I’m going away this weekend with my Mrs and 3 other couples for two nights staying in a Cottage on the edge of Exmoor.

No-one else in the group is a cyclist so I was wondering what the collective thought – should I take my bike? maybe nip out early for a quick bike ride? or bin the idea, write-off cycling this weekend and just enjoy the company??

I’m all conflicted and don’t want to seem like a selfish ignorant bugger but at the same time…. well I’m sure you understand 😆

nothing selfish about it, crack on!

Just make sure you run on ‘other people’ time, rather than MTB time where a quick 2 hour spin = 5 hours in the real world.

When the keys go in the bowl, jump on the bike 😉

My Mrs would not be happy if I popped off on the bike while away for such a short trip. Yours may be more understanding.

“bike” isn’t your word for “wife” is it?
If so, yes take your “bike”

should I take my bike?

Err…no

You will return from your no doubt satisfying bike ride in that sanctimonious way that only cyclists can amongst non-cyclists but they will be rat-arsed and having a really good time and your mrs will be wondering why she married the weird one (no offence)

My missus sulks if I so much as look at a bike during ‘us’ time.

That’ll be a ‘NO’ from me too

have you no social skills at all? 🙂

Better to ask on Mumsnet surely?

The question to ask yourself… if you Wife went off for 5 hrs leaving you with those same 3 couple, what would you think of her?

2 days seems hardly enough to to spend socializing with that may ppl as it is, though if it was longer I’d say yes.

Take bikes for everyone so they’re not left out.

Go easy on the booze then get up at 6 and fit a ride in before breakfast.
No-one will miss you.

you can’t keep 6 adults happy all weekend
so grab some time for yourself then fully commit to the group when not on your 3hr jolly

my frame of reference might be slightly off – if I did this, my wife would come with me for the ride.

In fact, I think we might have done almost exactly this in the past, although that was a cottage hired in ross-on-wye for the weekend to celebrate my niece’s 1st birthday, and there was no way we were going to sit there for 3 days solid of cooing at a baby when the forest of dean was just down the road.

Dave

My suggestion, ask her?

if she says she doesn’t mind, then get up early to ride, so you’re out whilst while they are getting ready and make sure that you don’t eat into any tmie you’ve got planned doing other things.

(There is some awesome riding round there BTW)

have you no social skills at all?

Why do you think I asked? Of course I don’t have any 🙄

OK – message received. No bike – enjoy the company and look forward to the trip to Cannock Chase the weekend after 8)

Thanks

Take it, you don’t have to use it.

My missus sulks if I so much as look at a bike during ‘us’ time.

I should have qualified that by saying all I have to do to get a bike ride in is to refer to it as “going out with friends” and/or making it such a regular thing it can’t be complained about.

Group night rides on Tuedays and Thursday followed by road club ride on Sunday morning – acceptable.

Buggering off to ride two nights a week folowed by going out riding on Sunday, not acceptable.

Maybe enlist some ‘friends’ off here to ride with and suggest meeting near the cottage. Therefore it becomes “Jag’s going out with some cycling friends for a couple of hours” rather than “My husbands a miserable turd who can’t stand you socialy for the next three days so has gone off to be alone for the day and I’m going to sulk about it for the rest of the weekend makign it socialy awquard for everyone”.