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There is no doubt that cycling is a sport that engages us. There are other sports, like football or basketball, where a couple of games a week are already considered a good load. But the lover of cycling, the one who is really passionate, needs 3 or 4 trips a week. This translates into 7 – 10 net riding hours.
If you like to ride a bike several days a week and are about to have your first child, this article may interest you.
We begin by recalling the three fundamental points that the practice of cycling requires while we live it and have fun:
Time
Financial resources
Ability to sacrifice
My experience is that of a parent who has a 5 year old daughter, 4 grandparents available to take care of her and a flexible job. But in my environment I know friends and relatives who tell their difficulties every day to get half an hour for themselves … Even if not investing in cycling.
Let’s see how to combine each of the three points described above that are necessary to continue pedaling.
How to manage your time:
As indicated above, a cycling enthusiast needs between 7 and 10 hours a week to satisfy the thirst for cycling. These departures are normally distributed in 2 departures from Monday to Friday and a third more on Saturday or Sunday morning. How does this change when children arrive? Well, radically …
If it is true that at first your child will have all your time and energy, a few months later everything will stabilize, finding time to free will make it head again and you will have to take advantage of it immediately.
In addition, from two years onwards, daycare, school, extracurricular activities, visits to the park with grandparents, etc., are of great help.
The father or mother cyclist must, without hesitation, take advantage of those moments as if they were his last days to ride. Half an hour? An hour? Two hours? Let’s not waste time, which is the most precious thing we have.
It should be kept in mind that not everyone has the same times. Some people work on shifts, others on a separate day and others may be unemployed. Every family is different and every cyclist tries to adapt to their circumstances.
How to manage your money:
A few months ago a good friend had a daughter. A few weeks before birth, he took the opportunity to change his road bike. Why at that moment? You may think that to change the bike, if you don’t have time to enjoy it, is to throw away the money.
My friend’s explanation is as follows: “since I know that I will have some important expenses like the nursery, the vaccines, the new room, the diapers, the clothes and so on, I thought of buying it now before going into the whirlwind of expenses . ”
Moreover, the purchase of a new bicycle already generates the obligation to amortize it and, therefore, you will be more prepared to occupy any free time with it.
Testimonials aside, it must be said that a child, during the first year of life, can be a big outlay. This point does not directly affect the sport we love, but it affects everything that surrounds the acquisition and maintenance of a bicycle.
My recommendation is to face fatherhood or motherhood with the bicycle and the wardrobe ready for the following year. And without expecting to spend more than basic maintenance on a bicycle. Money should be at your child’s service, especially if the family budget is not comfortable.