Well I think it started 9 months ago. Kind of stopped when my wife got pregnant again, and we’ve already got a 2 year old. So between him and work, cycling took a back seat. Now its in the shed, behind a lot of other cr*p.

I wonder, is there light at the end of the tunnel? Or do I have to wait a few years where I’m older, and more rubbish at riding?

tbh, you just have to have the will to make the effort.

ride for 30 minutes after the kids have gone to bed.

get up 45 minutes early and head out once a week.

It’s easy to just get out the habit of riding and then there’s always a reason not to.

wwaswas has it.

When parenthood came along, I either rode before work (6-7), snuck out on my lunch break or went night-riding.

I find that chucking the bike in the boot and doing an after work ride once a week and getting up early on a Sunday promising to be back for Lunch works for my wife and kids. Admittedly my kids are much older now 6 & 10. Doing this i still retain enough brownie points for all day rides when I want. But like above I make riding a habit my wife knows that its important to me and not optional. Its an important part of my life now, keeps me fit and clears my head. I remind her I could go back to other hobbies which take the whole weekend or spend hours in the pub watching football.

Remember life is about balance!

Buy a road / CX bike, get some lights or ride to work.
Riding from the front door is the best way to escape get out for a spin..

Hmm, I have a 4 year old and an 18 month year old. I don’t get out as much as I did before the second came along but Mrs Wachowchow can detect my ‘Urge to kill rising’ if I haven’t had the chance to ride for a while, as in 7 days.

It’s not compulsory to ride MTB’s. I often feel like blowing it out so I set the alarm get up early and just go it’s what Sunday morning is for. I’ve never regretted going for a ride except when I’ve had a bad off and even then not that much.
You probably just need to kick yourself up the arse a bit.

Pretty much the same as others here. I commute daily on the road bike, now the evenings are getting lighter try to do a once a week after work ride, and if possible a early Sunday morning ride.

Otherwise it’s about trading time with the missus to get a day or two away for bigger rides/races. Speaking of which, heading across to FoD early doors tomorrow for the mini-enduro 🙂

PS. I also have 2 kids. A 4 year old and an 18 month. Both very demanding on time.

I was the same, seen as a bit selfish so bought a static mid week and Sunday mornings up the woods.
I cycle to work every day now, so no excuse!
Get a Kiddie trailer?

What wwaswas said.

Having children and being busy is only an excuse; it’s not a reason. And I should know.

Our eldest is nearly 3, youngest is 5 months. This week has been my first “proper” riding I’ve had since the second one arrived. My tips………

1. Don’t worry about it, it’s been a shitty winter anyway so I don’t think either of us have missed much by not riding.

2. Turbo trainer is your friend, and Zwift specifically has been a life/fitness saver, I haven’t been out, but i’ve done a good amount of miles on the turbo over the winter.

3. Get the eldest one on a bike seat and take them out! Any riding I have done outside this winter has been with him with me, he loves it and keeps my legs turning. It also gives quality time with him, which is hard with 2 of them about.

4. Night riding is your friend, and much easier at this time of year. After I got the eldest to bed last night I headed out for an hour spin, especially if you have riding from your door, this is easy to do.

Now its in the shed, behind a lot of other cr*p.

Sorting this should be the first order of business.
Get the bike out of the shed and spend an hour fettling.
It might spark up your interest again.

Go for a ride this weekend.

But only if you want to.

My son has just turned 7 months. I’ve barely ridden since he was born, but went to steel city dh last weekend, and thought god I miss all this, so this week I’ve done 4 days commuting 10 miles each way mainly off road, and just managed to convince my lazy mates to go out for a proper ride with me next weekend.

You’ve just got to make the effort but when you do it you’ll wonder what took so long.

i quit for nearly tens year. work and family distractions, laziness, add other excuses here.

so bloody regret it now, finally got back to riding at 43 and love it, cant believe i ever stopped and lost so much time, it just drifted away.

as others have said, make the time, the benefits in your general well being far outweigh the time you think your losing.

Enter a race a good few months away, nothing heavy just a local midweeker or something, then get a blast in once or twice a week, work around nap times etc and go when its good to go not just cos you’ve decided, bit of turbo if you can bare it. An d commute if you can.

