Cycling can is a fantastic way to create lasting family memories and strengthen bonds. Introducing children to cycling at a young age has many benefits for both children and parents alike. It allows children to be independent, responsible, and resilient as they learn how to navigate using their bike. For parents, cycling provides more freedom and flexibility, offering a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to driving their kids.
This Father’s Day we spoke to 3 dads about cycling and fatherhood as they shared hilarious anecdotes about family cycling adventures and valuable tips for fathers who want to start cycling with their families.
We will kick off this series with Edmund Leong, a director on pointA’s board. Leong is a Chartered Professional Accountant and is the Senior Partner at Tator, Rose & Leong – a mid-sized Toronto CPA firm of 5 partners. He believes in sustainable transportation by actively living a sustainable lifestyle including biking, owning an EV and investing in EV corporations.
- Tell us about your experience as a cyclist. When did you start? Did you cycle before starting a family?
I’ve been a cyclist all my life. In the early days, bicycles were balanced to make wheelies easy, and the weighting was put at the back. Back then the banana seat bikes were all the rage and wheels were relatively small. It was a time before internet and pocket phones and recreation with friends meant that you physically had to be at their place, or they had to come over. The bike was the gateway to spending time with friends and to meet up with other friends in the neighbourhood. I can remember this going back as far as grade 1 or 6 years old for me, well before I had any kids.
- Why do/did you want your child(ren) to cycle?
I felt my kids should have some form of mobility without having the car a part of the equation. Cycling to me is like swimming where it is a life skill. Things are much different now however I think that having a bike at a young age gives you freedom to roam and make friends and to get some good exercise in between all of that.
- How did you influence your child(ren) to start and continue cycling?
I encouraged my kids to ride at an early age. We would do long rides way beyond their age level. It was fun, engaging and had a sense of adventure. Stopping at scenic points, having some sugar rush with slushies or a snack break along with a nice meal at the end of the ride made the rides enjoyable. Changing the riding locations made it more fun and adventuresome. Keeping it safe on gravel trails and well planned out using a GPS supported ride app ensures the kids will not be riding in areas of large traffic and makes it much more enjoyable.
- What is your favourite cycling memory with your child(ren)?
One time (and please don’t follow what I did with the bike rack) we rented a cottage up in Collingwood. I have 4 kids and with 2 adult bikes the bike rack could only fit 4 bikes. With my 2 youngest kids who had smaller bikes I was able strap on all the bikes onto the hitch bike rack using heavy cable and bungees. All 6 bikes loaded up and we were set to go! So aside from the bike Jenga, we started out from downtown Collingwood and made it up to Thornbury. There is a nice ice cream shop at the top of the marina where hungry kids could not resist getting their cones. The icing on the cake was that with the 28-degree weather, there was an amazing pier where we all could jump in. The height from the pier to the water was about 12 ft which make for many funny dives, belly flops. With the ice cream sugar and the being refreshed by the swim, the kids had the legs to ride back downhill to Collingwood with minimal “are we back yet?”
- Do you have any advice for fathers who want to start cycling with their families?
Cycling does not have to be expensive as my kids and I all have used bikes. They are good bikes that are well built, and I maintain them myself. It can be daunting going into a bike store and get sold on all brand-new equipment and then uncertainty hits when the bill racks up to $5k or much more depending how nice of a bike you are looking for. Check online marketplaces to get a used bike. If the kids don’t like the sport, then you can easily resell with little depreciation. As they grow older you will constantly upgrade the size of the bikes so the above buy and sell makes a lot of sense. The key after that is to build distance with the kids in the neighbourhood to train them up for a long adventure ride. With the right mindset, good planning, nice weather and a few dollars in your back pocket for some ice cream you have made for a truly wholesome and fun day for your family.
