Discussion
There are probably a lot of cycling/MTB dad's on here. I was wondering how everyone finds time to split their passion of two wheels with family?
My two are 8 and 3 respectively so I enjoy spending time with them and at this stage, them with me. They're both girls so I know that won't last forever! Fortunately I'm a shift worker so there's opportunity to get out (generally solo as it's midweek) during school hours but the free weekends are generally off limits and chance of cycling holiday usually involves pulling a trailer or attaching a spare seat! I ride both disciplines so weather and mood dependent I'll either go out on the roads or I'll go out for a few hours on the MTB. I probably see them as mini adventures if it's a few hours out, and I'll try to explore somewhere new or break the ride into segments i.e, stuff to see or cafe stops. That said, I really enjoy a day out on the bike with the kids and it's good to see them progress and getting enjoyment from the it and the achievement of doing something.
How do you work your cycling into family life?
My two are 8 and 3 respectively so I enjoy spending time with them and at this stage, them with me. They're both girls so I know that won't last forever! Fortunately I'm a shift worker so there's opportunity to get out (generally solo as it's midweek) during school hours but the free weekends are generally off limits and chance of cycling holiday usually involves pulling a trailer or attaching a spare seat! I ride both disciplines so weather and mood dependent I'll either go out on the roads or I'll go out for a few hours on the MTB. I probably see them as mini adventures if it's a few hours out, and I'll try to explore somewhere new or break the ride into segments i.e, stuff to see or cafe stops. That said, I really enjoy a day out on the bike with the kids and it's good to see them progress and getting enjoyment from the it and the achievement of doing something.
How do you work your cycling into family life?
The answer is with difficulty. Mine is young enough that evening are free, so in the summer I will take advntage of the late sunlight.
Weekend / club rides is trickier, its always a bit of a give and take to get the time for a longer ride, its a compromise. As a teacher I get long holidays, which gives more opportunity for both family time and bike time. I also try to commute to work when I can as this is a bit like a "free" ride time wise.
I also love going for bike rides with him, but at 4 we are not going far!
Weekend / club rides is trickier, its always a bit of a give and take to get the time for a longer ride, its a compromise. As a teacher I get long holidays, which gives more opportunity for both family time and bike time. I also try to commute to work when I can as this is a bit like a "free" ride time wise.
I also love going for bike rides with him, but at 4 we are not going far!
I've taken a bit of a break from cycling as I found it was taking up too much time and I was getting a bit disillusioned with it- in order to improve I needed to spend more time on the bike, but needed to find time to spend with family, do DIY jobs etc. Someone I know was also killed recently when someone drove into her while cycling so that's made me shy away from road cycling for the time being. So I've got into running for a few months as it's more time efficient.
However, I found the best compromise was to train when everyone else was asleep- either at 5am before work or 8pm after the kids bedtimes during the week, then get out at 7am on a Sunday so I could get a few hours decent riding in but still be back before lunch. In the winter this would mainly be on the turbo but off road riding in the dark in the evenings with decent lights is loads of fun. Lovely on summer mornings and evening though.
If I was on a long ride and my wife was left solo with the kids, I'd make sure I had them for a few hours in return while my wife had some time doing whatever she wanted to do.
However, I found the best compromise was to train when everyone else was asleep- either at 5am before work or 8pm after the kids bedtimes during the week, then get out at 7am on a Sunday so I could get a few hours decent riding in but still be back before lunch. In the winter this would mainly be on the turbo but off road riding in the dark in the evenings with decent lights is loads of fun. Lovely on summer mornings and evening though.
If I was on a long ride and my wife was left solo with the kids, I'd make sure I had them for a few hours in return while my wife had some time doing whatever she wanted to do.
Edited by lufbramatt on Tuesday 18th January 11:41
Great question, my boys are now 8 & 11, both were riding at age 3 & i've always ridden BMX, bit of DH MTB & in the last 5 years, cyclocross and road. I would have never got in to road bikes if it wasn't for my lads. 5 years ago I was 15 stone and although pretty fit from BMX riding I wasn't bike fit. Kids go to school & we need to get them there so we buy a bike trailer, hard work but got fitter. Time goes on, one boy now rides himself but the other is bigger in the trailer so still getting fitter. We then buy an adult trike to get them to school, hard work but guess what, gets me fitter! I then realise im over taking other cyclists on the trike so i try a cyclo cross/gravel bike & i'm flying! A friend says have a look at strava and i'm hitting some top 10's on some sections. What could I do on a road bike? I get one & fly, now I weigh 12.6 stone. 
