Friday Road Ride with My Wife
My in-laws were in town again to visit their grandchildren, our two-year-old, and our newborn. The weather was perfect for late October here in Denver. It was 84 °F (28.89 °C) on Friday and 75 °F (23.89 °C) on Saturday. As I mentioned in my post about cycling with a newborn, it’s essential to have family members who can assist with childcare, enabling you to go out and ride without feeling guilty for burdening your spouse. Having family help also provides the opportunity for you to ride with your significant other, which is precisely what my wife and I did last Friday afternoon.
Our newborn just turned 7 weeks old and my wife has now been out on the bike for the past three weeks. She just got the all-clear from her doctor last week to resume all activities without any restrictions, so we decided to pick a flattish route close to our home got some miles in, and enjoyed each other’s company.
Cycling is often better when you get to ride it with your best friend, who in my case is my wife. I talked in my post about how to introduce cycling to someone which gives some suggestions on how you can get your loved one to ride with you. It’s great to have a spouse who understands the importance of getting out and riding and is willing to take turns watching the kids.
My wife and I rode a total of 27 miles (43.45 km) on our bikes. We stopped at the halfway point to enjoy some coffee and some quiet time without the kids. It was a much-needed break, and unfortunately, it’s the last time we’ll be able to ride together until our family comes to town around Christmas (weather permitting).
Saturday Mountain Bike Ride with Fellow Dad
I haven’t been out on my mountain bike all year. This is a result of a few things:
- My good friend, who I always mountain biked with, moved away last fall.
- I got a new road bike last fall, so I was mostly focused on road riding.
- I decided to ride the Triple Bypass this past summer, so I needed to focus on long-endurance road rides.
My friend from high school moved to Colorado a few years ago and recently got a mountain bike. However, he has been experiencing some foot issues this year (getting older sucks), which has limited his biking activities. Plus he is busy with his 7 and 5-year-old boys. However, his foot is doing better now, and I suggested we go for a ride this weekend, to which he agreed! I prefer mountain biking with others over riding alone.
I picked a trail system I have not tried before, north of Golden, CO in Boulder County along Highway 93. We rode the Marshall Mesa Doudy Draw Loop, which was a mellow 12-mile loop, with 1,000 ft (304.8 m) of climbing. It was rated a blue and I would say that it was pretty accurate. Most of it was pretty mellow single track with just a couple of spicy short rocky sections, which you could easily get off your bike and walk.
Weather-wise it was 75 °F (23.89 °C) out, but with little shade, it felt like 90 °F (32.22 °C) and I was ill-prepared for that and didn’t bring enough water. Morning would have been better, but my buddy had his kid’s soccer game to attend in the morning. As parents we have to work around our family’s schedules, prioritizing them first and foremost.
This trail will be a great option this coming winter as it gets a lot of sun, so any snow will quickly melt.
The highlight of the ride was how close it took us to the Flat Irons in Boulder, leaving us with an outstanding photo opportunity we could not pass up.
We finished our ride at the Resolute Brewery. A good craft beer always feels refreshing after a mountain bike ride. We both enjoyed the Mexican Lager that was on tap.
Get out and ride!
Dads Riding Bikes