There's a chatterbox on my wheel. "Hey, the light is pretty flat out here, huh?" Yeah, I mutter, I can't see the snow or anything. "Do you think there'll be a good trail at Rainy Pass?" Hmm... I dunno... there could be if the snow machines get through. "This is pretty cool. I feel good!" Uh huh... That's good, Ben. "Hey, there's that team training for the Eco-Challenge. Let's get by 'em!"

Ben is riding so close that occasionally he bumps my wheel, nudging me off the soft, squirrelly trail into deep, heavy snow. Uh Ben, I say in exhausted monotone, would you mind using your brakes a little or else riding a few feet back?

He laughs, voice cracking, "I would, but my brakes are frozen. And, I can see the snow from the shadow of your wheel." I smile to myself. How can you get mad at a kid smarter than you to figure out how to create visual relief from a mere shadow of a mountain bike wheel?

And this is how it goes, yackity-yack, bump-bump, for nearly 25 miles on barely-rideable snow machine trail at the base of the Alaska Range, with flat light, no depth perception, and thick globs of mashed potatoes masquerading as snowflakes piling up on our heads. It was a miserable stretch on the Iditasport, 100 miles into the race, but 14-year-old Ben Couturier was making it interesting and fun for both of us. He was playing, and so would I.

Teenage phenoms like Ben come around once every generation to the world of ultra distance cycling. In 2005 at age 18, Ben became the youngest person to finish Race Across America. The last youngster to set the benchmark was a 20-year-old Chris Kostman, when Ben was just his parents' idea.

Ben Couturier having fun on his bike!

Not that every kid who enjoys riding a bike should have a RAAM record as a goal. But there's a lot of young talent out there begging to be nurtured, encouraged and developed. It takes the right temperament, maturity and mentoring to develop these kids into ultra distance cyclists.

Ten-year-old JJ Tower rode out on the 20-mile mountain bike time trial course to watch me, his mom, compete in one of my first mountain bike races. At the finish I waited for JJ to return with that "Way to go, Mom!" encouragement that I loved.

Fifteen minutes passed and I began to worry. Was he lost? Had he run into a bear? I nearly sprinted back out onto the course when he came charging down the trail, 24-inch wheels flying. He was sweating and out of breath, but by the look on his face I could tell that he felt pleased about something.

He figured that instead of just cheering others on, he'd jump in and do the race himself. As a parent I felt proud of his accomplishment, not because he raced 20 miles, but because it was his idea and he was confident that he could do it.

Encouraged by his success, JJ went on to accomplish things his parents thought improbable. At 16 he biked the Susitna 100 (formerly the Iditasport) just for the adventure and the bragging rights. The following year he switched from biking to skiing the Susitna 100, a last-minute decision. He finished the race hours ahead of us. In 2005 JJ placed fourth in the Fireweed 200, then rode as my partner in the TransRockies Challenge, a mountain bike event that crosses the Canadian Rockies more times than I cared to ride. A proud parent, yes, but I can't take credit for one minute of his success. He did it on his own.

Fifteen-year-old Josh Yeaton rode over to his friend's house to ask if he could come out to play. Nine-year-old Jack Parke eagerly obliged and the two mates headed off into a blazing Alaskan summer sun... at eight in the evening. Their destination was Potter Hill, a two-mile, 9% grade often used by adults for training and racing.

For fun, Josh and Jack sprinted up Potter Hill to see how close they could get their times to the Cat II-III roadies who typically win races to the top. In spite of their six year-age difference, Josh and Jack were playing, just pedaling around, having some fun and throwing in some VO2 work with a hill repeat or two. Josh didn't know it, but he was the best mentor a nine year-old could ever have.

I asked Josh's dad, Jeff, if there was a point in time when he realized that Josh had an aptitude for endurance. "There were some indications of this when he competed as part of his school team in a 75 km cross-country relay from one side of the Arabian Peninsula to the other when we were in Dubai (and said he enjoyed it), and then when he said that he found the Oklahoma Freewheel 'easy,' but I think it became obvious in the Fireweed 200." Josh finished the 200-mile race in 10:31:13.

"It's back to that mental fortitude," Jeff explained about his son, "the ability to challenge yourself and then follow through to meet that challenge when the 'easy' thing to do is give up." Jeff continued, "Josh just told me that he thinks it's (succeeding at endurance cycling) the sense of accomplishment that he gets from taking on and meeting a big challenge, especially one that appeals to few others. I think I have to agree with that one."

Mike Couturier, Ben's dad, agrees. "The most important trait is a strong, developed mental discipline. I firmly believe that from the ride to Fairbanks, through the Iditasport 130 races and the Iditasport Extreme, slowly but certainly taught Ben that no matter what happens during a race that if you stick with it when everybody around you is quitting you will prevail. He views victory to (mean) completing what you start. Everything else is gravy."

