This Kid Got His Own ‘Reserved Spot’ for His Learner Bike
Christie Dietz’s 4-year-old son parks his ride in the same spot almost every day. He’ll lock his Puky LR XL, a learner bike with no pedals, to a lamppost between errands he runs with his mom. For him and many other children in the German city of Wiesbaden, pedaling with their parents and locking up outside isn’t a rare sight.
“It is not uncommon for children to learn to cycle early on,” Dietz, who’s originally from London, told Bicycling. (She declined to give her son’s name to protect his privacy.)
But on Monday morning, Dietz and her son were met with a thoughtful surprise while preparing to start their day. Someone had stuck a parking sticker featuring a photo of his bright green Puky to the lamppost, designating the spot for his bike “only.”
“The sticker made us all really happy,” Dietz said. “It was a lovely surprise... and such a thoughtful, joyful gesture.”
While Dietz and her husband-who also cycles-worry about the dangers of road riding, they said they’re comfortable with the confidence and caution their child exhibits while practicing for the day he’ll get pedals. He turns five in a few weeks, and Dietz said a new bike will be among his gifts. (If you’re reading this and know the boy, don’t ruin the surprise!)
“At his age, it’s important to make sure he keeps concentrating on everything around him, but he’s generally very careful and we trust him,” Dietz said.
For those curious about where the bike sleeps, it doesn’t stay outside overnight. The family brings it in, but then returns it to its spot the next day. When he’s not pounding pavement with his Puky, Dietz’s son focuses his attention on dinosaurs, his other love.
Dietz said the attention her Tweet earned has been “rather overwhelming... it’s made me so happy that sharing this deed has brought smiles to so many people around the world.” As for the upgrade, Dietz said the new set of wheels will likely be green-“so he can keep using his parking spot.”
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