100 Rays Of Son - 84

May The Best Sloth Win

Wherever we were traveling by auto to the beach, Rayyan would come by his cycle so that other children could join us. He would ride so fast that he would reach before us. This happens when we take lift and he comes by stairs. He likes to show off to his mom. Hmmm.

Back in Bangalore, with the traffic on roads, he reaches faster at any destination than us riding in cab or car. Now that he has tracking through the fitness band, the speed he reaches is and his heart rate at those peaks are quite scary. Somehow I have trusted him to manage and master that speed and I do not interfere in what he is doing.

Seeing his ease of riding bicycle, I often urged him to participate in bicycle race but he was not interested. I never pushed him much, because I saw that it did not mean much to him.

One fine day, he said he is participating in slow cycling race at Decathlon, because one of his friend wants to participate and he wants to accompany him. I asked him, "Why are you participating in a race that you have not practiced?" He said, "There are two more days and I will practice now. BTW, there is nothing to lose anyway".

I saw him practising for a few hours and did not pay much attention even when he went out to the competition.

After a few hours I got his call, "Maa, I won the competition and a bicycle as the first price". "What! How is that possible?"

"I don't know. But I did it". Somehow, it was difficult for me to accept this since I never knew his expertise in this area and it looked like a fluke.

I told him the same when he came back. But in few months time, at another event in Bangalore, Rayyan won the competition very easily with a higher margin. The price this time was an indoor plant. 

Then he won again at another event in Bangalore. He won it without losing one single time he participated. Finally, I had to agree he had skill to cycle slow. When I asked him to give me a demo, I saw him riding in our hall for 15 minutes. He was like a sloth.

Then I realised that he did not need practice because the bicycle is to Rayyan like the shell is to tortoise. He has been on it since his childhood, not just riding but sitting, jumping, standing and doing all sorts of activities easily.

I was happy that finally he was into competitions and winning rather than explaining it to me in weird way. I hoped he would change and may be in time would start racing... But Rayyan did not participate in those competitions anymore. He was back to enjoying his rides freely....