You forgot the shot of her on the scale...

Build list to follow...

(photo removed)

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2010 Guerciotti Whisper
2007 Bianchi 928L (update Sep '11)
1999 Bianchi MegaPro 25CrMo4

What planet are you on?

http://www.velominati.com/blog/the-rules/#11





(my wife despairs of me )

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Snacking on carrot sticks - Where did it all go so wrong?
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Finsbury Park CC

Just my opinion but im not sure its the best idea to post such pictures on an internet forum...

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2013 rocky mountain vertex 29er
­Twitter
www.cyclingtrainingnuts.blogspot.ca

You're right, thanks. Got a bit carried away there...

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2010 Guerciotti Whisper
2007 Bianchi 928L (update Sep '11)
1999 Bianchi MegaPro 25CrMo4

#1. Congratulations!
#2. Don't despair. My son just turned 14mos, and in the last year I've had to make a lot of adjustments. What I've discovered, however, is how to make better use of my time on the bike. I can't get the same hours/week I did pre-fatherhood, but now I think the hours I do train are much more productive. I can say this because I think my form is better than ever. Actually, I know it is!
#3 Being a dad is simply AWESOME.

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"Deserve's got nothing to do with it." William Munny

I have two kids, 7 and 4. The oldest knocked me off the bike for three years. Just when I was getting back on, the second came. I was off the bike another year and a half. Every time I tried to go out, my wife would resent me, and it made for some tense marital moments.

What worked:

1) Get your significant other interested in training. Mine runs. It's easier to get away for a few hours if she gets to also get away for a few hours training for her marathon.

2) Learn to ride indoors. It was painful for me. But I finally got used to late-night rides on the trainer. I put the kids down (my nightly duty), then head out to the garage/gym. It's pretty miserable, after a long day of work and family to put in another 2 hours on the indoor trainer, but it's what I have to do. I put the bike in front of the TV and can at least catch up on my DVR'd shows.

3) Negotiate kid ownership. That is, I own the kids on Saturday. She gets them on Sunday, when I do my long outdoor rides. I also try to head out early Sunday so I'm back by noon. That way, even on "my" day, I still hang out with the family in the afternoon. Now you won't be able to do this for at least a year (assuming breast feeding). Not only are you unable to nurse, but milk production means she has to feed or pump or she'll be in pain. But eventually, you'll get the chance.

4) Gift her spa treatments, or just take the kid(s) away at unexpected times. The goodwill generated helps alleviate the inevitable bitterness when you're off for a day doing a race or century.

5) Play the "health" card. You want to be around a long time for your kid(s)! To do that, you have to stay in shape! And to stay in shape, you have to ride! Use this only as a last resort. It's argumentative and does little to soothe her immediate kid-related frustrations.

Enjoy the new kid. And when it gets tough these first few months, know that it DOES get better. And soon, you'll have a moment like today when my 7 yo son ran up to me psyched that I was watching the Tour and said, "I hope Garmin wins today!"

Thanks for the very useful tips, kos!

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2010 Guerciotti Whisper
2007 Bianchi 928L (update Sep '11)
1999 Bianchi MegaPro 25CrMo4

Any way you can commute to work? I do most of my training on my way home. An easy spin in the morning, and intervals, hill repeats, or speed work on the way back. Then I usually get in a longer ride on Sunday morning.

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Snacking on carrot sticks - Where did it all go so wrong?
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Finsbury Park CC

Congrats! I have a 4 year old and a 3 year old. I wish I could say that I've had plenty of time to ride since the kids were born but to be 100% honest your riding will take a hit. The first year of my oldest was definately the hardest but it does get better. YOur basically going to have to be grateful for the short rides you get in and hope for longer ones initially. But it does get better...again congrats.

+1 on the truth being you won't be riding like the 'old days'! The other side of the coin is that you won't even care. Mine is 3 and has been riding a bike for 2 seasons now. He is already helping me glue tubulars and can download SRM data! So much fun.

If you can manage it, try to stay on the bike. You might not get out as much or for as long as you like, but aside from maintaining your fitness it's a great outlet when dealing with the added pressures of being a new dad. You will be far busier and tired than you ever have been before, but there is always 'time' for 'bike time'.

Three daughters here, 7, 3 and 11 months... My luck I only started riding 7 years ago so I don't even know what it's like without kids...

My spare time usually starts at 9 PM after the kids are asleep. So it's a choice between spending time with my wife or with my bikes too often...

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Slammed. Campy. Tubulars.

Yeah, my wife realises that too now

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2010 Guerciotti Whisper
2007 Bianchi 928L (update Sep '11)
1999 Bianchi MegaPro 25CrMo4

Quite frankly, just because you get a baby doesn't or shouldn't mean no riding. You do need to re-prioritize a lot of things and maybe cut out some too.

I don't know about most of you, but my wife ended up doing a lot more of the care than me, especially at night. Feedings and such. What I did was move my hours around. I would get up at 3 AM and be out by 3:30 AM riding for 2-2.5 hr. I would get home, take a quick shower and be out the door by 6:30 AM. When I would get home, I would do a lot more with the kids until they went to bed giving my wife a break. This became more regular as they got older and got some sleeping patterns past the first 3 months. So, instead of watching tv at the end of the day, I would be in bed by 9PM, which is shortly after the kid/s would go to bed.

Moral of the story is it can be done. You just have to be willing to move things around and prioritize.