I think I made a big mistake.

I took Dane and Bowie to a cyclocross practice and now they want cyclocross bikes.

It actually was really fun and they had a blast. There is a big movement locally to get kids started in cyclocross… well, everyone, not just kids. A local group called Donderdag! puts on free youth cyclocross clinics on Thursday nights… which is fitting since Donderdag is Dutch for Thursday. (Coincidence? I think not!)  There is a bigger group that meets in Overland Park, Kansas, but luckily for us, there is one in Lawrence, KS – just 20 minutes from our house.

We loaded up the kids’ bikes and headed out to learn about mounts, dismounts, and barriers. Dane and Bowie don’t have fancy ‘cross bikes yet, but they did just great on their hybrids and sneakers. (I was even able to dig through my helmet collection and find ones that would fit them. A good thing since helmets are required!)

While I was there, I took advantage of a cyclist there who knew a lot about disc brakes. He adjusted mine for me and now my bike stops on a dime. Cyclocross folks are really the friendliest in the bike world, I think. They really are a lot like my trailrunning friends.

After the practice, the boys took a few turns on the zipline that runs across the course. (And now they want a zipline, too.) We did a little digging on eBay and Craigslist, but youth cyclocross bikes seem pretty rare. It might be a bit before the boys get their own bikes!

After practice, I took a shower and soaked my feet. I have read the feet usually start peeling 3 days after the Baby Foot treatment, so I expect to see that in the next couple days.