A dream came true for me today, although there were moments that seemed like a nightmare

Four summers ago my son started riding a two wheeler bike with training wheels (he skipped tricycles all together.) He must have picked up on my love of bikes because he rode and rode and rode that thing. Once he rode several kilometers to my mother's house as I walked with him to the point of exhaustion.

But he saw my bike hanging in the garage with the helmet attached and frequently asked why I never rode with him. "I can't," I'd say. "Daddy's too unhealthy."

So for four years it was a dream of mine to ride my bike with my son. A dream that I thought wasn't any more attainable than owning my own tropical island. A few weeks ago it became a goal, but not for this year. Then I found myself in a bike shop asking to replace my bent wheel with a stronger one and a larger more cushiony tire. Later, I tried out some plush seats, taking one back to the store and finding a better one. Suddenly, my bike was ready to go, but I wasn't. I felt I was too heavy to ride a bike with thin rims like mine.

I was still 350 pounds at my last weigh in. I had lost fat and became smaller, but my overall mass didn't go down much and that didn't help get me any closer to my goal. I tried riding my wife's mountain bike but it was so wrong for me that I almost gave up on the dream of cycling completely.

One night recently, after the sun had set, I nervously set out on my newly-refurbished bike to see if it were possible. I zoomed along like I was riding on air. So much better for me was my hybrid bike (a cross between a mountain bike and a road bike) that it had almost seemed effortless. Yet I was still tentative and when challenged, my legs seemed really weak and muscle pain came easy. I didn't go far. I also was very tense, fearing my wheel would cave in.

I did one session of training at my clinic's gym yesterday to strengthen my legs for cycling and my arms to support my weight as I leaned forward on a bike. After a night's rest, I decided to give cycling a try with my son. He likes exploring, so first I tried to find a stretch of abandoned highway. I couldn't find one so I decided to go on bike path in a newer part of the city that no one in the family had ever tried. It was to be an adventure.

I tried to prepare my son by telling him I didn't think I could go very far or for very many minutes. He seemed to understand, but he's only seven. I put his bike in the minivan and strapped mine to the roof. We headed to the other end of town and I parked near the pathway on a residential street.

I was very apprehensive and worried that I'd disappoint my boy. But we set out and things went okay at first. People greeted us regularly. My perineum had been bothering me and I was worried it wouldn't hold for very long. I was sweating and tense and after a few minutes I asked to stop at a park bench.

We continued through the beautiful park on this cool summer day with lots of clouds. I spent a lot of time coasting past my son because my heavy weight gave me a lot of momentum going down hills. We explored as I chased after him. He completely forgot I had limitations and after a while, so did I.

The path was confusing because there were constant forks in it. We eventually got to the end where there was an artificial marsh in a park area. This is a more affluent part of the city and there's amazing play structures every few yards it seemed.

As we were headed back, we weren't quite sure where were were going. I over-exerted myself and became a bit aloof in my concentration. I was going too fast approaching a walking bridge and had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting some large rocks. I skidded on sand and crashed. I thought I wrecked my bike but it was fine. I didn't care about me so much because I have free health care, my bike doesn't not, and I have no money to fix it.

I dusted myself off and walked for a while to get my bearings and see if I could recognize where we were. It didn't seem familiar and we thought we were lost. Storm clouds were moving in and I discovered my cell phone was dead.

Where we were lost, minus the storm clouds.

My son, the mapwhiz, found a sign with a map on it and figured out where we were before I did. A moment earlier we were lost and worried. He felt like he saved the day and his mood got even brighter than it had been. We had bonded more in those few minutes of desperation than we had since at any one time since his birth.

After 10.5 kilometers, I've never been so happy to see my stinking 1998 minivan. I pedaled even harder to get to her sooner.

Lessons Learned

Bring more water. I thought a small water bottle from a grocery store would do. It did not. I had to suck on some of my son's water. A proper bike water bottle needs to be purchased.

Find a way to wear a sweatband under my helmet. My eyes had sweat in them constantly and it was irritating.

My GPS might have been handy if I recorded the route so we could retrace it.

I got a mosquito bite on my back and I wish I had a back scratcher in the worst way.

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This has been a Canada Day I won't soon forget.