Cycling Merit Badge

To date, this is our most expensive merit badge---even more than all the others the boys have earned combined--and some of them have not been cheap. The cycling merit badge shouldn't be expensive if one already has a bike--which both boys did. The requirements besides knowing a few things (first aid, how to care for a bike, repair a flat etc.) includes two 10 mile rides, two 15 mile rides, two 25 mile rides and a 50 mile ride. So why has this merit badge cost us thousands of dollars?

Wrecks.

When we moved into this ward, the troop had already done the 10 mile rides, so Cache had to make those up to get the badge. Tom took him on a mountain bike ride to make one of them up. It was his first time mountain biking. Early in the ride, he came around a bend, went onto a little ledge then got a bit nervous and ran into a tree. Bike was fine and other than a bloody nose, Cache appeared to be fine; however the next day he looked like this. After trips to different doctors over a few month's time, things with his face were still not resolved. Eventually we found ourselves at an oral surgeon's office. He ordered a CT scan--which finally answered a few questions. There was foreign matter in his cheek. (Later we discovered they were branch pieces --one was almost one inch long. They had entered through the mouth so there were no outer skin lacerations which was why there was such great mystery.) Two surgeries later we finally got things corrected. Not cheap.

Then came Caleb. . . on one of his 25 milers, he went around a corner and looked back to check on those behind him. Next thing he knew he had hit a car. A parked car. (According to the scout leader it was the only non-BMW in the neighborhood.) After hitting it, he rolled onto the hood taking the bike with him. They apparently left a few dents. Thankfully that wasn't the expensive part since the owners (who saw it happen) forgave him because the car had already seen better years. And other than putting a crack in Tom's expensive helmet we didn't feel too badly. However after another 25 miler, he said his bike wasn't shifting properly and asked Tom for help getting it fixed. Neither of them could figure out how to fix it. So I took it in for a tune up for the 50 miler. The shop called the next day saying it would be more expensive to fix than to get a new bike. (the fork was bent) They also said it was unsafe for riding (OH!--and suddenly we were more thankful he was safe while up to that point). So Caleb secured a good story for the cycling merit badge too.

Hoping that Chandler doesn't have to keep up the family tradition . . . . guess we'll see in a few years.