Ride Like the Wind

Ride Like the Wind

RIDE LIKE THE WIND

by Margie Watson

What do you do when your five-year-old announces

that she

wants to go bike riding with you--and, the

five-year-old

happens to be blind? Here is how Margie Watson

solved the

problem:

My five-year-old daughter, Katie, likes to ride

her bike.

That surprises most people, because Katie is

blind. My husband

or I walk about ten feet in front of Katie and

tell her when

to turn the corner, but otherwise she rides

straight ahead on

her own.

Last spring, we were getting our bikes out from

the

basement, (Wisconsin snow keeps us off of them in

the winter),

and Katie told us that she wanted to ride with us

and not ride

behind us while we walked. Our first thought was

to look into

purchasing a tandem bike.

We learned that we could add on something called

a stoker

kit which would make the back seat the right size

for a child.

The problem with this idea was that it was

expensive--about

$1,000.

Another problem with the tandem bike was that the

back-

seat rider would have to pedal at the pace of the

front-seat

rider. That would be difficult for a

five-year-old child.

Disappointed, we figured that we would have to

forego family

bike rides until Katie was big enough for a

tandem bike.

Then we heard about a bike called the Allycat

Shadow. It

was designed for bike-riding enthusiasts who also

happened to

be parents. Essentially, it is a child-sized bike

without a

front tire. A bar extends up from the handlebars

which is then

attached to an adult's bike just below the seat.

The Allycat Shadow would make our own bike into a

detachable children's tandem. It was the right

size for Katie,

and the price was reasonable. We immediately

ordered one.

We are thrilled with Katie's new bike. For us it

means an

affordable bike for Katie and that we can use the

adult bike

we already have. For Katie it means that she can

pedal (or not

pedal) at her own pace. And while riding with mom

and dad, she

is getting the feel of balancing and learning to

turn, as well

as riding much faster.

You can ask Katie how much fun she is having

riding her

new bike--that is, if you can catch her.