I am on a sabatical at the mo due to a heart issue so have a summer off. 🙁
But when the kids were young we did as some have/are doing. We took them on kiddie seats/burley trailer, then a kiddyback tandem, then a mix of their own bikes and the back of a tandem. They’ve spent years round bikes and 3 years ago I spent 8 days doing the 3 National Peaks with my eldest (then 18) daughter. It was utterly brilliant.
Get out there, get out there with the kids, they’re never too young

TBH, sometimes life just gets in the way and having a bit of time to yourself can be hard to come by.

Apart from a few brief pootles down to the river with my son, the last proper ride I had was July last year. Work doesn’t help, what with travelling to/from Guyana on a 28/28 rotation (two days each way aswell..). Then we had MiL (altzeimers and other health issues) to stay for a few months. Winter weather. And other ‘Stuff’ to attend to. Hopefully, things will get better next time home. Oh, no.. just remembered, garage to help rebuild, hallway/stairs/landing and a bedroom getting full strip and repaint, travel to/from friends (not mine) etc etc … ho hum..

I’ve been riding less since nipper #2 came along but there’s still a lot of night riding to be had.

Getting an ‘adventure’ bike has made the commute to work so much more fun (no doubt the sunshine since it arrived has helped). Blatting down the river banks/canals might not be mountain biking but it’s better than 25 mins in traffic.

I was the same. 9 months also. Job was taking up a lot of time, back problems and a fur baby. All that plus the great British weather.

So I bought a new bike.

Worked a treat.

Been out three times this week

I don’t really do much “mountain biking” since having kids… but I’ve found loads of ways of incorporating tamer trail riding and commuting into my day. (2 kids: 3 and 6).

When I was working away a lot, I always made sure to cycle to the station or to take the bike in the boot of the car whenever I was working away from home. Some of my most memorable and enjoyable rides were really random: an hour after some work in Caernarfon along a cycle path; a first-time crack-of-dawn blast around Llandegla before a meeting with senior Welsh Govt bods (was still red in the face on arrival!!); a random ride around the roads of Watford…!!

I take pride in cycling to work, which has the added benefit of making sure that I’m fit enough when I do get to hit the trails.

As several posts have said: summer is your friend. I’m able to do a loop of the local trails after bedtime at 7pm, or during “lunch hour” when working from home on a once-weekly basis.

Get the bike out of the garage and go somewhere new. Anywhere. Nothing compares to exploring under your own steam, on or off road. I might also direct you to Cass Gilbert’s blog/Instagram – http://www.whileoutriding.com/blog
It’s not impossible to travel by bike with toddlers.

A lot of good advice above.

I’ve had a (sort of) pants start to my (non family) cycling year. A succession of tight work deadlines, illness and a lovely family holiday means I haven’t ridden much at grown up pace since January. Riding with the kids (6&4) is fantastic but not much proper exercise. I’m not complaining about my lot at all just a statement of how it’s been.

We’ve ridden as a family since both kids were about 1 with a mix of kiddy seat, follow me and now under their own steam. It’s a lovely way to get out with them.

This week it’s been sunny and I have stuck in two quick 30 minute rides at a moderate effort chasing the light and to get back in the car and home before dinner is cold.

One lap of a 5 mile blue grade trail doesn’t sound much (yesterday should have been more but got held up en route) is better than no riding. Once the legs and skills are coming back on form in a couple of weeks I will be back on the red and ranking up the miles.

I am finding going back in bit by bit is helping, mileage is low but can then push harder which is more fun!

By the way anyone from the QECP collective who is reading that blue trail is sublime for fast flowing smiles. 😀

4 year old and 20 month year old :/

Ride to work. Ride when they’ve gone down for the night. Get a trailer or bike seat and take the oldest out for a ride.

Cycling to work is a great way to some riding in

But now the weather is getting better, time to invest…..

I only get 30-60 mins twice a week if I’m lucky.

Doesn’t have to be hours of riding.

A CX bike fits my usage of road and trails.

Get on your bike!

There is light at the end of the tunnel. You’ll just have a sore bum for a while before you see it.
Best of luck. 🙂

If you want it you have to fit it in..this morning I was parked up at my local forest at 7am so I could squeeze in an hours bkking before the family gets up…I think it’s worth it though because, for me, that time of the morning is best. It’s quiet, the wildlife is noisy and waking up (I regularly see families of deer) no one else around so have the trails to myself… and I still have the whole day ahead of me… Win win..:D