There he is again: the meanest father in the world. In the middle of the Isar cycle path, my five-year-old is shouting at the flora and fauna while I'm perched on my top tube 20 metres away. I'm annoyed, frustrated and hungry. I've been trying to ride Junior to the pump track for 30 minutes - less than three kilometres. But Lasse doesn't feel like it and screeches.
Bike tours with children - pleasure and frustration go hand in hand. While dad wants to eat up metres in altitude, the kids dream of the bike park. Not alone, but with their dad. Countless examples show that sport can work in harmony with children: be it a transalp with children, a joint trip to the dirt park or a lap on the home trail. But how can the interaction between adults and juniors work? You need to know what makes children tick and how their bodies work. After all, youngsters are capable of more than many people realise.
And a week later, I get to see it 100 times over: An unmanageable number of children between the ages of six and 15 are whizzing around the pump track at SV Reudern on their bikes. The club in this tranquil little town between Stuttgart and Reutlingen is committed to promoting young talent. Detlef Burk stands in the centre of the action. He directs the pack, gives instructions and shows them how to get over the obstacles without stumbling. "They'll probably ride 30 to 40 kilometres today," says the trainer.
30 to 40 kilometres? That sounds almost unbelievable, but Burk adds what makes the children forget any exertion: "They have so much fun that they don't realise it. That's also the key on tours: children want to discover things and experience themselves. If the route is exciting enough, then you don't have to entertain them or tempt them with ice cream." Just how well these "fun events" organised by SV Reudern work can be seen in the results lists of the older athletes, for example from German junior championships, which include a number of medal winners from SV. "They should just ride," says Burk. Thoughts of world championships or similar competitions don't belong here. "They don't need endurance training, they can already do that well enough. Motor skills are much more important," adds Burk and shuffles to the starting hill.
CHILDLIKE PERSEVERANCE
Nevertheless, children should have stamina if they are travelling with their parents. Adults often worry too much about what their children can do, because the little ones are endurance monsters. A look at the studies quickly shows that going on tour with children is absolutely fine from a purely physiological point of view. Don't believe that? Then try the following: Spend an entire day imitating every movement your offspring performs. I guarantee that halfway through the day you will throw in the sweaty towel. The reason for this is the energetic-physiological prerequisites for high endurance performance in children and adolescents. Children have a higher fat oxidation rate than adults, the concentration of free fatty acids in the blood rises very quickly during moderate endurance exercise - they are practically like one-litre cars. Children are, so to speak, geared towards survival because they primarily use fat as an energy source - even when there is a lack of food. In addition, the number of mitochondria in the muscle cell (the cell's power stations) is higher than in adults. They therefore also have a bigger turbo than many parents. If you like: in terms of their system, children have the endurance of an adult who has been doing intensive endurance training for several years. They are therefore predestined for endurance performance.
But does this mean that children should bike or run 20 kilometres every day? No, because an engine that already works well doesn't need to be rebuilt. Incidentally, this has all been tried before: 13-year-olds running marathons in 02:45 hours. Until the athletics association put a stop to it. Why the federation did this: these supposed child prodigies did not become world-class athletes. Most of them ended up at the orthopaedist with poor posture and worn-out joints. Children don't need endurance, they need motor skills, which are acquired through fun and games.
LIMITS OF CHILD POWER
And that's when my junior Lasse really gets into it: his central nervous system is literally glowing. Instead of cranking along the lame Isar cycle path, after our last disaster I switch to the trail that runs right along the river. Lasse rides over the mogul slope, presses himself into the berm and then continues into the next dip. I'm just behind him in the tight bends and marvel at the way he circles round the sharp corner with his rear wheel drifting. Yes, you can be a little proud of that. But less than four minutes later, the little chap stops and whines: he stands in front of me, completely exhausted. His head is purple-red and a white triangle is visible under his nose - a clear sign that he needs to take a break.
Children, especially small ones, are like racehorses: as soon as they are let loose, they race to exhaustion. Even if their stamina is strong, the little ones usually go full throttle and their stomachs growl accordingly. For this reason, you should always have provisions in your rucksack on every tour, no matter how short. I press a pretzel into Lasse's hand. The batteries are charging. Less than ten minutes later, he's racing along the undulating path.
LEAVE FREEDOM
How do I choose the right path and how does this relate to the child's development? Let's take a brief look at when and how motor skills are learnt: Motor skills encompass all behaviours that require the coordinated interaction of specific muscles, such as grasping, crawling, braking or walking. Motor development in children takes place through a mixture of maturation and learning processes. Maturation processes play the most important role in infancy. It is therefore not possible to influence when a child will be able to sit, crawl or walk. Over-ambitious parents who want to help their tiny tots with walking frames and sitting aids are throwing money down the drain that would be better invested in Pampers. These skills cannot be accelerated. Every child acquires them themselves and has their own pace of development. However, the prerequisite is that children have opportunities to engage in motor activities at their current stage of development: they need an environment that is interesting enough and in which parents take a back seat. Children have a strong sense of self-protection and do not want to throw themselves down stairs, even if they sometimes give the impression of being careless. Accompanying them and merely keeping an eye on them is the key to healthy and independent development. Constant panic and strong anxiety usually lead to children having less confidence in themselves later on and, above all, trusting their bodies less. In infancy, children learn the basic forms of sporting motor skills, such as walking or running, climbing, jumping, balancing, catching and throwing. These are continually refined, becoming safer and more fluid. Later, new specific skills such as roller skating, swimming or cycling are added, depending on the range of activities available in the child's environment. Motor development primarily takes place through experience and learning processes.
