Cycling and your relationship.

[indigoiis]

So. Here is a question for all of you:

How has your newfound passion for riding affected your relationship with your significant other, if at all?

[NJBikeGal]

He's become much more affectionate towards my legs!! Just kidding. Actually, my DH spends his summers at the Jersey shore (working on an Ocean rescue patrol), so I'm sort of a warm-weather-bachelorette...riding to my heart's content. He's very supportive of my riding and knows how happy it makes me. But, it is tough when I want to spend time with him, but have a team workout or long weekend ride to do.

[mimitabby]

i started riding seriously because HE liked the sport. Got him off his butt again
and got me fit.
win-win

[Geonz]

I've been carrying a torch for a fellow rider for lo' these many years Fortunately, riding is a great way to channel unrequited passions...

[Starfish]

I am no longer married. Before we got married, my BF introduced me to cycling, for which I will be eternally grateful. In hindsight, I can see that the whole cycling experience with him, from bike-buying to how mechanicals got handled, from attitudes toward me and others on training rides to tours, etc, was a little thumbnail sketch reflection of our approaches to people and situations in life.

Hindsight is 20/20. Wish I had known how to pay attention back then to the things that made me uncomfortable in those situations.

As I said, however, we are semi-friends, and I will always be grateful that because of him I got into cycling.

[sundial]

Well, I got back into cycling again after a 4 year hiatus and my hubby enjoyed seeing my enthusiasm for the sport that he just bought a Trek 1600 SLR to ride with me.

[indigoiis]

i started riding seriously because HE liked the sport. Got him off his butt again
and got me fit.
win-win

This is why I started - he used to bike years ago and I figured it would help re-motivate him. And so far, it's been working EXCEPT:

Yesterday, we went on an 18 mile ride. About half way through, we got passed by a club ride who were, according to DH, "not even trying." Of course, DH wanted to stay with me, and because my upper gears are not working properly, I have to coast on the downhills until I get it fixed (otherwise it's just spinning.) Mind I am on a hybrid, doing pretty well if you ask me (around 14 mph) and he says, "I could have ridden with them..." (if, of course, he didn't have me tagging along.) Then he said, "I'd ride with a club/shop again if I had the time."

What was yesterday, then? Chopped liver? He had the time to ride with me!

I am wondering whether my whole new interest in this - and the accompagnying weight loss since I started exercizing and reducing calories in March - is making him ... JEALOUS???

[mimitabby]

why don't you ask him to fix your bike? or... take it to the shop and have THEM fix it. why let a mechanical ruin your day/date?

whenever my DH is passed by someone he thinks he could pass, it drives him crazy. Sometimes when he's riding with me, I'll say go ahead.. and he'll take off and do his testosterone thing
and get it out of his system... and then he comes back. (this doesn't happen often, but it DOES happen) so perhaps your DH IS jealous because HE really can't keep up with those dudes anymore!

[equus123]

why don't you ask him to fix your bike? or... take it to the shop and have THEM fix it. why let a mechanical ruin your day/date?

whenever my DH is passed by someone he thinks he could pass, it drives him crazy. Sometimes when he's riding with me, I'll say go ahead.. and he'll take off and do his testosterone thing
and get it out of his system... and then he comes back. (this doesn't happen often, but it DOES happen) so perhaps your DH IS jealous because HE really can't keep up with those dudes anymore!

lol, no offense, but this is the exact reason I can't stand going on men's group rides. they can never stop their testosterone and bravado from getting the best of them and some of us (women or newer riders) are pushed way harder than the ride is supposed to be. it's a stupid pissing contest and it happens almost 80% of the time....

[Grog]

I think my sweet partner and soon-to-be-husband and I would not have a relationship if not because of cycling. That's what got us started talking together, dating, and eventually riding together!

That doesn't mean it's all blissful and easy though. He is a MUCH MUCH stronger rider than I am, and values fitness more than scenery. So we both have to do compromises. It doesn't always work, but we're getting better at riding together (and knowing when we should NOT ride together).

He loves my tan lines but the muscles even more.

[Kano]

He went out with a friend one day, then "talked me into" going with them the next time they went out. Little did he know what he was getting himself into!

We ride together a lot, though sometimes it works better for us to ride alone. Like, I can get out in the cool of the morning during the week, and have been working a lot of Saturdays this summer, when he's more free to get out.

It's turned into another "play-like" activity that we are enjoying together now that the nest is pretty well emptied!

Karen in Boise

[Jiffer]

Riding is very good for our relationship. He cycled first, then convinced me to get a tandem with him. One of the first times we went out and rode together I told him it made me feel closer to him. We were doing something as a team, working together. We could talk and just hang out with each other. We had a common interest.

I have since gotten my own single road bike. He's thrilled at my new found love of riding, yet he's gotten jealous the couple of times I chose to ride my single over riding tandem with him. (We rarely ride singles together since he's so much stronger than I.) I love both for different reasons, so we're working on figuring out the balance. We're doing our first tandem century in September, so I need to put some priority on the tandem until after that.

So, in answer to your question. Cycling has been very good for our relationship since we both do it.

[KSH]

So. Here is a question for all of you:

How has your newfound passion for riding affected your relationship with your significant other, if at all?

Well, about 6 months after my boyfriend and I started dating in 2004, I got into triathlons. Well, I started to train. Didn't compete until 2005.

So, I had a bike and went riding a lot. I finally convinced him to rent a bike and just see how he liked it... since he wanted to stay fit but was hating the gym.

He got hooked. He loved it, and finally realized he wanted to buy a bike. So he bought a Trek 1200... and demolished it 30 days later. Yes, DEMOLISHED it. He knew he didn't want to give up cycling, so he bought a Specialized Allez and hasn't wrecked that one.

How did it affect our relationship?

Well, honestly, we had some "growing pains" when he took up cycling.

Specifically, he was very competitive with me and got VERY PISSY when we rode together because I was faster and could drop him like a rock, which I tried very hard not to do. There were times when we rode together that he was very immature and almost pouting like a little kid. So,we had some conversations about his behavior and he worked hard to fix it.

It helped that he got faster than me... but lately due to him hardly ever riding, his average has gone down. He has done good to keep a good attitude about it... but sometimes he slips. Mind you, we hardly ever ride together and honestly I rather like it that way.

Yea, pretty much I get up on the weekends to ride and he stays in bed. I'm OK with that though. Since he doesn't like riding in the heat or distance... if he did go ride with me, he would be in a horrible mood the whole time with me trying to not let him affect me and trying to keep him positive.

I guess that pretty much covers it! So, he does ride, but we don't ride together and it's probably for the best.