Not referring to a bike race here, but my time solo with the kids a week or so ago. I’m not complaining or suggesting I should get some sort of pat on the back. I know lots of people do this all the time and realistically it isn’t that big of a deal. However this is the first time I’ve had both kids for that amount of time. Also, with the kids being at the ages of 1 and 3, they are all kinds of a handful at the moment. With that being said we ended up having a really fun weekend, I was able to work some bike riding in (yes the kids came with me), and even some legitimate work. With one more race left the work isn’t done yet.

When I’m left alone there is one thing that I almost always turn to for entertainment, my bike. Since I was the only parent and I failed to arrange any sort of child care I didn’t really have the option of trying to squeeze in some sort of solo workout. I also have an issue with getting on the trainer when the weather is so nice and outside is oh so good. The only option is to take the kids with you.

We have a few options for taking kids on bikes at our house, although there is still one more I’m considering. We have the big cargo bike (with E-assist), the double bike trailer, or the mac-ride.  If you really want to get a work out with both kids though, there is really only one good option at this point, the trailer. The combined weight of the kids is about 60 lbs  at the moment and then the trailer itself is probably 20 lbs. So you’re pulling 80 lbs from the rear axle, it definitely adds something.

Saturday we kept it easy and just did some cruising around town. We covered 10 miles or so, and hit the farmers market, the bakery, the playground, and the grocery store all while making a few efforts in between. Errands, kid fun, and a little bit of a workout all wrapped into one good time. Everyone stayed happy and I was able to get some a little bit of a workout in.

Sunday I was shooting for a bigger adventure. The plan was to head out to the Frozen Creek Rd. Access of Gorges State Park and check out Auger Hole Trail/Rd. I packed snacks, plenty of water, and a bunch of patience. I knew the trail was going to be hilly and the kids were heavy but I wanted to get out a little bit and I was looking to get some riding in. After getting loaded and on the way, I quickly found out how this was going to go. The trail/road is more of an unmaintained road vs. a gravel road. So it was kind of chunky in spots and had some steep pitches.

Some of the pitches meant I was pushing. With so much weight coming off the rear axle pushing the bike on looser chunky terrain was quite challenging. The bike kept wanting to slide sideways and basically slide out. Keep in mind this was within 10 minutes of leaving the car. I wasn’t easily deterred though. I made it up over those initial pitches and then the road just started going down, and down, and down. After about 25-30 mins I decided we needed a snack, Lizzie was starting to chirp and C was getting antsy. We ate, played, and had some fun. I decided that for the sake of everyone having fun we should probably head back.

I managed to ride almost everything on the way back, albeit slow and deliberate in the easiest gear I had, but we stayed moving. We played some games, sang some songs, hit some bump bumps, and really had some fun. I accomplished my goal of getting worked over in about an hour worth of riding and almost no distance. I checked afterwards and the climb out was about 500 feet of elevation in less than a mile and a half, which is the real deal.

All and all we all had a great weekend, we spent some quality time together and rode some bikes. What else could you ask for.