Well, not completely. But it has become evident over the past two months that my obsession with cycling caused me more stress than enjoyment. Since I am the primary caregiver for our child it is a chore to aquire babysitting often enough to get in enough riding to acheive the performance level I always considered my minimum acceptable level. This season I logged in excess of 1500 miles pulling a child cart which added a total of about 85 lbs including my daughter. The end result is knee surgery which will happen the first of 2005. Now I have had knee problems in the past but I have come to the conclusion that this years trailer hauling landed the fatal blow. I have been off the bike since oct 17th and have kept busy with projects that needed to be done and am quite happy about it.

I am seeing that it is much more convienient to go into my home gym and blast about an hour on the weights and hop onto my indoor rower for 5-10 kilometers for a great workout. I think from this point on my cycling will be for pleasure and recreation only and my focus on riding as fast as possible will fall to the wayside. I no longer race so there is little point in anything beyond riding for fun or general fitness anymore.

Family was getting in the way of my cycling instead of cycling getting in the way of family and that is just wrong.

I will trim my fleet of bicycles down to just a couple of mountain bikes and see how it goes. Mountain biking is my main pleasure anyway.

What kind of bikes you got for sale?

Totally innapropriate for me to say here but I will PM you.

It seems like you've done a "reverse Magnuson" which I think is a really good thing. If you don't know what I'm talking about, pick up Mike Magnuson's Heft on Wheels.

Family is the most important thing you have, and you only get one of them. Kudos on making the sensible choice. When one starts to interfere with the other, the family has to win

When in doubt, spin in a lower gear.
What kind of rower do you use?
I just picked up a used waterrower.

I have made it a point to never allow cycling to totally dominate family but it did come close sometimes. But now I have seen the light of day and I will not allow my obsession to become so prevalent again. My daughter did have fun on many of our rides but towards the end she really did not want to sit in that cart for two to three hours and I don't blame her. I will probably be able to schedule 2-3 rides a week thanks to grandma but beyond that will be bonus time from now on and I won't force Samantha into the chariot anymore.

I have the Concept 2 indoor rower. Since we live on a small 12 acre lake I may buy a Skull with the bike money.

The concept 2 is a fantastic machine, you can get as much workout as you want with a rower.

I put a lot of miles on a C2, but the horrible, horrible =tedium= of the thing was more than I could stand. At least on an excercise bike I can read a book.

I'm saddened when folks see biking as only competition or as an obsession.

Recreational and fun rides can be so great. When pulling the trailer did you also go as fast as you can go and puch as hard as you can? You will likely do the same thing on the rowing machine, and injure yourself there!

Slow down a bit, have fun recreational rides, life does not have to be a continuous contest. Smell the roses. This gives a whole new dimension of bicycling.

That is what I plan to do. The C2 is for short 20-40 minute workouts of 5k-10k. The bike will be for fun/moderate cardio.

I always, always associate road cycling with speed unfortunately and cannot escape this mentality. If I am not plowing along at 20-25 mph I feel inadequate. I shoot for 30 on flats. I cannot escape this mindset. Even pulling the cart 17mph average over 30 miles was my minimum acceptable ride speed, I time trialed a flat 10 miles at 21 mph once pulling her and from that point forward nothing less for that 10 miles would make me happy.

I know this sounds ridiculous but my race day mentality haunts me.

You gotta think like a tourist!!! Every ride is a tour. Whether you are going around the block or around the world it is still a bicycle tour. Raise your handlebar as high as you can so you can get your head up and look around. As you are walking out the door with your bike don't say to yourself, "I am going for a 3 hour bike ride," - say, "I am going out for a 3 hour bike tour." Pretend you are a tour guide on a research mission, looking for the perfect route with all the most interesting stuff. Look for small town museums, they all have air-conditioning - you can cool off and educate yourself at the same time.

BTW - how long till your little girl is big enough to ride her own bike? Then she can ride along and REALLY slow you down :-)

its alright sam...but think...in 15 years or so, those kids will be out of the house, and you can start hammering again!

Some of the nicest rides I've had were those riding beside somebody and having a nice social chat at a leisurely 12-13MPH pace.

'bent Brian

Don't sell your bikes you will regret it.

There is nothing at all whatsoever about giving up cycling for competition and even for fitness (so long as you have all that other stuff) But you will definitely want to ride again for fun some time in the future.

Dont you expect your kids to get older and you'll have more time. Thats how it works with most of us with kids. You get it in when you can.

Sam, welcome to mid-life. Sounds like you are approaching it with a rational level head: mourning the losses, but recognizing what is gained. Just think, soon you will have to bike even slower because little sam won't be able to keep up on her little bike, but if you do go slow for her to enjoy it you will spend more hours on the bike than you can imagine (that might still be 3-5 years off, but the time will fly).

I know how you feel, I have struggled with the same problem for some time now. I have lowered my "minimum acceptable perfromance level" to the point where I am just proud to be out riding.

The good news? I have discovered that if I stay in decent shape overall, workout/general exercise, walk/run, etc. Riding fifty miles isn't a problem. Even if I haven't ridden much lately (or for a lengthy period of time). Of course the pace will be slower than that which I was previously accustomed and I have to fight the desire to jump when the fast group takes off, but the enjoyment of riding is still strong and I have come to learn that there is much wisdom to be learned from my new friends in the back of the group.

One other note. Some of the strongest riders in our group are retired sexagenarians. I'm talking >20mph averages, double centuries, Mt. Mitchell conquering, ride forever studs. My goal is to stay strong and healthy so that I can be a hammerhead "when I'm 65".

Hang in there and enjoy what comes your way.

Doesn't being responsible suck sometimes. In the long run though, it is the only thing to do. Family should be first. Good choice.

Thanks for the advice, but I sell and buy bikes pretty often anyway. When the urge to get back on the road comes I will be getting the latest and greatest stuff on a new bike.

hey sorry to hear that you're leaving the sport.. and here i am still trying to convert people.

check your PM box, SamDaBikinMan. i left you a message

Sam,

Bummer bout the knees. Everyone is so hooked by you're getting
rid of bikes that I think they neglected this little fact.
When you do go back, take it easy, have fun, you don't have
to ALWAYs be the one taking a pull.
BTW did you see a doctor about the knees?

Marty

Finding the "right" balance between cycling and other aspects of life can be difficult. And, sometimes riding less makes the hours spent riding even more enjoyable. Rumor has it (I would not know) that eating steak everyday becomes boring. So, if you are riding a best less, and enjoying it more - that's a good thing.

I have to carefully balance family commitments as well and it can be very frustrating at times.

I would keep one road bike and one mtn bike. The blacktop will be calling you come springtime.

I hope your knee surgery goes well.

Sam

That happened to me years ago, but I got back to it 6 or 7 years ago after my youngest got a drivers license. So keep your bikes. Besides little sam will want to ride with you and CB soon.

Joe

If I can add my 2 cents here.....Having 2 girls (3 and 2), I can relate to pulling the kids in the trailer; but you do have your priorities in the right order . Don't miss the ballgames, (or in my situation...ballet). While my miles have plummeted since the arrival of the girls, my pride and happiness have soared....

mark