THE GREAT OUTDOORS: Cycling — it’s a family affair

It’s wasn’t just the savings, the environment. the exercise or the family time together that put them on bikes — it’s all the above for the Bennett family.

“People drive by, waving at us and laughing,” notes Hermie Bennett, mother of the three young boys who picked up cycling from daddy Big John Bennett, a Komatsu engineer and rock-solid biking fan who commutes to work on two wheels every day.

Dad used to race BMX, so he taught his oldest, Little John (now 11) how to compete when he was only six. He has since taken home 82 trophies.

Chris, 8, learned at age three with no training wheels, and is following his father’s footsteps as a first-rate fix-up and rebuild mechanic.

In fact, all the boys can change their own tubes and do standard repairs. Since neighbors and friends are aware that John (a mechanical engineer) knows bikes so well, they often bring theirs to his house.

“One side of our garage is all bikes,” John said, which includes 14 for the family.

“I wanted to do less car,” he puts it, explaining that he used to have two cars, like most of us, and now puts only about 5,000 miles a year on the remaining one, compared to 25,000 before this evolution into serious cycling.

When the children outgrow their bikes, he donates them to relatives or neighbors.

He’s even planning to hook up the television to a stationary bicycle to keep the kids riding inside while limiting their viewing at the same time.

“The kids would have to pedal to watch,” Mom said.

They still go on family outings in the van, but trips to their friends, the park for picnics, the store, work and school, and even local desert camping excursions are on two wheels — often with a couple of BOBs (one-wheeled bike trailers) towed behind.

“It’s one thing the whole family can do together,” said Hermie, who learned to ride only a few years ago, and her husband agrees that this is easier for them than perhaps the typical young growing family with one kid into soccer, another at piano lessons, another Little League, etc.

John rode seriously by himself when Chris was a baby, then soon after started riding the eight miles round trip to work for exercise and to keep the car in the driveway.

“It really doesn’t take that much more time and it’s good exercise,” he added, noting that he sees people drive a car to a gym and start pedaling on a stationary bike.

“I just don’t understand that.”

Soon, Little John was riding with his dad. Finally, the family started riding every Saturday together, working up to 25 to 30 miles each time.

“It became a family hobby,” James, 10, declared.

Dad says that over the years, he has found motorists to be courteous — never had a problem — and he notices more of his colleagues driving past him pondering their own changeover.

“It’s one of the benefits of living here in Arizona,” he said, pointing out that anyone can get out in good weather every day, easily save money, help the environment, and get closer together as a family by just giving the bicycle some thought for their own lives.

Whenever they discuss an outing, John says, the question always arises — can we do it on a bike?

He tore up his knees in high school football and a motorcycle accident, and cycling is easier on the joints than other sports he could do.

He believes his kids will be better motorists one day because of all their experience in traffic, and he insists they all wear helmets.

“I call it my brain bucket,” Little John said, and James piped in, “It’s my happy helmet.”

When the boys are dragging, Dad says he sings, knowing they hate it, which makes them ride faster to get away from him.

“I sing the silliest, most annoying songs I can think of,” he said, grinning.

The Bennett family has already done Tour de Phoenix twice together, Little John and Dad doing 74 miles and Mom and the others 24 miles, and they raised $1,200 for the Tour de Cure Rancho Sahuarita charity ride for diabetes in March.

There are other families starting to join up with them on their Saturday rides, and they say they will continue to promote cycling as a perfect family sport.

“We do the same things other families do,” Hermie said, “but we just do it by bike.”

Mike Touzeau is a freelance writer for the Green Valley News.