the early blipper catches the bike rider

Anniemay pouring over a map first thing this morning.  She signed up ages ago for a couple of big bike rides and now the first is getting close.  So she’s off on a training ride.  

“Have I got everything need?  Is it going to rain?”. 

She consults an online weather forecast while I get the bike ready.  I hand her her helmet; “But my hair …..”.  She’s on her road bike so common sense eventually prevails.

I watch as she rides up the road, till she disappears from view.  It takes me back to the day my daughter first wanted to cycle to school on her own.  She was 9.  The emotions are much the same.  We had the same ‘discussion’ about helmets.  It was a big orange polystyrene thing covered in spots, like a ladybird,  so I couldn’t really blame her. But she wore it.

I expect she took off it when she was out of sight.  I expect my daughter did too.