Questions about distances and speeds for my 9 Year Old..

[PaoloCastellano]

Hello all! Due to the Covid 19, I started riding some distances with my 9 year old son. We started out with me on a 29er mountain bike and him on a 20 inch Specialized hot rock coaster brake with some longest 1 piece crank arms. He has ridden on and off his whole life since 2 years old on the balance bike and he could do 180's on the wood floor to stop quickly when I would push him fast into the patio glass door... He did 100 foot long wheelies on his Lightning McQueen bike when he was 5. Anyway, we have been figure skating until the rinks closed down recently.... We did some 10 mile rides then we did a 27. I decided to hey him a24 inch trek precaliber mountain bike off Craig's list for 100 bucks and he was faster but I still did not feel like I was getting a good enough workout, so I found aTrek Alpha work 650C wheels and we did a 40 mile ride. I had never ridden that far before in my life. I am 53 yo and I did ok..We did the second 40 and the last 15 miles I felt tired and asked him to slow down and there was this hill near the end of the ride and I was blown out and could not stay with him. Sure, I had not slept well the night before od long enough and I did not stretch after the previous ride, but then I realized that the 45Lb mountain bike was too much work to ride for that kind of distance. So I redid the shifter cables on my Bianchi road bike that I have not ridden since 1992 and was relieved to know I am still faster than him.... Anyway, fast forward to last week when we were at my mom's house and someone stole his bike and we got him a replacement Specialized Allez with a 44cm frame and 700C wheels. I rode people around on a rickshaw for about a year without a motor and found the taller wheels rolll faster. We found that he gained a little more than 1.5 MPH on the same 30 mile bike ride going from 650C to 700C. I also picked up a Fuji Newest 2.0 for $125.00 and it is a much better bike than the Bianchi I bought almost 30 years ago at a Sportmart... In the last 8 days, we have ridden a 30, 30, 90, 30 and a 50. On The first 30 with the Specialized with the 700 C wheels, he averaged 16.51 MPH. He seems to really like this and I was wondering what kind of average speeds with what kinds of distances should we be shooting for if he wants to compete? Also, he does not have clipless pedals and shoes yet.I have some on order and we will need to get used to them before we really use them....

Well, any ideas of what we should do, how to train, what speeds and distances we should be shooting for? It's been a lot of fun so far...... what kinds of speeds for what kinds of distances are the fastest 9 year old doing to win? Thanks!

[CNY rider]

Originally Posted by PaoloCastellano

..... if he wants to compete?

Well, any ideas of what we should do, how to train, what speeds and distances we should be shooting for? It's been a lot of fun so far...... what kinds of speeds for what kinds of distances are the fastest 9 year old doing to win? Thanks!

I think that's a big if.
Personally I would keep taking him for bike rides with his dad and going whatever speed and distance he wants to go.
Enjoy them.
Let him learn a love of the sport and develop a passion that he can follow for the rest of his life.
The racing stuff can come later if he wants it to.

[kiwisimon]

. what kinds of speeds for what kinds of distances are the fastest 9 year old doing to win? <<=== seriously?

forget training,
how many other 9 yr olds are training to compete against him?

have fun and if you want you can set up an obstacle course or two so he can learn bike handling skills and such.
He likes the sport as it's fun: the structure and obligation to train could turn him off bicycles which would be a shame.

He sounds like a cool relaxed kid so go with that vibe.

You could forget about checking speeds and distances yourself as it seems to be the gist of your post. If he wants to race then enter some but focusing on winning and training at this age could likely train him to be an a-hole. have fun and see if he wants to introduce some mates or other family members into the joy of cycling as well.

luck but watch for burn out and also make sure he's doing it for him and not your approval, not saying he is but sometimes kids get funny ideas.... any pics from your rides?

[Spaghetti Legs]

I will also echo the others - just let him ride and have fun. For starters, if he is interested in competing, it’s gonna be a while before there are any kind of races. I’m out of touch with road racing now, but for most of the US, road racing opportunities, especially for kids are few and far between. If he runs at all, you’ll have better luck finding triathlon and duathlon events. When my older son, a good athlete, Good rider, average runner, was 10, he had a road bike and crushed a duathlon because all the other kids were on mountain bikes LOL. He was really into riding for a couple of years, then drifted away as he got involved more into team sports.

