by Beth Feldman, founder of Rolemommy.com, an online community and events company for today’s busy parents and author of Peeing in Peace.

Now that summer is finally here, I am ready and raring to fill the air in my tires and start zipping off with my kids around the neighborhood with our trusty bikes.  There is nothing like getting the chance to go biking with your kids and now that they’ve hit the tween years, we are having a blast.  Their little legs can finally take them further distances and as a result we’ve been exploring our community by riding along the Bronx River Parkway in the summers when they close the roadway to tourists.  There’s nothing better than being able to ride without fear of cars honking behind you.  Plus, the ice cream trucks are always strategically placed along the way so that once we all run out of fuel, we can re-charge with Frozen Fruit pops, Sponge Bob drippy ice creams and chocolate shakes. Obviously, calories go out the window when you’re on a long distance trek through Westchester County.

We also love those fabulous bike trails that we take each year when we visit some of our favorite haunts in New England including Block Island, Nantucket, Cape Cod and Newport.  There’s nothing better than exploring the scenery and homes in New England than by traversing those scenic bike trails.  While those pathways can sometimes be a bit challenging, we’ve gotten to know the ones that the kids can handle and always make sure we’re wearing bathing suits so that when we’re all ready to pass out, we can park our bikes, lay down some towels and relax on a sandy beach. And that is truly a picture perfect day.

The cool thing about biking though the five boroughs is that you are going over the same streets that you drive on. It’s a totally different perspective when it’s you and not some car engine powering the vehicle. Hills feel like mountains when your legs are doing the work.

From Central Park, we went over the Madison Avenue Bridge into the Bronx.  We were in the Bronx maybe a total of ten minutes, just enough to say we did that borough. Then we darted across the Third Avenue Bridge and once again we were back in Manhattan. One borough down, four to go. Just as we were building nice even strokes, all the bikes came to a halt. We were stopped st 125th Street for the car traffic to go through.
    
This was totally unlike the NYC Marathon. Once the cannon goes off, the clock is ticking and you don’t stop for no stinkin’ cars. Even though I knew it was a bike tour, I kept thinking bike race in my head. When I finally settled down, I was able to enjoy the scenery more, although my competitive side wanted to know how far ahead my friends were.

When we were allowed to go again, we had to rebuild our momentum. We peddled along FDR Drive and went through one of the underpasses. A big red banner hung over the entrance way, “Bikers Use Caution, Expansion Gaps in Road.” As everyone went through the tunnel, instead of watching for the expansion gaps like we were supposed to, we all screamed at the top of our lungs to hear the echo. Maturity at its finest. Of course, I joined in.
    
When a thousand people are screaming at the same time the echo gets pretty loud. I think the vibration for the echo must have sent powerful sound waves out because it was at this juncture that the first blue bag incident occurred. As Steve was merrily peddling his way along FDR Drive, his demonic blue bag decided to take a nosedive for the pavement. It went rolling along the street and stopped precariously in the middle of the road, just daring
other bikers to run over it.

We carefully darted in and out of bicyclists and retrieved the bag. It’s amazing that no one ran over it, or us. Steve reattached the bag, this time more securely. The bag still had that evil glow.  We peddled onward through the rest of the boroughs, finishing at 2pm, which felt like a winning time to me.

By Fran Capo (www.francapo.com),  a single mom, comedienne, motivational speaker, actress, voice-over artist, nine-time author, spokesperson, TV host and four time world record holder.

Growing up, my bicycle served as my ticket to freedom and adventure. I started out riding in big circles around our driveway, imagining make-believe streets and stop signs. I then “graduated” to the sidewalk, riding up and down our suburban, tree-lined neighborhood under the watchful eyes of neighbors. During high school, my best friend and I viewed the world from the seat of our Schwinns, whether riding to school, the beach, or our favorite restaurant to enjoy a rich, delicious breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes and ice cream.

Today I’ve found it more challenging to introduce my children to the joys of cycling. Our gravel driveway has been tough to maneuver with training wheels. Living on top of a tiny mountain has meant a downhill or uphill challenge whichever way you turn. And let’s face it – I’m a bit nervous letting my children venture solo given the times we live in.

However, cycling is an important tradition for me to pass down to my children. I still want them to experience the freedom and adventure of riding.

Our elementary school has been a terrific spot to teach the children how to ride. On weekends the paved loop has given them plenty of quiet practice space. A nearby rail trail gives our kids good practice in distance riding and experience sharing the path with other cyclists, runners, and rollerbladers. When we go camping, we take along the bicycles and wheel around the grounds, sometime even letting the children venture a safe distance on their own.

I may no longer be pedaling like mad to get at those chocolate chip pancakes. But cycling is something memorable from my childhood that I now can share with my family. It gets us outdoors and gives us a good workout. Most importantly, it’s fun. Why not get on board your two-wheeled chariots and pedal your way to the greatest adventure of your life?

 Anne Witkavitch owns C-suiteCommunications.com and is a communications consultant, professional writer/speaker, and avid traveler. She is married and the proud mother of two children