The passage from childhood to adulthood has 1,000 forks in the road, so I don't assume that my daughter is destined to have a life-long affection for racing road bikes.
That said, her fascination with them -- at the ripe old age of 5! -- rather astounds me. In addition to watching her older brother and I disappear on the bikes regularly, or peddle on the trainer in the basement, she has watched Dvds of the major races (particularly the TDF and Giro) with such frequency that she knows most of the major riders by name. (I came home one night to find her terribly excited: she'd seen Cipollini's 2003 crash that put him out of the Giro and she said "Cipollini crashed, Cipollini crashed! He broke his leg and his daddy took him home!")
Anyway, here's the point:
Today she said to me, "do only boys ride race bikes?"
Of course no, I said, suddenly realizing that every race she's ever watched has been men. Plenty of women race too.
IS THERE A DVD THAT SHOWS WOMEN RACING?
This five-year-old needs a role model.
That said, her fascination with them -- at the ripe old age of 5! -- rather astounds me. In addition to watching her older brother and I disappear on the bikes regularly, or peddle on the trainer in the basement, she has watched Dvds of the major races (particularly the TDF and Giro) with such frequency that she knows most of the major riders by name. (I came home one night to find her terribly excited: she'd seen Cipollini's 2003 crash that put him out of the Giro and she said "Cipollini crashed, Cipollini crashed! He broke his leg and his daddy took him home!")
Anyway, here's the point:
Today she said to me, "do only boys ride race bikes?"
Of course no, I said, suddenly realizing that every race she's ever watched has been men. Plenty of women race too.
IS THERE A DVD THAT SHOWS WOMEN RACING?
This five-year-old needs a role model.
