Can you all feel it? Spring is almost here, and the biking here in Texas has been great! Neva's been putting her Beinn 20 to good use over the past month, practicing her hand braking, shifting, and overall technique on her 'big girl' bike. Here she is about to hit the trail. (Note : sandals were not advised by mother)
Fun Fact : If you don't have a bike trail close by, the Beinn 20 fits nicely inside the car, only needing the front wheel removed.
The easiest riding to get to from our house is a construction site a mile down the road. On the weekends, there are no workers, and it's a tiny mountain bikers' dream! She started out walking her bike up a steep grade. I reminded her that realistically, when you start, there may be some walking involved.
She did well going over the bumps and large vehicle "rumples" left behind, but is still working on standing up so her legs can absorb the shock of a bumpy landscape. At the end of the trail was a large hill that looked over a small lake below. She made it up part way, but needed to walk the rest of the way. Downshifting uphill is also another work-in-progress.
At the top, it was the first time that she had biked to an overlook under her own power. She walked to the edge to take in the scenery. Smiling as a flock of geese crested over the horizon, honking loudly, as they usually do around dusk.
She sat down, proud of her accomplishment.
Then it was time for the moment of truth. Now that she had gone up, could she go down?
Down...
dooooownnnn.....
Neva left us in a cloud of trail dust, rapid-fire shifting, and speeding the whole way home! Luckily, she's got her hand brakes for speed adjustments, but this girl is not one to shy away from speed. Stay tuned for next time, there may be a GoPro Neva-cam video in the near future!
