“You’re a rockstar,” the lady at daycare said as I walked in to pick Lucy up fully clad in spandex and my helmet. “Don’t you work on the mountain?”

I can’t say this is an unusual comment. Even in our hyper-active mountain town, there are still plenty that see cycling as a fringe activity, rather than something that can be incorporated into daily life. The conversation finished with the lady saying she was trying to loose weight and should try riding her bike again. For me, that made the grueling ride more than worth it – inspire one person to get on a bike.

In our family, cycling isn’t a fringe activity. While I don’t ride the 8 miles with a 9% grade for the final 4 every day, I do try to ride a bike a day. Whether it’s doing a ride on some local single track, cruising down to the river to paddleboard, or even just going to the store to pick up groceries my bikes are a part of daily life. Even in winter, we roll out the fat bikes or put studs on the Xtracycles to get around. For Lucy, we have her Strider, the Chariot and a Yepp bike seat for the Xtras so no matter what we are on, she can be along for the ride.

And with any luck, Lucy will be just as addicted to bikes as her parents are.