Cycling 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.
In the third and final installment of this series, we chatted with Gord Woolley, Partner and Communications Director at Hambly & Woolley Inc., a Toronto-based graphic design agency. Gord straddles roles in both design and business development for the 12-person firm and spends spare time racking up Strava kilometers on road and mountain biking.
- Tell us about your experience as a cyclist. When did you start? Did you cycle before starting a family?
My earliest recollection was learning to ride a coaster bike when I was five. That was the summer of 1971 after we moved to Bramalea. I’m not even sure whose bike it was – maybe my sister’s, but I recall doing a face plant into a stone driveway and cutting up my face pretty good. I think I just got back on and kept going. All through those early years, I would ride with friends everywhere – it was our freedom.
I recall always trying to ride faster than anyone around me and always looking to find things to jump off. I would have a bike throughout university and started doing a bit of distance. Eventually with my brother’s influence, I got a proper road bike to do triathlons at first and eventually focused on road riding/racing with local teams. Soon I had several bikes for different disciplines, and I was riding 5 times per week. Just before my first son (Liam) was born, I won a club race in Cheltenham – albeit not exactly against a star-studded field. Early in fatherhood I was training and racing a fair bit, which included treks to ride with the team in South Carolina, but that had to be scaled back when we had a second son (Yannick) as you just have to prioritise.
- Why do/did you want your child(ren) to cycle?
Selfishly, I’d say it’s because I wanted them to share my experience and passion for riding. Not only was it something we could do together, but I also wanted to unlock that same sense of freedom I discovered at an early age. Beyond that, it was also the physical and competitive outlet that two athletic boys – a means to burn off energy and build fitness.
- How did you influence your children to start and continue cycling?
I would imagine that for them it was a matter that I was always riding and watching races, so they got drawn into my vortex of interests (the same is true for hockey). From an early age they received bikes, and it was just a natural extension of our relationship. As they grew up, they transitioned from BMX to Mountain Bike to Road – getting new bikes to keep up with their growth. As they grew, so did their skills and strength, so it was always a matter of trying to go faster, do bigger jumps or harder trails and building up to racing. Because of them, I became deeper involved in mountain biking than ever. Now, Liam is racing with the McGill University cycling team and Yannick has become a really strong MTB rider and fast on road when he puts his time to it. Sadly, I think I’m now the slowest of us three.
- What is your favourite cycling memory with your child(ren)?
It would be impossible to pick just one to be honest. I vividly recall the first time all three of us rode together when Yannick first removed the training wheels. We were on the trails of the Don on a glorious sunny day. Another was the first real MTB trail ride at Buckwallow in Muskoka where all three of us were riding technical lines all together. At that time, they were 11 and 8 respectively, and that type of ride has eventually seen us ratchet up the terrain difficulty and riding at places like Bromont in Québec.
- Do you have any advice for fathers who want to start cycling with their families?
Start them early and give them the freedom to try things. They will undoubtedly have mishaps, but you shouldn’t be afraid to remount and keep going. Keep them riding and building the handling skills on the bike so that they are confident on two wheels and just keep at it. BMX and MTB are best for that, and it will (generally) have them riding where there are no cars to worry about – running into a tree is still better than a car! Once the kids are old enough to understand traffic, road riding can become an option. The bike is a catalyst to feed their adventurous side and seek out new trails and roads– it’s the ultimate exploration toy. When they are old enough, teach them how to take care of their bike(s). Knowing the basics of maintenance means they won’t fear getting stranded with a flat or not riding at all because the bike is “broken.” Obviously, not all parents or kids will gravitate to racing, but the joy of riding remains the same.
