What do your kids or other family members think of your biking?

Our Community › Forums › Freezing Saddles Winter Riding Competition › What do your kids or other family members think of your biking?

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  • February 19, 2015 at 6:45 pm #916502
    wheelswings
    Participant

    Has Freezing Saddles changed their perspective?
    I’m curious about the reaction of your kids — or spouses, parents, other close relations.

    My sense is that many of us ride virtually every day regardless of Freezing Saddles. Biking is just a way of life, our happy mode of transportation. But the indirect effects of FS on those around us may be significant.

    My kids (now tween age) pretty much grew up on the double-Burley trailer, traveling thousands of miles behind my bike for years. We had fun adventures. But I know that at times they had mixed feelings, ‘cause it was yet another way (among several) that they were different from their peers. Sometimes kids like to be the same as everybody else.

    Then along came Freezing Saddles – and to some extent, National Bike Challenge last summer – and I witnessed a shift in perspective. Suddenly the girls saw their mom’s name online in a community of fellow bikers, last summer contributing to Arlington County’s miles and this winter helping out a team of Bears. The kids follow our teams, study the data, encourage my two-wheeled errands, and keep tabs on how we’re all doing. They hear me laughing at the funny comments and pictures y’all post, some of which are printed out and stuck to our walls.

    Thank you, Bike Arlington and Freezing Saddles, for validating and legitimizing cycling for my girls in a way that I could never do by myself.

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  • February 20, 2015 at 6:00 pm #1023674
    Tim Kelley
    Participant

    “Did you really ride today?”

    “Oh yes, it’s much too far to walk in this weather!”

    February 20, 2015 at 6:04 pm #1023675
    jrenaut
    Participant

    My default response lately is “how else would I get here?”. No one has given any suggestions yet.

    February 20, 2015 at 8:57 pm #1023695
    Steve O
    Participant

    @ShawnoftheDread 108953 wrote:

    Wife just a few minutes ago: “could you promise me to just ride halfway tomorrow?”

    @Mikey 108984 wrote:

    Just ride halfway and then ride back? makes sense

    No, I think she meant just halfway.

    February 20, 2015 at 9:32 pm #1023699
    jrenaut
    Participant

    More “wow, I can’t believe you biked today” from people at school. One of the side benefits of biking in this crazy weather is that people really notice, which hopefully will inspire a few to get on their own bike.

    February 20, 2015 at 9:40 pm #1023700
    dasgeh
    Participant

    @jrenaut 109055 wrote:

    More “wow, I can’t believe you biked today” from people at school. One of the side benefits of biking in this crazy weather is that people really notice, which hopefully will inspire a few to get on their own bike.

    My thought exactly. And when they say “wow you’re tough”, I try to respond with something like “I’m really not. It’s not hard once you start doing it.”

    February 20, 2015 at 11:27 pm #1023707
    vvill
    Participant

    @dasgeh 109056 wrote:

    “It’s not hard once you start doing it.”

    Pretty much!

    February 23, 2015 at 1:35 pm #1023834
    Sunyata
    Participant

    @dasgeh 109056 wrote:

    My thought exactly. And when they say “wow you’re tough”, I try to respond with something like “I’m really not. It’s not hard once you start doing it.”

    I say that ALL the time. I have several co-workers who are always saying how they keep meaning to start biking to work. I always tell them the first few days are kind of rough, but once you get into it, it becomes a habit. Now, if for some reason I can not ride to work, I feel horrible the entire day. Not to mention, my office looks really weird without my bike in it!

    My boyfriend is super supportive of my riding every day. Luckily, he is also a cyclist so he gets it. In fact, I think he checks the leaderboards more than I do and always texts me when I increase my standing or beat someone he knows.

    February 23, 2015 at 2:55 pm #1023851
    Mikey
    Participant

    @jrenaut 109030 wrote:

    My default response lately is “how else would I get here?”. No one has given any suggestions yet.

    Reminds me of when I first started commuting by bike. It was fun to find ways to get to places by bike that I only have driven to before. Now with all the ice, It’s the same thing, but instead I’m trying to find ways to get there without walking my bike.

    February 23, 2015 at 5:55 pm #1023873
    jwetzel
    Participant

    My wife was placed on a different team, so that makes for some interesting “you really shouldn’t go out because it isn’t safe” with the undertone of “I don’t feel safe in this and don’t want you getting more points than me” discussions, and “you need to stay home and do these dishes whilst I go for a ride”

    My mom just tells me she loves me and to be safe.

    February 25, 2015 at 12:15 am #1023984
    Drewdane
    Participant

    My kids think I’m an insufferable dork (they’re not necessarily incorrect), and cycling is just another piece of evidence to support their belief.

    February 25, 2015 at 2:12 am #1023988
    Rod Smith
    Participant

    So much awesome in this thread! Likes and Elites for everyone!

    I live alone so no family members really know except my mom who thinks I ride too much but she likes it because she knows it makes me happy.

    The people at work think I don’t ride enough.

    February 25, 2015 at 4:57 pm #1024033
    PotomacCyclist
    Participant

    Posted by the League of American Bicyclists today:

    [ATTACH=CONFIG]7938[/ATTACH]

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