How do you find time to cycle?

sparkins1972

I went out for 40 miles over lunch today given the superb weather and I started thinking about how you all find time to get in the miles? I am just about to be married, have a 2 year old boy and a demanding job and I do struggle to get 3 rides in a week. I have the massive benefit of working from home 4 days per week but do a lot of early starts and late nights to allow me to work with my colleagues based in US and Asia. In order to get some balance I make time in my schedule to get out twice a week normally coinciding with lunch and then I do all of the early starts with our little boy in order to buy good will with 'er indoors - this way I can scrape an early ride at the weekend and the have my family time too.

Some peope on here appear to do much more mileage than me (circa 100 miles per week) but I just don't know how if you work a standard pattern?

mattward1979

I'm a full time Student, I work weekends, and am a HE Computer programming Lecturer at a College, so time is a premium for me too (although that said, I'm on holiday for 3 weeks at the moment =P)

I commute to Uni/college/work which racks up between 50 and 80 miles a week, and this morning squeezed in a 30 miler.

Someone on the boards once said "You have 24 hours in a day and you choose how to use them. Its not that you don't have time, its just not a priority"

meanredspider

I commute - but your missus might not appreciate you riding down the stairs! ;-)

jgsi

Turbo in yer home office.. simples

nochekmate

Some of the guys doing bigger mileage are no longer married or have a two year old child to worry about - both of the former are very time-consuming

It sounds like you are a busy chap at the moment and therefore time is at a premium for you at the moment, although it may not always be this way.

It's not all about mileage either but the quality of the miles that you put in ie. 80 miles of quality work is likely to be more beneficial than 200 junk miles per week.

Chip \'oyler

I get up early and do my training before I go to work

lifecyclist2010

I bike to work, work in a bike shop and bike on my days off...oh and i'm single and dont really have a social life

dawebbo

No magic formula. If you want to cycle more you either; sleep less, work less or see friends/family less. Different balances work for different people.

derosa

Houses, women, kids - any of these three will soak up what little time and money you have available - avoid like the plague if you want to be a serious cyclist

navrig

Wait until your are 47 and the kids are less demanding.

Otherwise do as we do, get up and on the road at 0700. As long as you keep your cycle time to be less than a slow round of golf followed by a bacon butty and a couple of pints (5+ hours) you should be able to keep your wife happy. "It would be worse if I took up golf, love!"

mattward1979

Navrig wrote:

"It would be worse if I took up golf, love!"

haha I've been using that excuse for explaining away my time spend playing computer games =P

"If I wasnt here, Id just be in the pub...."

AndyF16

Personally I cheat; packed in work so have 9-3 every weekday (with a token day for 'housework') between my 9 year old twins going to school and coming home - no need for weekend rides but that does severely limit getting any ride partners.

Do 200-300 miles per week, rising slowly now weather improving....

jellybellywmb

I always go out early so get back to make Breakfast and spend rest of day with kids etc.
If work day I go out at 5am, once your in a routine its not so hard.

tobermory

I make time after work and at week ends.I go out early at week ends but during the week it's after work due to the fact i get up at 4-30 to go to work,i am lucky kids grown up

Bozman

Married with a two year old and we've got another one due in two weeks, i finished work to look after my lad and the wife works full time.
With the wife being off at the mo i'm cycling every day but usually i try and get out for a couple of hours on both days at the wknd and once in the week when my mother helps out. Now that the nights are lighter i'll get out when i want but that's based on give and take/brownie points, i have no set times i just have to get out when i can.

markos1963

I work shifts all over the place earlies, lates and nights(sometimes all in the same week!) so I usually have time during the day for training. It works out well in the winter as I get to ride during daylight

JKHinton

Been there had the T shirt
Its to late for you mate, you should have stayed single

if only :roll:

Mad Roadie

Chip \'oyler wrote:

I get up early and do my training before I go to work

ditto, but it light, warm and dry here at 6:30 - pull into the coffee shop at 8:15 am - sprint back to home, shower, and flick the PC on before 9 am - fab!

danowat

Commuting makes up the majority of my weekly miles (its "free" training IMO), its not just "junk" miles either, each commute is a separate training session in its own right.

Juggling time trials and other events with a full time job and family is a different matter though....

sagalout

Mad Roadie wrote:

Chip \'oyler wrote:

I get up early and do my training before I go to work

ditto, but it light, warm and dry here at 6:30 - pull into the coffee shop at 8:15 am - sprint back to home, shower, and flick the PC on before 9 am - fab!

