Why Bike Racers Have Kids

by Mihael Ginghina

As a bike racer you just really need one thing to feed your addiction. Time. Time to train, time to read the bike catalogs, time to maintain your bike, time to sleep, time to travel to races. It's no secret this hobby of ours takes almost as much time as a demanding fulltime job. We do it because it's our drug. Perhaps it's the endorphins from exercise, or the friends you make, or you like shaving your legs. As bike racers, there is hardly time for a serious relationship. So this brings me to the question of, why would a bike racer ever have kids? They don't let you sleep a full night for their first two years. You have to feed them, change their soiled diapers, dress them, play with them, take them to classes, read them bed time stories, and teach them everything. All of this takes time. More time than bike racing ever came close to taking. Bottom line, bike racers should not have kids. But if you made that mistake, I'm here to tell you that there is a light at the other end of the tunnel. Now that my son is two-and-a-half, I realized that he can help me with some of my bike racing chores. I put together a short list of toddler "games" that I noticed he enjoys doing which helps me prepare for a race.

Wash daddy's bike

I noticed he liked playing with the hose in the back yard, so I focused his energy on something productive, which he loves to do and can't wait for me to get my bike dirty again.

Fill up daddy's water bottles

He mixes my Extran energy drink a bit too sweet. He knows the measurements, but I think it's because he likes to taste it before giving it to me.

Massage daddy's sore legs

His little hands don't seem to go deep enough to get out all of the lactic acid in my legs, but he gets better each session.

Feed daddy at races

He is still a little too short to feed me during a road race, but he does a good job when I'm on my spinning bike at home. It's also good practice. When he gets a couple of inches taller, then I can take him to a road race.

Take daddy's wheels to the wheel pit

Everyone knows if there is no neutral support, it's very important to have a spare set of wheels at the race. As you are warming up the last thing you want to do is take your wheels to the pit. You want to focus on the race.

Your kids will have lots of constructive "games" to play, and they'll love it.

So folks, although initially I thought I made a mistake to have kids, now I see my hard work paying off.