CORRECT ROUTE SELECTION
What does this mean for the choice of routes with your child? Initially, you should choose easy but exciting routes. The key to a successful family outing is to challenge but not overwhelm. The tour must remain manageable for the children. As a general rule, parents need to lower their own expectations. They should know the surroundings and the route well. Where are the climbs and how long are they? Are there any interesting rest points where you can feed your children? Perhaps the most important thing: emergency exits where you can stop the tour in case of problems.
Longer climbs are poison - no child likes to cycle uphill non-stop for an hour. A good, lightweight children's bike avoids a lot of frustration. A ten-kilo bike with a body weight of 20 kilos lowers the fun scale for your child to well below zero. Or would you like to ride a 40-kilo bike?
Look for a forest path that offers enough variety. Why not climb up the tree at the edge or look at the snails? By the way: You don't have to show small children where their centre of gravity should be above the bottom bracket when riding downhill. They're not interested in theory. Toddlers simply learn by doing. From the age of seven, of course, something can be shown if the child wants it. Before that, it is frustrating for both sides to build up a kind of teacher-pupil relationship.
And then he's back, the meanest dad in the world. Lasse wriggles like an earthworm in my arms. After salami rolls and a bath, it's time to brush his teeth - and he's as keen on that as he is on applied physics in biking. No matter what story I come up with, be it the tooth monsters or the fairy - Junior doesn't want to. He screams, runs to bed and crawls under the covers. I capitulate and snuggle up to him. "Dad, you, tomorrow we have to go further, across the little river," Lasse whispers, breathing heavily. I mumble a "yes" and less than two minutes later the little one is asleep.
DO'S
Play and excitement
You won't attract a child with a great view. They need exciting, playful routes. A stick to drive over can be a highlight in itself.
Cruise control
Children need their own rhythm, don't rush them. Let your offspring ride ahead on familiar and easy sections, this prevents pressure.
Food question
No matter how short the tour is: always take food with you. Pretzel or banana - it doesn't matter. Children can burn off a lot of energy if they are having fun, but their reserves are limited.
DONT'S
Endurance training
Forget that with small children. Instead, create trails in the forest that are fun to ride downhill. If you are riding a Transalp with children (aged 14 and over), you should not plan to climb more than 1500 metres a day.
Heavy bike
Children's bikes are often excessively heavy, which is a death sentence for fun on tour. If you spend a little money, you can enjoy them for a long time. Advantage: Good children's bikes have a high resale value.
Impatience
Children are quick to show boundaries. You have to stay cool on the road, because a petulant child won't drive. Tip: Frustration is usually coupled with hunger and excessive demands. A small snack and an exciting break can help.
WHAT YOU CAN TRUST YOUR CHILD TO DO
4 to 6 years
Early childhood is characterised by the development and consolidation of complex movement patterns. Although endurance performance is already well tolerated at pre-school age, tours should be very short and limited to short circuits. The reason for this is that the musculoskeletal system is far from fully developed and incorrect posture can occur.
7 to 9 years
At the age of dexterity, coordination in particular improves. Movements are carried out purposefully and are better coordinated - the perfect time to ride easy bike parks or pump tracks. There is an increasing increase in strength and speed, which means that tours of up to 20 kilometres can be undertaken.
10 to 12 years
During this phase, children have excellent motor learning skills. Boys are often superior to girls in throwing, running and strength exercises. The latter are better at rhythmic sequences. At this age in particular, children benefit from a wide range of sporting activities. Tip: Plan
bike tours (no more than 30-40 kilometres in total) to a lake or playground.
11 to 13 years
Fine motor skills continue to improve and complex movements can be learnt. The ability to learn motor skills is particularly favourable, although the musculoskeletal system is still not fully developed. At this age, children can already master difficult dirt parks and trail routes. Tours should be a maximum of 50 kilometres.
Interview with Stefan Siebert, sports scientist: "Children experience the round
for round their
own success. That makes you want more."
How do I combine a child's desire to play with my own bike requirements?
They should be scaled down first - full stop. Biking with children means, above all, having a good time together. On the playful side: Most bike parks offer practice courses with simple obstacles, which are great as an introduction. No bike park nearby? Ride to a suitable spot in the forest where a small trail course can be created over a few 100 metres. Short root passages, small steps or bumps, plus other obstacles such as narrow sections made from dry branches. Children experience their own learning success lap after lap - this motivates them and makes them want to do more.
If I do want to go on a tour, what should it look like?
Start without time pressure. If the ride with the children is seen as a training session for the parents, frustration on both sides is inevitable. Also give your child a clear idea of what is to come. However, 15 kilometres with 250 metres of elevation gain will be of little use to the youngsters. Better: The route is twice as long as your school run, with two hills as high as the sports field.
Are there absolute no-gos?
Never answer the question "When will we be there?" with "Soon!", even though you know that half of the route is still ahead of you. It's better to divide the tour into sections and include worthwhile intermediate destinations.