Kids now ride their own bikes to school but I go with them, 3.5 miles in, drop them off then best effort time trial back, often go the longer way home, that twice a day keeps the pounds off & then the club ride of 30/50 miles on a Saturday morning whilst everyone else is chilling at home.
The only down side with the boys riding to school is they don't want to have a fun ride on the weekend, they have had enough by Friday so I cant really have a go at them but they are the reason i'm fitter than ever age 51, & that includes my time in the Army in my early 20's!
Make it work into your life style is my tip.
This
Makes this easy
Kids now ride their own bikes to school but I go with them, 3.5 miles in, drop them off then best effort time trial back, often go the longer way home, that twice a day keeps the pounds off & then the club ride of 30/50 miles on a Saturday morning whilst everyone else is chilling at home.
The only down side with the boys riding to school is they don't want to have a fun ride on the weekend, they have had enough by Friday so I cant really have a go at them but they are the reason i'm fitter than ever age 51, & that includes my time in the Army in my early 20's!
Make it work into your life style is my tip.
This
Makes this easy
I’m another for the early morning trundle - either on or off road as I’ve got some good trails v close. It might only be for 1-1.5 hrs but it’s out! Usually a 2-3 hr ride on a Sunday morning.
Also fit it around their sports activities - swimming lessons are an hour or 90 mins so I put the bike on the roof of the car and go for a ride whilst they swim.
My youngest is nearly 8 but he’s been riding the local trail for nearly two years now, so sometimes on a weekend I get to go out on my own to do the sighting run, early, then come back and do it all again with him.
The two older kids will also ride if need be, so we do sometimes go out as a bunch.
There are ways and means, they’re just not always what you want…
Also fit it around their sports activities - swimming lessons are an hour or 90 mins so I put the bike on the roof of the car and go for a ride whilst they swim.
My youngest is nearly 8 but he’s been riding the local trail for nearly two years now, so sometimes on a weekend I get to go out on my own to do the sighting run, early, then come back and do it all again with him.
The two older kids will also ride if need be, so we do sometimes go out as a bunch.
There are ways and means, they’re just not always what you want…
Suspect we all have similar issues around this. I do my road cycling first thing Saturday and/or Sundays (6.30am untill about 9.30am). This does mean can't really do club rides but have other dad's to ride with at this time. In summer also do evening rides after kids in bed. I do mountain biking Saturday afternoons with my son who is 9 often bike parks or short trials up to about 10miles, this is often for weather dependent. We sometimes get out as family for rides too (my wife now has an e bike and I tow my daughter 6 on a trail gator, this limits us to gravel type riding rather than trails. Hopefully I can get my wife/daughter into proper mountain biking soon as they are not keen to ride on roads.
I'm probably a couple of years behind the OP as ours are 4 & 1/2 and 6 months. I used to do the 6am weekend ride and be back before my wife and eldest woke up, but with baby along his waking is unpredictable so it will be a while yet before I can do that again.
I'm WFH so get out at least three times a week at lunchtime, usually an hour but meetings allowing I can squeeze in a two hour ride and make up the time somewhere else. I tend to try some structured intervals to kid myself that I'm going to regain the form of my youth.
But it makes good use of a short ride. Also careful to have easy rides so I don't feel more and more exhausted each morning.
Eldest was great on his balance bike, just before his 3rd birthday we did 3.5 miles down the bike path and got the train back, but still struggles to start off on his pedal bike so I can't really ride with him at the moment, have to run or scoot. Once he nails that I'll take him out more in the spring/summer, possibly driving to some more scenic routes. OH and youngest would come along too, and when the baby is old enough to go on a child seat we'll hopefully have some family rides.
The other time is at weekends if it's grey outside and he's watching a film, I get an hour or so to disappear without being missed. Will also ask permission to go out one night a week once they're all asleep, probably 8pm-midnight or something silly, but I've got the clothes and lights to make it happen. I wouldn't go out in the rain but as long as it's dry when I leave the house I don't mind getting wet.
I'm WFH so get out at least three times a week at lunchtime, usually an hour but meetings allowing I can squeeze in a two hour ride and make up the time somewhere else. I tend to try some structured intervals to kid myself that I'm going to regain the form of my youth.
