"Our family has not missed a Tour since it began in 1999. Our two boya, Pipo, 8, and Nacto, 6, are already Tour veterans at their young age. This year will be Pipo's 4th Tour and Nacho's 2nd! And they covered quite a heartly lenght of the Tour in all the times that they have participated.

Last year, I convinced two friends of mine with kids of the same age to join up. And we biked like a small pack - three families riding together, looking out for each other's kids.

I hope to convince even more parents to overcome their fear of the city's streets and ride the Tour together with their kids. In the end, riding it and finishing it together, accomplishes things on many levels for parent and child.

For the kids it is a grand adventure, the hurlding of which is an accomplishment that rewards their strenght and fortitude. For the parents , it is the simple satisfaction of a shared endeavor with their children, one that involves the unbridled freedom and simplicity of a bicycle ride. For both, it is the knowledge that we are all part of a larger whole and doing something towards a greater good can be as easy as spinning one's wheels.

We may travel slow, but the lessons that these rides give our children will hold fast and travel far on the roads they will take later in life."