Life is good. My kid finally walks (yeah!), everyday life is flowing, the bike is working and my nose is runny. In the morning -4°C, in the evening +4°C, but spring is coming.
The daily adventure of the bicycle dad.
I am out of the bed shortly before 5 o’clock, just to get a few more bike kilometers in, besides the 40h office job and the kids. It’s the classic balancing act, I don’t have to, but I would like to. To be there for everyone (and me). Actually, I would also like to sleep more, but at the moment it’ll be enough enough – enough complaining.
Cycling for me is motivation and easing off at the same time. Whether I let myself drift or play e-bike pacman is decided either by the day’s form or the wind. Wind, temperatures, rain and sun are all factors that make commuting exciting for me personally. My children show me how to do it, children find something positive in all weather, that is really fascinating. And it grounds you. And it is very simple. Just get out, the car key sticks to it’s place, the only question is: which jacket do I wear?
Then I get out, experience the elements on the bike. Sounds poetic, but is meant quite pragmatically.
The pickup truck turns out to be a swiss army knife.
“You can’t ride that with a dropbar.” Yeah, well, I’m doing it anyway. 33 km a day, 165 km a week. That’s my “me time”. In the afternoon the kids are my luggage, the trailer in the back, quickly to the food store or the hardware store, three lashing belts, everything tight and ready to go. We can talk hotly about axle standards and clamp diameters, whether a stem with 150g is too heavy or not. Or we can simply ride our bikes. Have I ever weighed it? Sure I weighed it… but honestly, does it matter?
Felix
