The sentence could effectively be places in a summary of Chapter 4 of Wheels of Change because it expresses a key idea objectively is "<span>In the 1880s and 1890s, female bicycle racers faces a variety of opponents, including makes, horses, and an occasional dog."</span>
This shows that the Grandfather is very fond of nature or very fearful (a character trait of his), and that he is teaching his grandson to carry on this trait of "respecting" nature. It is not a theme, for it does not have enough information or is not the central topic within the writing.
