Great Moments in Cycling

Last weekend's 2-day Tour of Mount Pleasant was a great weekend of racing, spectating, and morning to night cycling fun.

Saturday's criterium and Sunday's road race were why I was there, but for me the highlight of the weekend was the kids' race. Ethan, My 7-year-old son had been looking forward to this - his first race - for months, and when the day of the race came, he was in his jersey and cycling shorts as soon as he woke up.

While it's fair to say that the levels of ability and competitiveness varied widely, for Ethan, just getting on his bike with a group of kids and getting to ride as fast as he could around the criterium course he'd seen the Cat 1/2/Pros finish on just a few minutes earlier was a monumental experience.

Ethan finished in 3rd place out of his group of 15. He later said "I felt like i was in a breakaway" about his group of three that stayed out front for the whole lap.

He's clearly hooked: he spent the following day on his bike, doing laps around the block with his race number pinned to his t-shirt, periodically asking "so when's the next race?"

Seeing my son taking the line, putting everything he had into that single .83 mile lap, and crossing the finish line - no longer just a kid on a bike, but a bike racer, a cyclist - for me will forever be one of the Great Moments in Cycling.

Welcome to the peloton, Ethan.