Same here - I get on the road for 6am. This is like 'free' time as the mrs isn't up so it doesn't register with her, meaning I can get out for a full day at the weeken and the occasional evening ride without using up too many husband credits!

sparkins1972

It is becoming apparent that I need to start acting a bit more single mindedly and a bit more Captain Caveman when my other half complains about me going out on my bike. And what better time to have a complete change in personality than the first couple of weeks of married life - could be just the thing to add a bit of spice to our relationship

Chicks dig alpha males, right?

MikeWW

Married and 3 kids. Manage about 10 hours riding a week excluding travelling and waiting time at races. The 2 boys are now 14 and 16 and as they are now cycling I actually get brownie points for riding generally Rode every day last week and that include 4 hours at the velodrome on Sunday so wasn't too bad. Not as good this week but life is full of compromise

markyboy2005

sparkins1972 wrote:

It is becoming apparent that I need to start acting a bit more single mindedly and a bit more Captain Caveman when my other half complains about me going out on my bike. And what better time to have a complete change in personality than the first couple of weeks of married life - could be just the thing to add a bit of spice to our relationship

Chicks dig alpha males, right?

A wee trick for you....be a miserable Pr%ck when you dont get enough cycling in. Explain its the lack of endorphins/feel podgy/lack energy etc and then she will be begging you to get some miles in.

Seriously, My wife knows I am happier when I have got some alone time on the bike, I am better fun to be around, so for tt reason she is happy for me to cycle a bit.

Also - alpha male thing, its true.....its programmed into them.....Just don't pi$$ on the rug....

rick_chasey

Also - all those few minutes here and there, lying in for 10 minutes, flicknig through f*ck all on tv for 20, squeezing a quick one out - they can all add up to a ride's worth of time.

rick_chasey

Also, 8hrs sleep? Take 7 and have a 1hr ride.

Fenred

Seriously, My wife knows I am happier when I have got some alone time on the bike, I am better fun to be around, so for tt reason she is happy for me to cycle a bit.

Also - alpha male thing, its true.....its programmed into them.....Just don't pi$$ on the rug....

Very much this!!!....

CyclingBantam

Why don't you 'commute to work'? If you are working from home, go out and do a quick 10 - 15 miles in the morning and same again when you 'finish'. It is no different to if you had to travel to work.

Like others have said though, ultimately it is about priorities. You have to drop something you are doing now to allow you the time to ride. TV normally takes up more time than it should, can't you whip out for an hour in the evening or like someone said, cut down on sleeping by one hour?

If you really look at it, we have 24 hours a day and it is unlikely if you are truely honest with yourself that you can't spare 1-1.5 of them to ride if you REALLY wanted to.

Good luck.

markyboy2005

Rick Chasey wrote:

Also - all those few minutes here and there, lying in for 10 minutes, flicknig through f*ck all on tv for 20, squeezing a quick one out - they can all add up to a ride's worth of time.

Squeezing one out can hardly be designated wasted effort.....

I find if you use a heart monitor and do it at fat burning zone its good for overall wellbeing......



sorry.

SBezza

I sacrifice family time unfortunately, then again my wife is very good about it. The time I spend with the family I try and make as good as possible. I also have a normal 8-5 job in the main, so it is easy to arrange things.

I do alot of my training on my commute home from work, or get on the turbo and get a session done before my wife gets home with the little boy. At weekends I will either train after a race (the wife expects me to be gone most of the day anyhow), or if I am not racing one day will be a long ride, with perhaps the other being a shorter ride, and then time with the family.

It is hard sometimes, and I do wonder what other wives/girlfriends would be like, but my wife is superb and very understanding.

sparkins1972

I don't want to bemoan my lot as the working from home business has its benefits undoubtedly. I think it is the lack of routine that makes me struggle. three days out of five I will be on calls until 2am or starting at 5am, which with a son who is not the greatest sleeper in the world makes life tricky - to the earlier posters point about getting 7 hours kip instead of 8, I can say right now I woudl kill for 7 hours sleep on a regular basis.

Thing is, that is my lifestyle and unless I decide to change career direction then I guess that is what I have to put up with- maybe I am being ambitious to get out more than 100 miles per week and I should be grateful that I can even do that much?

Chris James

As a married man whose wife who also tries to maintain sporting interests, and father of two boys aged 3 and almost 5, my advice is just stick as you are for the moment.

Things do get a bit easier as the kids grow up, if only that they become much less dependent on being entertained all the time.

We are coming into the time of year when the longer eveings are an ideal opportunity for evening runs.

Beware of advice from internet forum people - people who have all the time in the world to ride and spend the rest of their lives posting on fora about cycling tend not to have the most pressing family committments ....