But it makes good use of a short ride. Also careful to have easy rides so I don't feel more and more exhausted each morning.Eldest was great on his balance bike, just before his 3rd birthday we did 3.5 miles down the bike path and got the train back, but still struggles to start off on his pedal bike so I can't really ride with him at the moment, have to run or scoot. Once he nails that I'll take him out more in the spring/summer, possibly driving to some more scenic routes. OH and youngest would come along too, and when the baby is old enough to go on a child seat we'll hopefully have some family rides.
The other time is at weekends if it's grey outside and he's watching a film, I get an hour or so to disappear without being missed. Will also ask permission to go out one night a week once they're all asleep, probably 8pm-midnight or something silly, but I've got the clothes and lights to make it happen. I wouldn't go out in the rain but as long as it's dry when I leave the house I don't mind getting wet.
My lad is almost 2. It's been a challenge to stay consistent but cycling is so crucial to mental wellbeing that I've tried hard to make time for it. I've tried to stick to 2 hours Tuesday morning, 2 hours Thursday morning and then a team ride or a race at the weekend. It's largely worked, thanks to making it routine and returning the favour to my wife.
What's missing is the long distance stuff I did before he was born. I've gone from tapping out a 400km ride at a moment's notice to not having ridden over 140km in two years. My conditioning has suffered and I'm a little nervous about that, having committed to (1,500km) LEL in August.
Starting a new cycling business in the summer hasn't made it any easier. Work now begins at 8am and finishes when productivity runs out at around 11pm.
What's missing is the long distance stuff I did before he was born. I've gone from tapping out a 400km ride at a moment's notice to not having ridden over 140km in two years. My conditioning has suffered and I'm a little nervous about that, having committed to (1,500km) LEL in August.
Starting a new cycling business in the summer hasn't made it any easier. Work now begins at 8am and finishes when productivity runs out at around 11pm.
I think the underlying issue often is that many women do not have hobbies. So when you offer to repay the favour for a few hours they’re still hanging about helping with the kids anyway. Which obviously doesn’t happen when you’re off on the bike so it never truly feels like for like.
The couples I know who had it best were those that either basically had their parents round the corner or those that BOTH cycled or ran or whatever. Then it would truly be a tag team, one goes out then the other does when that one returns.
A lot of dads in my old club also go out at 6-7am and are back by 9. Personally I did turbo and would go out for a 80 min lunch break ride and then do a couple of 90-120 min rides at the weekend. Was alright but never got out on longer ones or rode with anyone else so I slowly stopped bothering. Running quite a nice tonic save for injury’s but think I’ll either start going out early as it lightens up.
The couples I know who had it best were those that either basically had their parents round the corner or those that BOTH cycled or ran or whatever. Then it would truly be a tag team, one goes out then the other does when that one returns.
A lot of dads in my old club also go out at 6-7am and are back by 9. Personally I did turbo and would go out for a 80 min lunch break ride and then do a couple of 90-120 min rides at the weekend. Was alright but never got out on longer ones or rode with anyone else so I slowly stopped bothering. Running quite a nice tonic save for injury’s but think I’ll either start going out early as it lightens up.
I haven't really cycled properly for years. My kids are 8 and 12 years old. From an early age they have always come cycling with me, either in a child seat, on a tag a long or cycling themselves. From about age four, they were able to cycle 12+ miles on some local cycle tracks, so we did that a lot.
During lockdown, I started using roads with them because they were so quiet. They are now pretty confident on the road. They are both pretty proficient at climbing now too. I have just started getting my lad (8 year old) into MTBing which is where I started. Out every weekend for an hour or two.
So, I have never needed to split family life from cycling.
Just recently I have been commuting on my bike to work (26 miles a day) so I suppose I get my personal fix from that.....
During lockdown, I started using roads with them because they were so quiet. They are now pretty confident on the road. They are both pretty proficient at climbing now too. I have just started getting my lad (8 year old) into MTBing which is where I started. Out every weekend for an hour or two.
So, I have never needed to split family life from cycling.
Just recently I have been commuting on my bike to work (26 miles a day) so I suppose I get my personal fix from that.....
okgo said:
The couples I know who had it best were those that either basically had their parents round the corner or those that BOTH cycled or ran or whatever. Then it would truly be a tag team, one goes out then the other does when that one returns.
