I’m sure everyone has this image that I’m this super cool guy who only posts about awesome rides and hot political views.

The real secret is that most of the time my thoughts are occupied with my family to the point that I wonder how I can get anything else done.

I love them.

Cycling has been an incredible gift to me, but sharing it with my family only increased it exponentially.

We had some trial and error finding the proper equipment, but the bonding time from riding together has brought us closer.

You discover that engaging with your family when you’re confined to a car is such a bland experience compared to an outing on a bike.

There’s no griping about traffic or frustration from circling for parking spots.

Instead, we can experience a complete sense of freedom as you choose your own adventure.

When the LA River Ride was a bit behind us at work, I had the opportunity to pitch a new program at LACBC and I instantly knew what I wanted to do.

A lot of other parents have come up to me asking about the difficulties of riding with children when it really has been about opening opportunities.

Everyone knows how to ride a bike, but some have this stigma finding that buying gear is complicated or that there’s nowhere to ride.

Once you actually try though, you’ll find that it’s pretty untrue.

LACBC Family is here to try to bridge that gap so parents have a resource to get started.

I don’t think I would be on a bike, let alone writing if I had never read Ted Rogers’ Biking in LA and hopefully the stories we share will influence people too.

Already I’ve met with other family cycling advocates Nathan Lucero and Terence Heuston who’s passion inspires me to do more.

The plan was to LACBC Family run as a series leading up to our ride on September 24th, but I’ve been receiving such positive feedback already that this will probably go far beyond.

If you have any suggestions or want to participate in helping LACBC Family grow, please email this guy at zachary@la-bike.org.

As a parent seeing my daughter grow into a little girl, I am already nostalgic for the memories that we’ve made.

While I’m sad I can’t relive them, I look forward to the new ones we can make.