Mr. Beanz

Oh what a life when the wife rides too! all those years of riding and competing with friends trying to prove who was the most macho of the bunch. Well, I got tired of winning.

One day I went home and wondered why I do what I do when the wife is sitting at home watching I Love Lucy reruns while I was out having fun. So revaluated my routine and said, "that's it, you're riding with me!" My friends laughed, evne made comments about wasting my time and money on a bike for the wife cause "they just don't ride"! OF course my opinion is that if you give your wife a POS bike with a POS saddle and POS shorts, yeah, she aint gonna like to ride. My view is that they did whatever they could to kep their wives from riding. I'm the opposite, I really want her to ride with me!

To this day, Gina is still riding after 12+ years and they have since retired. Probably at home watching I Love Lucy with their wives while Gina is still on the bike! So a few years go by and Gina's son gets sick and need a kidney transplant. We kicked up the mileage, even did a century the week before the doantion. She tests and everything is great. Doc's commented on how healthy and strong her organs are.

So she's back on the bike after a couple of months but doing easier paced 40 milers on the trail. I'm surprised she's riding at at all! As it works out, al the riding and exercise that I've involved her inreally paid off.

So Last week she comes home and says, "guess what I got?" It take a guess and she says yeah, but I aint touching that till after dinner haha!(that's another thread) So she pulls out a check and says, " al the managers at work got an unexpected bonus! $1,000 !

Great, let's go hit up the mall sand you can buy yourself some clothes. She doesn't want to, she wants to wait til the next day to take me to the bikestores. For what? I don't need anything other than a roll of rim tape. So we ride then she insists on getting the ride overwith so that we can hit up the shops. Sweetheart, I don't need anything! We do go so that I can get the rimstrip but when we are there, she insists on buying me stuff. I don't need anything! Yes you do. She picked up a couple of jerseys, one to replace my worn beat up yellow jersey and another color she liked. OK fine. Then she says get some tubes too. Then she picks up a pair of gloves. I don't need them but she is always complaining about my beat up smelly gloves. Geeze, she practically twisted my arm.

I'm cheap, so the $20 jerseys will last me another 7 years as I'm just not into fancy expensive bike stuff. Then she goes shopping for herself and pick up the stuff she needs, new clothes, purse etc. She spent aobut $70 at the bike store on me and I do feel bad cause it's her bonus, she earned it and I dont want anything from it. But, she literally forced me.

So now I feel funny cause like I said, it's her money. But today she goes to the doctor for a yearly exam, you know the female stuff etc. Docs and nurses take her vitals and ask "WHAT IN THE HECK HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?". She asks what do you mean? Your vitals are excellent, they are beautiful, perfect, you are in darn good shape!

She was so happy when she came home! She laughed and giggled for an hour! Then she said, "it's all the bike riding that we do isn't it?". I'm so happy she said. I thought about it and came to the conclusion that getting her out on the bike was one of the best things I've ever done! Heck, now I don't feel so bad about taking a couple of cheapo jerseys in return.

Nice to know your wife is in great health!

I like to get into shape every 2 or 3 years or so to compete with some buds but nothing, NOTHING compares to riding with the wife!

kjc9640

Great story Beanz...thanks for putting that out there.

mdohertyjr

+1 Riding with my wife is the most rewarding experience that our marriage has to this day. When we do rides, one of us is struggling, the other pushes the struggler on. It goes both ways. My wife was like you Beanz, when I bought her the Trek 2.1 for Christmas, she didn't think she needed it. Needless to say, riding metric centuries on Trek 7.2's could and had been done 5 times last year, I figured road bikes would do us good.

We both have gotten in better shape, and work together as a team. I still say she is a better rider, especially when she gets down on those damn areo bars, lol.

I don't pump her up as much as I should, here on BF, but it is great to ride with the love of your life...

Jtgyk

"...she earned it and I don't want anything from it. But, she literally forced me."

Oh, you've gone and done it now Your Hunkiness....You're officially a Kept Man!

Mr. Beanz

Thanks! May sound a little corny to some but o know you've been a big part of kepeing the wife in good health is a darn good feeling!

Heck , she's been strutting her healthy self around today!

Mr. Beanz

Then you know what I mean about riding with the wife, COOL!... I'm just happy Gina isn't too competitive cause if she got an itch to "train" she'd drop me!

Mr. Beanz

I don't want to be kept but she forces it on me!

cyclokitty 

Awww! That's a great story.

Mr. Beanz

Thanks!


...a thumbs up!

magohn

Great story.

Last year my wife would usually ride with me too - at times we would have to trade off as we have a 7 yr old to take care of. We did the 200 mile STP together but as winter came she decided to take a few months hiatus - too many crazy drivers around here to have us both out on dark roads. With the lighter nights she is getting the itch to get back in the saddle. I really enojy having this extra common ground to chat with her about.

I agree 100% with both having decent gear - my wife has a Spec. Ruby and absolutely loves it....

Mr. Beanz

Cool, nice bike for her! We're lucky to have a long trail sans cars to ride on. We do ride the roads once in a long while but she does make some small errors from time to time that I don't care to think what might happen on the road. I've been called a sissy for riding the trail but hey, it keeps my wife alive and healthy.

Seve

Very nice story Mr. Beanz

Careful she doesn't spoil you ....

iforgotmename

Thanks for the story Beanz...you are a lucky man. But with your charm and good looks I am sure you attract the cream of the crop. My only question is are you worthy

zonatandem

Been riding tandem TWOgether since 1975.
Now in our mid/late 70s we are still pedalin'!

Mr. Beanz

Nope! Before Gina I had lots of putry girls to hang with but NONE like her! I am not worthy, I don't know how I did it!

Mr. Beanz

Too late!

Mr. Beanz

Cool, I read lots of your posts in the other forums. Hope to be like yous when we mature a little more!

jbman100

Lucky man you are. My wife and I used to ride together all the time till Lupus put a stop to that. We still ride together as often as she can in the spring and fall before it gets too hot. She's the support team for me and a couple of buds when we do events and she's also my photographer, trainer, nurse, and biggest supporter. She raced when she was in her 20's and she was the one that got me on a bike so I could ride with her while she trained for a triathlon. She couldn't do the tri but she sure got me going. Enjoy the time together.

Mr. Beanz

Yeah, that type of stuff is a bummer, sorry to hear that but great to see that she still supports you and all. That can be just as much fun! I'm sure the memroies of riding together are worth gold. I sometimes think to an age or time when we might not ride anymore and think of the stories we will have to tell.

exile

Gina rocks Mr.Beanz. To donate a kidney is awesome. Especially knowing that she was in such excellent shape to do it. She has you to thank for that. (I'm sure you remind her how awesome you are.)

Hope Gina knows how much you gush about her here on BikeForums. Because here, you are awesome. (And we don't even need to remind you).

Great story!

Mr. Beanz

Thanks, I'm not awesome, I just ride my bike! I tell her how much I gush about her but she just thinks I'm silly.

Spudd

That's really sweet. *sniff*

I ride with my husband, too. We both took up biking at the same time because we made an audacious goal - to ride our bikes across Sweden. He's faster than me, but he slows down for me. This morning I was faster than him, though! He was scared of the snow and I just wanted to get there already so we could get out of the cold.

Mr. Beanz

Ha! I know that feeling oh to well!

billydonn

I'm working on getting my wife to get into regular riding but it has been slow going. She recently brought it up again on her own so I have high hopes for making progress this season! Got her on an exercise bike last week, so we're making progress.

The health benefits of most any level of regular cycling are truly amazing, aren't they?

B.Alive

Thats a great story!