That is Chez PB - Mrs PB does swimming and running so M-F it’s not unusual for one of us to be out at 5.30 and back around 7’ish for the other to be gone until 8.30’ish. Weekends are different just because of all the other stuff that needs to be crammed in but we’ve generally left Sundays as clear as poss to give us both max flexibility. Doesn’t always work, esp now with older kids
My daughter is coming up to 2, and tbh it has been tricky.
Like others have said trying to balance group rides and events are really quite hard to get arranged. I've got to barter this with the wife so she gets some time to herself. Working from home does help, as I can crack out an hour of zwift on my lunch break to keep things ticking over.
I've got a seat on my MTB that I can take my daughter out for an hour or so and she seems to enjoy it at the moment. It's not thrilling riding but hearing her chuckle does have it's benefits (plus the extra 15kg ish does help the hill training)
Like others have said trying to balance group rides and events are really quite hard to get arranged. I've got to barter this with the wife so she gets some time to herself. Working from home does help, as I can crack out an hour of zwift on my lunch break to keep things ticking over.
I've got a seat on my MTB that I can take my daughter out for an hour or so and she seems to enjoy it at the moment. It's not thrilling riding but hearing her chuckle does have it's benefits (plus the extra 15kg ish does help the hill training)
Mave said:
I try to go out at lunch times on the MTB at the moment if the weather is OK, and adjust my route to suit time between work meetings. On the weekend I get up early on a Sunday, get home in time for breakfast, then take the kids to their various sports clubs.
Very similar to this, and many others actually. Early morning road rides, and then I'm usually allowed most of one of the mornings at the weekend.Its a bit cold right now, but I try and take my daughter out (4.5 years old) on her bike, attached to mine with a Follow Me Tandem. I get LOTS of exercise, me and my daughter enjoy it, and I earn some points with the misses so i'm allowed out with my mates later.
This is a topic close to my heart with a 4 and 2 year old.
Similar to what others have said. I'm "happy" to get up around 5:30am get a couple of hours in and still be home to sit and have breakfast before school or a weekend activity. I'm also very lucky in that my wife understands that getting some self-time is important for both of us so on a weekend we'll agree that Sat she will do something like a long run and Sunday i will do a ride or vice versa. Those mornings when she's out i take the children out which is just as much effort as a 3 hour ride :-)
I also decided that for now getting out for 4 hours plus coffee on a Sunday is not fair nor is it something that I really want to do and therefore changed my mindset which is if i want to enjoy cycling and time with the family then need to change the routine a little. Like you said, there will be a time where i will come and go and they won't even notice i've been gone so enjoy the children whilst you can
Similar to what others have said. I'm "happy" to get up around 5:30am get a couple of hours in and still be home to sit and have breakfast before school or a weekend activity. I'm also very lucky in that my wife understands that getting some self-time is important for both of us so on a weekend we'll agree that Sat she will do something like a long run and Sunday i will do a ride or vice versa. Those mornings when she's out i take the children out which is just as much effort as a 3 hour ride :-)
I also decided that for now getting out for 4 hours plus coffee on a Sunday is not fair nor is it something that I really want to do and therefore changed my mindset which is if i want to enjoy cycling and time with the family then need to change the routine a little. Like you said, there will be a time where i will come and go and they won't even notice i've been gone so enjoy the children whilst you can
Like others have said, lunchtimes when they are in school is easiest. My wife likes Zwift, but I like to be outside.
We generally take the kids with us on weekend. Started with a Burley Trailer (cycled them to school each day), then moved up to Weehoo tag trailers and eventually FollowMe hook up system when they could ride longer distances.
Mine have been doing DH biking since aged 6 as Bike Park Wales is our local. Now nearly aged 10 I can't really get to go on my own as they want to go DH biking with me. Which is fine as I love seeing their progress and ripping it up faster than me now.
We generally take the kids with us on weekend. Started with a Burley Trailer (cycled them to school each day), then moved up to Weehoo tag trailers and eventually FollowMe hook up system when they could ride longer distances.
Mine have been doing DH biking since aged 6 as Bike Park Wales is our local. Now nearly aged 10 I can't really get to go on my own as they want to go DH biking with me. Which is fine as I love seeing their progress and ripping it up faster than me now.
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