Posted on December 4, 2013 at 1:41 pm
Ben with daughter, Iris and Son, Mordecai. Two lucky children who are growing up in a cycling family.
You may have read about Ben Watson recently in the articles in the Evening Standard or the Daily Mail. Ben was stopped in the Met’s recent Blitz on Cyclists. We know Ben and his children, and to us, Ben is a champion. He’s one of a growing number of parents in London who are ensuring their children grow up with cycling in their everyday life.
A number of years ago Ben and his family bought a Bakfiets Long so that Ben could cycle with his young children. Later, as the children grew Ben purchased a tandem so his oldest could safely learn to cycle with him. Last week, on the day the articles above were published, Ben came in to pick up his new Triplet. Ben is such a committed cyclist that he’s instilling his kids with the view that cycling is a normal mode of transport. He’s recently began a blog about his extensive views of London, fatherhood and cycling here, but if you don’t have the time, our favourite bit was the quote about his now infamous Bakfiets, which the Daily Mail shamefully called a “wheelbarrow bike.”
“The Bakfiets opened up London for us like nothing on earth. Once you’ve established your routes and know your lights you can safely spirit the children to recreation grounds and parks and markets and venues all over the city in record time. You start popping up all over the place! You’re hardly ever stuck in the jams that give London car drivers frustration ulcers. And there’s the camaraderie of being part of a movement.”
Thanks for sharing Ben!