I would encourage him but not do any kind of training. Be careful of projecting your desires for athletic success on your kid. Man I wanted my kid to play college basketball. He recognized the futility of that dream a couple of years before I did. Smart kid.

[weisan]

Paolo pal, if you want your kiddo to be the next Peter Sagan, make sure he wins his first race on a girl's bike borrowed from her sister, or the $35 bike that you got from Walmart...those are the kind of stories that true legends are made of, not distances, speed, power wattage...pffff, that's for normal mortals destined to be pack fodders or serve as domestiques the rest of their life.

[PaoloCastellano]

Originally Posted by kiwisimon

. what kinds of speeds for what kinds of distances are the fastest 9 year old doing to win? <<=== seriously?

Yes, seriously.

It's a simple question. Does anybody here know about age categories and what it takes to be competitive?

I can appreciate the whole love of cycling advice and yes, he loves cycling. Every ride we go on, he measures everything with his smart watch. He's really into the numbers.

If anybody has some knowledge regarding my questions, please feel free to answer.

Once again, I appreciate the concern but let's try to stay on topic here.... Thanks!

[PaoloCastellano]

Originally Posted by weisan

Paolo pal, if you want your kiddo to be the next Peter Sagan, make sure he wins his first race on a girl's bike borrowed from her sister, or the $35 bike that you got from Walmart...those are the kind of stories that true legends are made of, not distances, speed, power wattage...pffff, that's for normal mortals destined to be pack fodders or serve as domestiques the rest of their life.

Really? So I should throw his aluminium Specialized toad bike in the garbage, get him a 40 lb steel girls' bike and have him fo obstacle courses on the driveway : for 'the love of cycling' "?

You guys on this forum so far have been nothing but a blcomplete joke! I am sorry that I ever signed up for this forum.

Anybody has any kind of data that I am looking for please post otherwise please don't.

[slambers3]

Congratulations on sharing your passion with your kid! I hope I’m that lucky when mine reaches that age. Do you live near a major metropolitan area with a junior cycling program? For instance, my hometown has new indoor velodrome that actively promotes youth cycling development and they’re definitely getting kids on the track and even racing around his age. If he has an interest in the sport and competition, these can be great programs to help foster skill development while building enthusiasm in a safe environment.

[PaoloCastellano]

Originally Posted by slambers3

Congratulations on sharing your passion with your kid! I hope I’m that lucky when mine reaches that age. Do you live near a major metropolitan area with a junior cycling program? For instance, my hometown has new indoor velodrome that actively promotes youth cycling development and they’re definitely getting kids on the track and even racing around his age. If he has an interest in the sport and competition, these can be great programs to help foster skill development while building enthusiasm in a safe environment.

Thank you for the useful information! I live in the Orlando area and will definitely check into those possibilities.

As far as tour cold getting into cycling and loving it, if they can't ride a bike yet, go the balance bike route and get a super light weight one with foam wheels. We had a Haro Z10 and it had great geometry. He could throw it around like nothing from the start around 2yo. My son loves numbers and is monitoring training load, aerobic and anaerobic training effect while we ride as well as speed, top speed, average speed/etc... We have a lot of fun... Good luck to you.

[dpdan93]

Originally Posted by PaoloCastellano

Really? So I should throw his aluminium Specialized toad bike in the garbage, get him a 40 lb steel girls' bike and have him fo obstacle courses on the driveway : for 'the love of cycling' "?

You guys on this forum so far have been nothing but a blcomplete joke! I am sorry that I ever signed up for this forum.

Anybody has any kind of data that I am looking for please post otherwise please don't.

Hopefully someone useful can chime in

[kiwisimon]

Originally Posted by PaoloCastellano

Really? So I should throw his aluminium Specialized toad bike in the garbage, get him a 40 lb steel girls' bike and have him fo obstacle courses on the driveway : for 'the love of cycling' "?

You guys on this forum so far have been nothing but a blcomplete joke! I am sorry that I ever signed up for this forum.

Anybody has any kind of data that I am looking for please post otherwise please don't.

