*Featured image: Daniel, Hazel, Alden, and Malia Wood with Sharlene Gee.*

Daniel and Kayo Wood’s seven-year-old triplets are quite a sight to see on the streets. The Mountain View first graders can confidently ride their own bikes to and from school each day – with Dad in tow, of course.

“I didn’t realize at first how fun it would be biking with them,” Daniel admitted. “I think it’s just great to be outdoors and on your own power.”

Now biking is a part of the kids’ everyday lives. While Kayo joins the family sometimes for fun rides, it’s Daniel who is in charge of the kids’ daily commute. This daily dedication to biking is what makes the Wood family Santa Clara County’s Bike Champions of the Year.

It all started when the kids were attending two different preschools – one English-speaking and one Japanese-speaking – and Daniel wanted a way to work in a ride while taking the kids, Hazel, Alden, and Malia, to school.

Hauling three kids on a bike is a real balancing act. At first, one toddler would ride in a children’s seat on the handlebar, another in a rear seat, and the third child pulled behind in a trailer. Eventually they graduated to a tandem bike and a double trailer.

Biking became a natural part of the kids lives – even when they weren’t being biked to school, they were zipping around on balance bikes at home. Daniel thinks the balance bikes were key to helping the kids learn to ride pedal bikes independently.

“Definitely have them learn on a balance bike. Absolute must,” Daniel said. “As soon as they were sitting on [pedal bikes] – boom, they were going.”

Now riding bikes is a part of normal life for the kids. Hazel, Alden, and Malia have developed a love of the great outdoors, aren’t afraid of inclement weather, and know they have the power to transport themselves.

Sharlene Gee, who nominated the Wood family, said she’s proud of how much the kids have come into their own.

“I am so proud of them for using their own power to get to school on-time, in good moods, ready to learn. I’ve seen their road skills and awareness rapidly and organically grow. They set a powerful example for the kids and adults at the school,” Sharlene wrote.

While the Woods haven’t convinced the city to add bike lanes to their elementary school just yet, Daniel said he’s seen things slowly starting to change. Sharlene advocated for the city to make the route to school safer for bicyclists, and soon the sidewalks were cleared of shrubbery. And Daniel said he’s seen new people from the school community hop on a bike.

“We have proven to be more inspiring than we realized to other people,” Daniel said. “We have run into so many teachers and so many friends and so many folks… and I have seen some of those people take to the streets on their own.”

Hazel, Alden, and Malia were over the moon to learn the Wood family won Bike Champions of the Year. Their parents are proud of the kids for using the confidence they’ve developed from biking – whether it comes to hiking, gymnastics, or soccer they know they can do it and have fun doing it, too. They’re confident in their physical abilities, and Daniel thinks it all started on their bikes.

“Having that confidence, being very sure of yourself physically, knowing what you can and can’t do… it’s helped them understand if you’re dedicated to something and you’re doing it every single day, you get better at it, and you start making better decisions,” Daniel said.

Of course, biking with kids takes planning. Daniel’s advice to other parents is to remain unafraid of traffic, but be prepared for different kinds of situations. Set a confident example and make sure your kids know the rules of the road. The Wood family tries to plot out their route in advance and make sure it includes bike lanes or bike boulevards for maximum comfort and safety.

“It’s just making sure you’re taking all the steps to make sure they feel safe and at the same time feel able to make decisions for themselves,” Daniel said. His kids have learned when to stop, when to go, and when to wait for an adult’s guidance.

Family biking is a unique challenge, and SVBC is delighted to celebrate the Wood family as 2021’s Bike Champions of the Year for Santa Clara County. We hope the way Daniel and Kayo are teaching their kids how to get around carbon-free will inspire other families, too.

“I think with everything it just starts with changing one mind and then that person hopefully changes one other,” Daniel said.