It was a very humid summer in Indianapolis and Joules was not too hot on the idea of running in the sun for hours and days to teach the kids to ride. But the "weather" inside the house was icy cold to stay in and hope the girls would somehow learn with the help of training wheels.

Fondly remembering the domestic weather Joules quips, "Pain is the mother of invention!"

Inspiration (Divine Intervention)

Recalling high-school physics and the reverse of why a rider leans, as if falling, to make a turn (the reverse being turning more to keep from falling) Joules figured out the dominant forces that keep a bicycle in balance, especially at low speeds. Analysis, the easy part, was done.

He now needed to combine the physics with other scientific principles to get his daughters (ages 5 and 7, who could not be expected to learn the science) to learn balancing in just a few minutes. Thus, synthesis, the difficult inspiration part, still remained.

Joules used to think during his corporate career that all of the inspiration he had to develop elegant Management Science solutions to business problems came from his brain. He now believes that all of that and Pedal Magic were gifts from God. Divine interventions.

As with other solutions, inspiration for the crux of Pedal Magic came in the middle of the night, waking up with vivid impression of what needed to be done.

When The Sun Went Down Next Day (First Three Pedal Magic Riders)

He loaded kids' bicycles in the trunk of his car and took the girls to his office parking lot. His wife was puzzled by the drills he was putting the firstborn through and was amazed when he decided in a minute or two to launch her. He let her go after a few steps and she rode on!

Seeing her sister ride, the little one was eager for her turn. And she learned just as quickly. Until Joules turned Pedal Magic into a business 12 years later they both thought that was how all parents taught their children how to ride a bike! Somewhat prophetic, thinks Joules.

His wife, who had grown up with him in India, had tried to learn as a child but had given up completely after the first fall. Elated by the success with the girls he asked her if she would like to try. Much to his surprise she agreed - and learned just as the girls did.

Joules noticed that it had taken only a span of about 10 to 15 minutes to teach all three. He knew he had something of value but did not consider it to be a viable business idea due to his career situation, service distribution barriers, and lack of capital.

Pedal Magic on the Runway (Summer 1995, 11 years later)

Joules was now Manager or Operations Research at the customer services center of Citibank's Diners Club credit card operations. Most people around him were young with little children. He discovered that teaching their kids how to ride a bike was a problem for many young parents.

When they saw how quickly Joules taught their kids as well as another manager at Diners Club to ride they suggested that he market the process on a video tape. Unlike in 1984, VCR was a common household item by 1995. The original business idea had suddenly become viable.

Having lost all of his savings in numerous entrepreneurial projects in the past, however, Joules was still reluctant to take the plunge without something more compelling.

Jaws Drop in Joules Home (December 1995)

Joules had sent an email to Denver NBC News (9 News) in August 1995 saying that he was willing to teach anyone to ride a bike in minutes while their cameras were rolling. He never heard back. He was embarrassed at the thought of them having a good laugh at his expense.

One day when the Joules family got home from Christmas shopping there was a message on their answering machine. It was Mark Koebrich from 9 News! Joules said he was planning to take Pedal Magic to market very soon. They asked for an exclusive and Joules agreed.

Pedal Magic Rising (April 14, 1996)

Channel 9 shot the feature during January-February 1996 but decided to delay airing it till Spring. They chose April 14, the Sunday before tax day, to air the feature. The station received numerous calls during and after the broadcast and they aired it twice the next day.

Pedal Magic had gotten off the ground and become a business.

Over the next few years Pedal Magic was covered by various newspapers, radio stations and television stations. However, it never received national coverage as the Joules family had hoped. It was not sensational news and it was something that seemed too good to be true.

Pedal Magic Goes Electronic (April 2004)

With the need to prevent piracy and the desire to deliver the video immediately to customers Pedal Magic video tapes were withdrawn from the market in the Spring of 2004 and replaced by encrypted video protected by Microsoft's Digital Rights Management Technology.