Sorry for the short advice but your kid is nine. How about accepting experienced riders' and parents' advice without getting pissy?

Many of us here have older kids than yours and have likely seen zealous parents over thinking the whole thing and screwing up their kids or stifling their ability, not saying you are. Your son will win any U10 road race he wants to enter BUT young bodies are typically not capable of intense training without injury or mental burnout. Variety is key at his age so please enter BMX and triathlon events as well as on and off road cycling. As far as data goes, no one should even bother with that stuff, let alone publish it. If they are, they likely have issues with their own inadequacies as an athlete or individual.

The best training at nine is variety and having fun. And from my experience as a professional sports coach, having chilled parents is the third biggest factor in predicting athletic success after natural talent and internal motivation. Your son has the latter two and the former is up to you. Good luck.

Some good reading here for all adults.

https://www.amazon.com/Changing-Game.../dp/B00DZC25LW


I think I got trolled but the advice stands for all parents even if their 9yr old kids can't ride 230 miles a week.

[Monsieur Toast]

x

[duff_duffy]

Any kid with a bit of training on a true racing bike and athletic ability can match those times. Sorry, nothing special. Challenge is very few athletic kids at 9 are riding race bikes so even if he crushes everyone at local race won’t tell you anything. Most kids are on soccer, baseball, football fields. Depending on area track and cross country teams may have few endurance athletes that are studs.

Also, I can average one speed in the hills and another on flat roads...are you riding solo or are you drafting off someone? At elevation? Traffic? No way to compare times.

[PaoloCastellano]

Originally Posted by duff_duffy

Any kid with a bit of training on a true racing bike and athletic ability can match those times. Sorry, nothing special. Challenge is very few athletic kids at 9 are riding race bikes so even if he crushes everyone at local race won’t tell you anything. Most kids are on soccer, baseball, football fields. Depending on area track and cross country teams may have few endurance athletes that are studs.

Also, I can average one speed in the hills and another on flat roads...are you riding solo or are you drafting off someone? At elevation? Traffic? No way to compare times.

I am not bragging about how fast my son is. We have been riding on the road bikes for a little over a couple of months now and I don't need a person like yourself telling me it's nothing special. You are not fostering " The Love of Cycling" with your remarks in the least bit... So not many kids are riding a lot at 9 years old. I guess you inadvertently gave me some useful information, thanks.

[Quote = Duffy duff... ]cross country teams may have few endurance athletes that are studs[/Quote]

Are you kidding me? Lol!

[PaoloCastellano]

Originally Posted by kiwisimon

Sorry for the short advice but your kid is nine. How about accepting experienced riders' and parents' advice without getting pissy?

Many of us here have older kids than yours and have likely seen zealous parents over thinking the whole thing and screwing up their kids or stifling their ability, not saying you are. Your son will win any U10 road race he wants to enter BUT young bodies are typically not capable of intense training without injury or mental burnout. Variety is key at his age so please enter BMX and triathlon events as well as on and off road cycling. As far as data goes, no one should even bother with that stuff, let alone publish it. If they are, they likely have issues with their own inadequacies as an athlete or individual.

The best training at nine is variety and having fun. And from my experience as a professional sports coach, having chilled parents is the third biggest factor in predicting athletic success after natural talent and internal motivation. Your son has the latter two and the former is up to you. Good luck.

Some good reading here for all adults.

https://www.amazon.com/Changing-Game.../dp/B00DZC25LW


I think I got trolled but the advice stands for all parents even if their 9yr old kids can't ride 230 miles a week.

KiwiSimon, I am new to cycling and only posted data to see peoples' opinions regarding where he is in relation to other children his age.... To suggest that I am posting such numbers due to inadequacies as an athlete or individual may be your inner Freud desperately trying to tell you something about yourself... I'm just a regular new curious guy here to whom you are condescending and accusing me of being "pissy". I think I need to search elsewhere for the information I seek instead of hoping douche-bags like yourself will enlighten me with knowledge if you actually even had any... Goodbye to everybody who espouses mediocrity and obstacle courses on heavy steel girls' bikes of a horrible color.... I will ask these questions of a professional cycling coach.