Over the last two summers, Quentin and I have become massive fans of the Tour de France and pro cycling. For several weeks throughout July and August, the races hum along for hours on our living room TV on lazy summer mornings. Panoramic views of the European countryside drift through the frame and the commentators urbanely lecture on about ancient Roman ruins and the designs drawn onto the bellies of drunken French hooligans. Oh, and occasionally there's an exciting attack or bunch sprint finish.

In any case, when I saw that the pro peloton was coming to Baltimore for the Maryland Cycling Classic (MCC) this past August, I jumped at the chance and planned a late summer father-son trip to Baltimore.

Friday

I picked Q up from school on Friday afternoon and we headed towards our Federal Hill airbnb. First on our itinerary was the MCC launch party at Harbor Point Park, where the men's and women's pro teams were introduced while we diehard fans marinated in the humidity. We lasted 45 minutes before needing a change of scenery, but not before meeting some pros and soaking up some pro cycling vibes.

I figured as long as we were in town, we might as well catch an O's game. The eventual World Series champion Dodgers were in town and Shohei Ohtani was on the mound.

It would be hard to imagine a better first MLB experience for a 6-year-old. Quentin's stamina at spectator events has always impressed and so it wasn't a surprise when he wanted to stay the whole 9 innings. His patience was rewarded when, following a tight contest, Samuel Basallo smashed a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 9th. The lights dimmed, the fireworks were deployed, and Q and I cheered until we were hoarse.

We hopped back onto our electric scooter and crashed into our beds.

Saturday

The hero of this trip (not pictured) was the rentable motorized scooters we used to get around town. I broke the rules and let Quentin ride on my scooter, gripping onto the steering tube, while we zipped all around Baltimore’s roads and bike paths.

After watching the women’s peloton for a while, we stopped in at the National Aquarium. Quentin had visited before during COVID, but he had no memory of the trip so he got to experience it anew. His favorite part, by far, was touching the jellyfish and horseshoe crabs.

The coolest part about seeing the bike race was that all the main roads, including Pratt St, were closed to vehicle traffic for the whole day. We weren’t technically allowed on the roads, but as long as the pelotons and their support cars weren’t nearby, we managed to cruise around without raising the ire of the many friendly police officers keeping watch.

I also brought his bike and we did a run-ride together on Federal Hill.

Of course, the bike race itself, for both the men and the women, was spectacular. The race organization was casual enough that we were able to sneak past the finish line and meet some of the pros, including riders we watched all July during the Tour de France

After a very, very long day out in the August heat we grabbed some food while watching the Orioles beat the Dodgers (again) and collapsed into bed.

Sunday

But the day wasn’t over yet! Quentin’s grandmas Carol and Kim were coming to town to watch the Indiana Fever play the Washington Mystics and had invited us along! So we checked out of our place, hopped on a scooter once again and headed downtown for the game.

It was the first time either of us had been to a WNBA game and it was a blast. The halftime show was…memorable for me and Quentin got to eat as many snacks and sodas as he wanted.

From start to finish, our trip was unforgettable and magical. We squeezed every ounce of enjoyment out of Baltimore and made some core memories. I’ll remember the fireworks at the Friday night Orioles game, watching the pelotons blaze by, meeting my cycling heroes, and holding Quentin’s hand in the aquarium. Quentin will forever remember zipping around on scooters and riding on his dad’s shoulders.