Two kids start family bike ride season

Amanda and Alex Vanderheyden spend a lot of their summers on their bikes. And they've got a new list of Kids Ride "fun" routes for them to follow throughout metro St. Louis.

Thirteen-year-old Amanda and 10-year-old Alex took their first ride of the season last month. The family took a Spring Chicken's Ride in Illinois on Sunday, April 18.

Like a lot of their rides, this one ended with a special social event. This time, riders could end up at the Chicken's Restaurant in St. Libory, Ill., for a hearty buffet lunch or brunch.

(For a full 2004 Trailnet Fun Club schedule, go to www.trailnet.org/events.html. Trailnet, Inc., can be contacted by phone. In Missouri, it's (314) 416-9930 and in Illinois, (618) 874-8554.)

Amanda Vanderheyden

Amanda said she likes the socializing that goes on in the group rides. "I like the whole atmosphere of the rides," she said. Her favorite tour last year was an overnight ride near Edwardsville, Ill. That overnight campout gave her plenty of time to mingle with her bicycling friends.

Amanda and Alex have been on bike trips with their parents, Brian and Betsy, since they were very little. By the time Amanda was 6 months old, she was belted in a special trailer behind her parents' bike.

Her parents had met while they were on a biking tour in 1986.

One bike the family had was a tandem bike with a trailer. The parents pedaled on a tandem bike, with the kids behind on a two-seat trailer. All four seats had pedal sprockets so all riders could supply power to the wheels.

Now, the family has two tandem, recumbant bikes for their family rides. Each rider sits in a seat with a back and pedals while leaning back.

In addition to the Kids Rides, the family takes part in several rides for tandem bikes.

The kids also have one-seat bikes. As Amanda has grown, she has had four different bikes.

Amanda's dad recently bought her a used bike designed by Georgena Terry. She's a bike designer who specializes in bikes for women.

Alex said he especially liked a bike ride last June that ended up with a stunt-riding demonstration. A bunch of professional bike riders demonstrated trick riding and jumping, using special ramps like skateboarders use.

Alex also had the opportunity to meet the famed American bike racer Lance Armstrong. He said, "I saw him at University of Missouri-Rolla and also at Forest Park."

So far, the Vanderheyden family has focused on rides up to 35 miles. The kids say they like the Trailnet routes in Illinois because they usually have fewer high hills. That's especially important early in the season before they get fully in shape.

The furthest the family has gone for rides was near Duluth, Minn. There, they biked in the heavily wooded areas along Lake Superior.

Of course, not all of the rides go smoothly.

In a ride near Carlinville, Ill., Amanda and her mother were on a tandem bike. It was windy and overcast and the bike slid off the road into a ditch. Neither they nor the bike were damaged.

But, Amanda said, "We turned back. All I wanted to do was get into a hot tub."

Amanda is a 7th grader at Wildwood Middle School. She participates in volleyball, soccer and basketball along with her bicycling. Her favorite class is language arts. She's an avid reader and especially likes books by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.

Alex Vanderheyden

Alex is in 4th grade and is home schooled. His favorite subject is art and he wants to be a car designer when he grows up.

He's off to a pretty fast start. When he was in lst grade, he drew his own design of a PT Cruiser. He had his parents write a cover letter and sent the design to the manager of Daimler-Chrysler's plant in Fenton.

The manager, Les Wolf who is now retired, came to Alex home. He gave Alex a model PT Cruiser toy and a video of how the Fenton plant makes minivans. The family also got to test drive a new PT Cruiser for a couple days.

Alex's interest in cars has gone up-scale. He's now drawing designs of Mercedes cars.

His latest design is of a car which could shift to run on 8, 6 or 4 cylinders. He also wants the car to have both two- and four-wheel drive.

For a list of Trailnet's 2004 Kids Rides schedule, see below.

 

The 2004 Kids Rides schedule

Trailnet, Inc., has scheduled seven Kids Rides programs for their 2004 schedule. Most of the rides will include chances to take part in local festivals along the routes.

The Kids Rides schedule runs from May through October. Most of the rides are in Illinois, where the routes are flatter with fewer steep hills. The rides are all schedule on Sundays.

The schedule:

• May 16: Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Bicycle Ride, starting 9 a.m. at Hartford, Ill.
• May 23: Strawberry Bicycle Ride and Festival, starting 9 a.m. at St. Jacob, Ill.
• June 6: Route 66 Bicycle Ride and Festival, starting 9 a.m. at Edwardsville, Ill.
• July 4: Fair St. Louis Riverfront Bicycle Ride and Gateway Geyser Festival, starting at 8 a.m. at East St. Louis, Ill.
• August 8: Fahrradtour and Augustfest, starting 8 a.m. at Mascoutah, Ill.
• August 15: My Just Desserts Bicycle Ride, starting 8 a.m. at Alton, Ill.
• October 10: River to River Bicycle Ride, starting 10 a.m. at St. Charles, Mo.

In addition, Trailnet has a bunch of more challenging rides. Be sure to check Trailnet's website at www.trailnet,org/events.html.