Family ride at Homebush

Date: Sun 13 June
Distance: 10km

Olympic Park Map
Another great day. Met Kristy and Co. just next to Silverwater Bridge, Wilson Park in Homebush. We set up my bike with the bike seat for Kaelie so I could see what it was like - hated it. It just felt so erratic and felt like at any moment the front wheel could fly up.
Once we were all set set up, kids with helmets off we went. The boys had to be in front and on the wrong side of the pathway of course. One was always trying to pass the other. Kaelie was yelling out to wait for her — no way that was going to happen. We had out picnic at Newington Armery. It was just great weather. The kids were on and off their bikes. It was nice to see my nephew Jaidyn and Mikaela ride together.


Unfortunately this was just the beginning of Kaelies mishaps. I lost sight of her and Graeme saw her purple bike tassles fluttering just off a small bridge. He bolted over and she’d fallen over the edge and was lying face down in the mud! A young boy was trying to help her and she was yelling in between sobs “I don’t (sob sob) want (sob sob) your help (sobbbbbb). Graeme always says she’s gonna make some mans life miserable :) Anyhow, lucky her cousin was there and she gave up one of her tops and handed over her spare pants so a very muddy and wet girl could be dry. Thanks Tiana.
That was the funny mishap the other not so funny and was all her mothers fault, and boy has it worried her. When we were leaving, Kaelie behind me on the Tail Gaittor we’d been riding so well together and she’s was saying faster, faster etc. We were behind the boys who were trying to pass each other, they were coming up to the exit gates and I was really nervous that they were going to try and go through the same gap. They were fine of course, guess I wasn’t concentrating which is no excuse and I was too close on one side, I think I tried to correct it and maybe I made it worse, maybe theres justification in my ex always getting angry when I tried to park the boat trailer. I went through and Mikaelas bike handle bar clipped the pole and she came off. It was awful, just awful. I felt the clip and then the thud and she was off. She cried of course, and asked me why I did that and never do that again...wow she’s good at guilt. She was thankfully unhurt, no blood, no scratches, nothing. It has however made me rethink. Is it fair that I put her at risk by doing something that I want to do, it’s my choice to be out on the bike, if I plan to ride up to the shops thats my choice and my risk. Maybe I shouldn’t make that that same risk for her too. I still feel too that it’s a healthy way of life to expose her to. G. says not to think about it tonight when I’m still emotional.
Apart from the end of the day, it was a huge success. It was nice riding with my sister — don’t think I’ve ever done that actually. The kids seemed to really enjoy it. When I told Jaidyn that he and Tam had ridden 10kms he said “wow, 10,000 metres”