On the Paceline yesterday, Patrick and I talked about how the people in our lives either encouraged or discouraged us from riding our bikes. I’m fortunate in that I’ve almost always been encouraged. In childhood, my parents were only too happy to have me disappear for a while, and in adulthood, my wife grasped early on that I was easier to deal with after a ride than before one.
Not everyone is this lucky.
Kids with helicopter parents (basically all parents these days maybe) are loathe to let their children out of sight. I understand, to a degree. On the other hand, the confidence and sense of freedom a kid can get exploring the world by bike might be valuable assets later on, skinned knees aside.
The dance gets more complicated later, when adulthood delivers its panoply of responsibilities and obligations. Not every significant other is kindly disposed to a partner indulging their “hobby” for hours on end, especially if there are kids to helicopter parent.
Some will think of time on the bike as time away from them, not realizing that actually it’s more a case of toward the bike, which is also toward health, sanity and a half-decent mood. This can be a subtle reframing for those not familiar with the bike’s healing properties.
It is possible, at my house, my wife appreciates the calm and quiet of my absence as well. I suppose my riding is what you’d call a win-win.
This week’s TCI Friday wonders if people have generally been more encouraging or discouraging of your riding habits.
Some from column A and some from column B. I’ve made friends through cycling, but there was always something more than that. I’ve had some romantic interests grumble about my riding, but like the friends I’ve made there were extenuating factors beyond cycling that lead to things coming apart. I wish I could relay a story that mirrored a harlequin romance regarding cycling or a blow out fight, but the truth is less exciting.
Encouraging. But I went too far with the racing in the late 90’s/early 00’s and I could see the eyes rolling and hear the groans when I announced my racing schedule each year. I’ve since cut way back and everyone seems to like my “healthy” relationship with the bike again.