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

[Hakkalugi]

If he wants to race, find a local BMX track. He’ll learn bike handing, being in a pack, sprinting, and much more. Road racing will come later. My kid raced BMX from age 6-11, now he’s racing mtb, cx, and road at age 13.

[illuminaught]

What a bizarre thread...
Just ask your kid what they want to do... And do that...

[Gpmrntz]

I would advise the following, regardless of the sport....

Don't push. Let him and his body dictate. Support him and his choices, recognizing he may not know his limits and you may need to step in.

At 9 that's all you should do, IMHO. If, after a while (1 -3 mo), it's obvious he's found a passion and seems to have natural ability, then look into more formal training, e.g. benchmarks, goals, etc. For now, just let him ride, push each other and be sure to make him rest and recover.

[ultraman6970]

YOur kid is pretty fast OP... independently of the bike which IMO has nothing to do with the questions and since I do not see the question anywhere... which gearing the child was using, u have the average speed, do you have the average cadence?

[old fat man]

Originally Posted by ultraman6970

YOur kid is pretty fast OP... independently of the bike which IMO has nothing to do with the questions and since I do not see the question anywhere... which gearing the child was using, u have the average speed, do you have the average cadence?

good point. I'm sure that 700c bike does not have junior gearing. OP might want to put that governor on his kid's bike and then see if the speeds (in pancake flat Orlando) are still so impressive.

[ultraman6970]

The reason im asking is because is not the same go in a 50 to 90 mile ride going 50x12 than going 34x19 (which is a gear more appropriated for a 9 y/o). And actually just my personal opinion a 90 mile ride for a 9 y/o looks like way too much, a 50 miles is like questioning for me and that was the reason I was asking about the gear and cadence aswell... as i said before not the same going 34x19 than going 50x12.

With kids u work the cadence and pedaling technique at that age, some sprints but pretty much that's all they need, built the basic skills for the sport. With tiny kids we always did it by time not by distance. So when they get to racing age that is like 11 y/o they have the 90-110 rpms built in their legs already.

[duff_duffy]

Welcome to the forum! I really, really think you needed someone to tell you the times are not that special. I for one will be anxiously waiting for the report back from your professional cycling coach. My son loves biking, I don’t know how I did it without a professional coach

To the others providing awesome advice on this thread, thank you! The tips shunned by OP have been very insightful.

Originally Posted by PaoloCastellano

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

Are you kidding me? Lol![/QUOTE]

[daker13]

This one and the one with the guy who really, really wanted to get to the minimum post count so he could buy stuff from the classifieds were my favorite "Meltdown May" threads on the Paceline.

[ultraman6970]

u cant blame him hahahaha we all did :P

[duff_duffy]

Yep, I’m guilty. I think I even asked the mods for special treatment thinking I was all that. I’m not, nor did they think so if I recall correctly

Originally Posted by ultraman6970

u cant blame him hahahaha we all did :P

[ultraman6970]

The thing later one was that some scammers showed up and that put the moderators in alert mode.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by illuminaught

What a bizarre thread...
Just ask your kid what they want to do... And do that...

Haven't looked thru the entire thread, missed the dog pile, I guess...

BUT..above...Push too hard and you will ensure the kid hates bikes(or whatever, piano, art, writing, reading, blender repair, etc) as he gets older...

[weisan]

My 7-yr-old caught the cycling bug three weeks ago...now she wants to ride....freakin. every. single. day.

And she's all about numbers!!!

So I guess I could understand a bit of what the over zealous father is going through

[akelman]

Your kid's adorable. If she ever decides to sell that seat and those pedals, I'm first in line.

[daker13]

The computer is the cutest! Good for you, Weisan. My own daughter just graduated but it's been great seeing all the little kids on their bikes in the neighborhood. More than one parent has told me their kids were not much interested in bikes, until the lockdown.

But the idea that one's kid might be a sports prodigy, and now is the time to plan accordingly and line up coaches, diets, training... ugh.