Swinley with my 7 year old today

today was a proud dad moment. Swinley forest with my boy. Had a couple of his mates with us too.

Thought we’d start off with Green, but that quickly moved onto Blues and harder blues… had him lobbing it down some twisty sections and then he shocked me by climbing BLue 18, which is arguably the toughest climb at Swinley. He aced it without stopping… the kid is a beast !

🙂

He looks soooo tiny in the second photo !

As aside just imagine leaving him alone in the woods for 5 days, what was that Japanese father thinking !

He’s got more style than me…

Superb

Well done. Ace!

Really love seeing kids do well on any trail!!

But if he takes any of my KOMs at Swinley I will put a stick through his spokes

Nice! Had my 5 year old girl out at Cannock on Tuesday for the first time. She loved it but we only did the green and half of the blue. Wasn’t bad for a first attempt. She didn’t manage the blue climb though- there was a lot of pushing on my part there!

I don’t think it’s going to be that long before we reach crossover point where he’s waiting for me on climbs ! There’s a road / path up to the Ridgeway out of a local village called Compton, Churn road, it’s a decent length and gradient. We went that way a couple of nights ago and he climbed it all out of the saddle on 7th gear ! standing up mashing the pedals and got to the top and looked like he was fine. I was with him, but I had to work for it 😀

We spent a lot of time last night talking about foot position, hand position and pushing the inside bars for turning, also position in and on the berms… Hopefully some of it sinks in, but he was looking good to me.

I rekon we’ll be back next week as he wants to do the full Blue.

Brilliant stuff.

My almost 7 YO daughter loves riding her bike but ain’t at the stage for me to take her to swinley yet, another six months to a year I reckon…

Weeksy – great stuff!

Don’t let him lose the enthusiasm. Jnr was full of it until he got to about 12. 2 years on and he’s got the enthusiasm back but lost the fitness (despite doing lots of other sport). Like mechanicaldope we were also at Cannock on Tuesday, we did the Dog and Monkey. Judging from the noises and comments from about half way round onwards you’d have thought I was trying to kill him!

Good job that man!

I reckon mini-Weeksy is riding the right sized frame to make the “labyrinth” section of the Blue actually flow…… 😉

I reckon mini-Weeksy is riding the right sized frame to make the “labyrinth” section of the Blue actually flow……

Labyrinth is on Red….

Red 21 IIRC

And if you turn right out of the labyrinth you’ll find what I think is actually the toughest climb there, any 7yo clearing that should phone British cycling and get some sponsorship! Great job with the littleuns always great to see kids having fun on the trails.

Lovely experience and photos!

Excellent OP!

Taken my 4 yr old round the green a few times but he got off the steeper bits as had not mastered his coaster brake. That’s sorted now so will see how he goes.

Looks good !

Was thinking about taking my lad their too. Definitely looks like it’s worth it for young ones.

Enjoyed that. I always like to see little ones on technical trails. They don’t know what they don’t know.

I reckon mini-Weeksy is riding the right sized frame to make the “labyrinth” section of the Blue actually flow…..

We’ve managed it on a tandem……….just.

I quite like the labrynth, even on the 29er.

Although the roots have made the latter sections a slog on the rigid bike.

Only problem on the 29er/fat bike is on small wheels I used to be able to out brake the braking bumps, drop down the last one then brake for the corner, no such luck on the longer bikes so I lose a few bike lengths every corner 🙁

They do grow up quick. Last year, my 9 year old was bailing climbs in his easiest gear. Just 9 months later a couple of weeks before his tenth birthday, he’s hauling ass two thirds of the way down the block and clearing all the climbs he walked last season, and making his old man actually try rather than dawdle.

I thought ‘siht! at this rate, by 12 he’s going to be handing me my ass!’

I didn’t tell him that though. Never show weakness.

Got my (just) 5 year old down the flat wiggly bit of Summer Lightning (Leith Hill) the other day. Not bad on a 14″ singlespeed Islabike I thought.

Poor kids they’re gonna hate us.

Seeing as we’re willy waving abouth our kids MTB skills…my 8 year old this weekend…

Excellent!
As soon as he’s eight he’ll be ready for the nutty great gap jump they’re building by the car park.

Swinley today.. did the whole blue which at just turned 8 is pretty awesome

[VIDEO]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weouKYCFIkI[/VIDEO]

[VIDEO]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8QTJiasiyo[/VIDEO]

Don’t worry, he’ll turn into a moany teenager soon enough 😉

That’s awesome, although Dad sounded a bit out of breath. I’ll look out for his scorch marks when I go round the Blue tonight 😀

Love it !

Hold the phone in landscape, makes for much better videos. Also go ahead and have Weeksy Jnr ride past.

I’ve really enjoyed the last few years cycling with the kids. The recent highlight was the 10yo managing the £3 hill at Llandegla. You’re more likely to know it as the nasty loose switchback uphill at the end just after a little cave and log seat near the end of the red.
I said a few years ago that he’d get 3 quid when he got up it. At the weekend there on his new 26″ wheels he finally did it. Was quiet impressed, especially as some older kid tried to overtake at the corner and then burned out as soon as it got steep.

(I think I gave my son a full fiver in the end)

So is Swinley monster hard then? 😉

Trying to remember what junior one did last year. Seem to recall the highlight being 3/4 of the TNF at Grisedale on Saturday evening, mainly in the dark. Then the whole of the TNF in the daylight the day after. He did have a lot of help on the uphills, but good going for a seven year old. 😆

Well done Dad – you’ve given your boy a memory he’ll never forget.

My eldest really got into cycling there and did the blue (and, once, red) at around that age. A good few years ago, and he’s a much more accomplished cyclist (races cyclocross) but he still talks about it.

Just done a 32km ride with him. His strength and power are crazy. Seriously thinking we need to do some training on a velodrome to see how he does. Any thoughts appreciated on that side of things

Reading (Palmer Park) has a youth section called Palmer Park Velo, I think they’re finished racing now until April*, but there’s contact details on their website for training etc.

*it’s cross season soon!

This thread is ace. However I am really pissed off that my current inability to ride, or even walk, has left me stuck in the sofa for 6 weeks when I had planned to do so much with my 5 yearold boy. Gutted I am.

We’ve just climber a ‘mont’. Apparently its 545m according to sign at bottom but I don’t know if its from sea level or start point. I’ll find it on strava when back in UK on Sunday. Was epic hard climbing, massive hill for sure!
Couple of stops needed by the boy, but part of me was glad!

Thanks TINAS

Looks like I now have a plan for the last week of the school holidays with my girl, cheers fellas, and if there are pokemon go stops at swinley she’ll nail any climb to catch them.

https://www.strava.com/segments/1044986

We climbed this today