# should i cycle infront of or behind my 6 year old?



## united4ever (19 Jul 2015)

So my son has started cycling and is doing well but only been on the pavements of busy roads and on the road itself on quiet suburban estates.

I have been cycling in front of him and looking back as much as possible. My instinct was that I could lead and any hazards that come our way I will approach first and can negotiate and call back to him to slow down/stop or whatever. I can also make myself visible and get eye contact with drivers/pedestrians .

However, maybe I should be behind him encouraging him and I could watch him a lot more than if I was infront....mind you if he does wobble or fall off he would surely be on the ground before I could get to him.

Should I keep leading the way?


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## Profpointy (19 Jul 2015)

I've no direct experience but I'd.be behind - you can keep an eye and supervise and by road positioning shield him from traffic. You need to be sure he'll obey if you shout "STOP" at junction / lights - but you'll see when you need to shout


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## PeteXXX (20 Jul 2015)

I'd be slightly behind and to the right a bit to keep passing vehicles a few feet further away from him.
If you are in front, you'll have no idea what's going on without constantly turning round to check.


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## steve50 (20 Jul 2015)

ride at the side of him, you are his shield, his guide, if he gets a little wobble on you are there to stop him veering into traffic etc. If he is in front he has no guide if he is behind you cannot monitor him full time.


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## w00hoo_kent (20 Jul 2015)

Agreed on behind, mine learnt to ride at 6-ish but was a lot older when I started to ride again so I don't have direct experience, but sitting behind allows you to control traffic better, watch what they are doing more attentively and it's easy enough to stay close enough to shout if needed. You need to be happy they will do what you say, and turn/slow when you say so.

Of course it does mean you're the one drafting all the time :-)


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## buggi (20 Jul 2015)

Behind and offside of him to protect him. Don't take him out until he knows what "STOP!!" means. Minor roads first until you can trust him not to ride away from you in excitement. As an instructor this is where we place ourselves with both children and adults if we are on our own.


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## PhilDawson8270 (20 Jul 2015)

Definitely sit behind him.

You can slipstream to save energy so you can drop him at the next hill


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## raleighnut (20 Jul 2015)

I'd be behind and slightly further 'out' to shield also.

mind you I'm on a trike still for now.


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## summerdays (20 Jul 2015)

Definitely behind him and slightly further out. I did it that way with my 6 year old on the way to school until he finished primary school. You can always move forward and cycle beside him at junctions and any point that you feel you need to guide him. I've seen people do the opposite and they haven't got the foggiest what their little one was upto and on one ride out of the city, I saw the adult had climbed the hill much faster and left the child to do the narrow windy hill on their own.


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## Angry Blonde (20 Jul 2015)

PhilDawson8270 said:


> Definitely sit behind him.
> 
> You can slipstream to save energy so you can drop him at the next hill



Brilliant, i swear ive just spat a bottle of pop all over my wagon howling at this !


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## Katherine (20 Jul 2015)

Always behind. 

I'm sure no one on here would do this, but... 
I passed a dad with his kids going the other way on a cycle path. He was in front, a girl just behind him and a very small boy much further behind who was weaving about all over the place. I slowed down and kept as far left as possible but he still came straight at me. So I stopped to speak to him. He was riding with his eyes closed because he had something in his eye. I encouraged him to blink until he could see again but the dad hadn't realised! He was wearing eye protection but the kids weren't.


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## united4ever (20 Jul 2015)

Thanks all, I shall try a bit behind and offside to shield him next time.


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## Herbie (20 Jul 2015)

united4ever said:


> So my son has started cycling and is doing well but only been on the pavements of busy roads and on the road itself on quiet suburban estates.
> 
> I have been cycling in front of him and looking back as much as possible. My instinct was that I could lead and any hazards that come our way I will approach first and can negotiate and call back to him to slow down/stop or whatever. I can also make myself visible and get eye contact with drivers/pedestrians .
> 
> ...




i always cycled behind my son when he started cycling .....i still do and hes 24 now I'm always playing catch up


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## Citius (20 Jul 2015)

buggi said:


> Behind and offside of him to protect him. Don't take him out until he knows what "STOP!!" means. Minor roads first until you can trust him not to ride away from you in excitement. As an instructor this is where we place ourselves with both children and adults if we are on our own.



This ^^

Although my road position does change depending on where we are. At roundabouts, for instance, I will always move into the lead position so I can be certain that the traffic has seen us and is going to give way.

Otherwise, behind him and slightly to the offside..


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## ianrauk (20 Jul 2015)

Yup, Behind and just offside. It's how I have been teaching my 5yo.
We were doing roundabouts on Saturday.


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## mustang1 (20 Jul 2015)

Tough one but this is how I do it (and dont consider this to be advise, just saying what i do) and always on quiet roads:

I'm never directly in front. I will be behind and slightly to the right as much as possible. I will tell my kid to stay away from car doors, don't cycle right next to the sidewalk, and ensure drivers can see you. 

That's quite important; if you are in a position where your kid is obscured by you so drivers can't see him, it might make things awkward if the driver didn't expect to see a second cyclist. 

Usually I will let my kid ride slightly left of the centre of the lane, while I go slightly to the right.

Each junction is different. Depends on parked cars, amount of traffic etc, but usually I'm slightly in front but still on the right, in a protective kind of position, but also depends where the driver is approaching from because I want the driver to see my kid, the second cyclist.


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## Yazzoo (20 Jul 2015)

My son is 7 and I feel is now too old to ride on the pavements at all so is always on the road. I ride behind him but occasionally will nip up beside/in front of him for any right turns or tricky junctions. There's a mini roundabout near us where the normal laws of the road don't seem to apply rather the most decisive person has right of way. I worry when cycling along a line of parked cars that he might not be seen by any passengers about to fling open their doors etc so I always encourage him to come out further into the road and he wears a yellow hi-vis vest thingy on the road. Passers by can probably hear me from a long way back shouting at him about distance from the curb, parked cars, keeping an eye out for moron pedestrians just stepping out in the road etc etc


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