Training and your marriage..let's weigh in.

[welkman]

Wife is a VERY late sleeper which means I can do weekend rides leaving at 7, get back at 1200 and she might be up having cereal. During the week I commute to work on the bike (well one of them) and then put in training on an extended run home. She loves mountainineering so our holiday this summer was camping in Holland then Austrian alps, slovenian alps and Itallian alps, all great places to ride. Our deal on holiday is one day of climbing per day of me riding and an occassional rest day where we do something touristy. She likes it as it helps with my not inconsiderable stress problems and keeps me fit. I get a bit nervy running up to a race which annoys her and I avoid booze a bit too much for her liking !

[Mr.Gib]

I can hear the whips cracking. Some of you guys are a sorry lot. The only nagging I get is when she gets dropped - I have to listen to all the excuses about how it is everyone else in group's fault - never hers. Other than that no issues. And the house gets decorated the way I want it.

Tell your wives to get off their lazy asses and join the hammerfest. My old lady is nearly 50 now and we are riding with a competitive group every weekend. Just teach them how to change a tire so if they get dropped that can always get home.

[voodoojar]

I'm married with young children so I have little to no time to ride a bike in my spare time. I do live 16.8 miles from my work and have ridden there nearly everyday for the last 11 years. When I used to "race" I would build my training around these rides. Now I just do it because I'm vain and I love to ride.

[otoman]

just get your ass out of bed, crank away on the trainer/rollers for 1-2 hours with some Sufferfest vids, be done before the kids need breakfast. Gotta go to bed early to do that though. Boom, you're seen making sacrifices to accommodate the family schedule and get some very focused training in. Win, win.

[Clubagreenie]

There are 3 rings ...engagement ring .....wedding ring. ...and suffering
It going to work out cheaper to hire hookers and they won't say no to your deepest darkest ....
Then training .... and silence .... and thr toilet seat remain up is all yours

[HUMP DIESEL]

This has been a topic of conversation for me in the last couple of years, because I was that Dad/Husband who sacrificed too much to try and race at a high level. Never got me anything other than tired and pissed. I have good memories, but I also have a lot of time lost with my son who is about to be a teenager. I have been going back and forth about racing this next season and I am leaning more on not.

HUMP

[ultyguy]

I actually think cycling is probably one of the easiest sports to still carry on doing w/ wife/kids. The only caveat there is that the mrs understands the need to ride or you've gotten her into it too. Vs other sports that I've played, you just need your bike and a bit of time (as long as you live in a place w/ decent riding close to the door). You've also got a good calendar to be laid out and arrangements to be made ahead of time. Sure, I only rode 75% of what I normally would ride this year, but everyone was kept reasonably happy.

Vs skiing and especially offpiste skiiing where you've gotta just get it when the getting is good, cycling is a piece of piss!

[Doctor Who]

The bigger factor is kids, I think.

I'm only married, no kids (not yet, but soon), and I've never had any problem with keeping up training. I do like the early AM riding, but that's because it's more compatible with my work schedule and biorhythms. I also only ride 8-14 hours a week in season.

Commuting by bike is the best way of getting in good training without sacrificing too much on the other aspects of your life. I usually commute on my race bike and just use a small backpack to carry my stuff (I keep a good-sized stash of clothes at the office). Ride easy to work, then go for a training ride afterward for 60-120 minutes and then get home at a pretty reasonable hour or go out to eat and see a movie. It works out.