Accomplishing a big goal as a kid has its own rewards. "Ben is motivated by a challenge to do what no one else has done," said Mike. "Don't push too hard but don't allow the rider to quit the race. Even if they come in last. Finish, Finish, Finish!" Brenda, Ben's mom, agrees, "Everyone always treated him as an equal and not as a kid. It gave him the confidence he needed to do this type of racing. Ben is the one who chooses to do all of these races; we just support him and encourage him to finish whatever he starts."

Make it Fun
So what beside self-motivation do the Bens and the JJs, the Joshs and the Jacks have in common? Probably more than raw talent is their regard for the bicycle as an instrument of play. While adults tend to be motivated by goal setting and personal accomplishment, kids live for the moment. They're not planners. Kids ride bikes because riding bikes is fun. Our job as adults is to make sure it stays that way.

Dream Big and Dare to Fail
Another commonality is these kids' ability to get their minds wrapped around big ideas, the universe of possibility. The older we get, the more we see the world as a system of constraints: not enough time, not enough money, not enough talent, etc. One exception that comes to mind is Antarctic explorer, Norman Vaughn, who recently died at the age of 100. But not before writing a book and giving many talks to Alaskan school children to impart his message, "Dream big and dare to fail!" A centurion at his death, Vaughn never quite outgrew his boyhood, and encouraged kids to do the same.

I have been pleasantly surprised by young riders who meet and many times exceed their cycling goals. Nothing will put the brakes on faster for a kid than an adult limited by his or her own fear of failure.

I recently had to bite my tongue while reading posts on a training forum in which a conversation revolved around a 12-year-old girl who wanted more than anything to ride a century. The adults attending this virtual meeting decided that this ambitious girl would be better off to settle for a metric century. The girl dreamed big and dared to fail. The adults around her made sure she wouldn't.

Kids Need Role Models and Mentors
Cycling kids need mentors in their lives. Role models and mentors are exceedingly important. A mentor doesn't have to be an Antarctic explorer like Vaughn, but a positive role model to support and encourage. Young Jack's teenage friend, Josh, is a perfect example.

One of Ben's mentors is Peter Lekisch, who at age 60 became the oldest person to complete RAAM. Peter took Ben into his Texas home, imparted whatever knowledge and experience he could, offered up equipment for the race across the country, then nudged Ben on his way to become the youngest person to complete RAAM. Ben and Peter are the bookends of an amazing RAAM story.

Don't Use the "T" Word
The surest way to ruin a kid's motivation is to turn fun into work by calling it "training." Call it a bike ride, call it an adventure, a race to the top of the hill, but don't call it training. Select routes that achieve targeted distances or terrain that taps certain energy systems and you will have accomplished the goals of the "T" word.

One of the best ways to keep the fun in riding is by engaging other kids. Kids would rather hang out with kids. They are motivated to do their best when among their peers. While you're out riding with one kid, why not take two? Endurance riding can be a two-for-one deal.

Beware the Well-Intended Parent
Adult influence can be an important motivator when a kid needs positive and gentle encouragement. The key word here is "gentle." Negative messages, punishments and criticism of performance have no place in junior development. Allow kids to have their own opportunities to accomplish their own dreams.

Jeff Yeaton observes, "from the perspective of a parent I have to say that in both Josh and (daughter) Jessie's case they are both very self motivated-we have made suggestions that they do things like the Fireweed 200 or the Anchorage to Seward race (120 miles) or the 24 Hours of Kincaid race but it really has been their decision, and I think that's why they enjoy doing the events, and do them well."

Avoid Burnout
Burnout can be avoided with proper perspective and care. Endurance riding requires a measured amount of commitment and fortitude, but kids need to be kids, to go to movies, hang out with their friends (hopefully their friends ride bikes) and enjoy other things that kids enjoy. Ben probably spends as much, if not more, time on his BMX bike than his road and mountain bikes. Hockey, another passion, keeps him in great shape during the long Alaskan winters. Josh, JJ and Jack cross country ski during the winter. Add that to downhill skiing, rock climbing and hiking and you've got some pretty active kids who, unwittingly, are cross-training year around.

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As kids mature into their mid-teens, concepts of training can be introduced carefully. Because they are young, kids recover very quickly. Even so, it is important to ensure that they have adequate rest, a good diet and quality sleep.

Rides should be structured to maximize the perception of fun and minimize the concept of work. Ben's RAAM coach, John Glidden, offers up this advice, "Ben needed to be coached as a junior rider first, and a RAAM rider second. It would have been very easy to burn him out or hurt his development if the proper perspective was not followed."

John says that what motivates Ben is "Accomplishing goals he sets for himself that nobody believes he can accomplish (except for himself, his parents, his coaches, and his crew). He takes pride in being the youngest to accomplish things too. We all knew he would do it, there was never any doubt leading up to the race. In our team's first organizational meeting last February (2005) I stated, 'It is a forgone conclusion that Ben will finish the race in spectacular fashion, now let's see how healthy we can keep him while doing it.'"

"Healthy," physically and psychologically, should be the ultimate goal of developing junior ultra distance riders. If we succeed in our role as adults, these kids will develop to accomplish untold dreams in their adulthood and create generations of ultra distance riders in the years to come.