cars close by. 

So many things happen that make you scared as a leader, mad at stupidity, impatient and wondering how to better teach or help. In the moment, we addressed everything regarding safety and health as needed in the appropriate time. All of those concerns have their place to be dealt with as appropriately and fiercely as needed, but I look back at those moments from here in my tent, and think that even through the negative, or inevitable awkwardness with learning the dynamics of a new sport, and the fear that can come with teaching inexperienced riders and sending them out in the busy road .. yes, those things matter, but I think back on this day with joy, and appreciation for the adventure.

Some adventures are scary at first. We don’t quite have a tamed grip on the task at hand and it looks and feels plain awkward. That was today. I think about all the moments on the side of the road, where we bonded over a quick refueling snack, a joke to get us through the intense incline, or the looks of quiet embrace when biking was simply hot, hard and long. I think of the adventure .. the good and bad of the rollercoaster this day has been, and I am thankful to have stood beside such interesting and funny kids throughout this crazy day!