Quite a while ago our Family decided to make Sundays an electronic free day, meaning we wouldn’t use the TV, Computer, Phone, or any other similar device.  We’re not generally electronic obsessed, but for this one day a week we make sure to keep them off and totally focus on quality Family time.

It’s actually a lot tougher than it may sound and it seems like every week there’s a reason to jump on the computer for just a minute….but we do our best to respect the electronic free day.  Sure there are weeks where we break the rules and use something, but for the most part our whole Family stays away from electronics on this one day.

At Home

Yesterday was a perfect example of just what can happen when there are no electronic distractions and how old-fashioned fun can make the day great.  We stayed home pretty much all day and had countless “little” moments that filled me up with laughter, love, and great memories.  Things like the “game” that my 2-year-old invented and had us play, or the creative ideas and thoughts that my two older kids came up with, and the great skit and song that my boys performed later in the day….all added up to one fantastic Family experience.

On the Bike

Electronic free days don’t have to be limited to things at home.  How about taking a ride every week or two where you don’t use the computer on your bike?  I know that I’m constantly looking down at my Garmin and always seem to be battling against the clock or average time.  I’ve forced myself to turn it off every now and then and it is those rides where I’m able to relax my mind and enjoy things just a little bit more.  I do love the competitiveness that the computer provides inside of me, but I equally love those rides that are “electronic free”.

If you’re not ready for a weekly electronic free day, maybe you can start out by taking the National Day of Unplugging Challenge.  The next one takes place March 1 and 2, and more information can be found at www.sabbathmanifesto.org/unplug.

Take it for what it’s worth, but I wanted to share my electronic free experiences with you and suggest it as an idea that can help you Make it Happen….on and off the bike.

I’m so proud to be part of a riding Family, and thanks to the cool cats over at Kryptonite Locks we can now be ultra protected when locking up our bikes.

When me and my Family head out on our bikes there are four of us riding and also the Chariot trailer that I pull my Son in behind me.  It’s a great set up, but now that we’re riding to destinations and leaving our bikes unattended we need to make sure they’re going to be there when we return.

It really sucks that there are people out there who want to take bikes, but the load of Kryptonite locks that we now have makes it very easy to keep them secure.  I told Daryl from Kryptonite my needs and he sent a few options for us to try out.

After dealing with Kryptonite and diving further into all they have to offer, I can honestly say that they are the kings of the lock business.  They know what we need and they know how best to keep us safe.  They also provide a whole whack of information on how to best lock up your bike and how to choose a lock system that works for you.

How to Lock Up Your Family of Bikes

I wanted to focus this article on how best to lock things up when you venture out on a Family ride.  With all those bikes and the Chariot I know I want to make sure I keep them secure and here’s how we do it.

I was going to include a picture to show you how our set up looks, but it was hard to capture it all in one or two photos….so I’m providing some ideas for two different lock up options.

Lock up when nearby and can see bikes

It’s as simple as wrapping the KryptoFlex Double Loop Cable through all bikes and frame of Chariot.  For this type of lock up there are countless ways to secure a group of bikes, but I find this one is simplest and works great.

Lock up when further away from bikes

This one takes a bit more time, but it’s definitely worth the work to ensure the bikes stay safe.  Below are few points for the main aspects of locking up a group of bikes when you’ll be away from them for a while.  Again, there are countless methods and options but here are a few things that I keep in mind.

Quick Release Tires – three of our bikes have quick release tires so I take the front tire off each of these and place it beside the back tire.

Secure Locking Point – Hopefully there is a nice big rack for you to secure your crew of bikes to.  If not, find a thick tree trunk, fence, or other place that provides a secure locking point.

Pairing up the Bikes – in order to keep things as clean as possible, I group together my bike with the Chariot and then lock the bikes of my Wife, Son, and Daughter together.

Locking up the Bike and Chariot – I use one KryptoFlex Double Loop Cable and wrap it through my frame, around the back tire (and front tire that is placed beside it).  It’s a long one so I also wrap it through the frame of the Chariot and its two tires, and then I wrap it around my securing point and lock it up.  If I want to be extra secure, I use one KryptoLok u-lock around my two tires and frame…and another u-lock for the two tires of the Chariot.  We don’t stop at too many shady neighborhoods, so the first option is generally all we need.

Locking up the Bikes – For the other three bikes I use my other KryptoFlex Double Loop Cable and wrap it through the three frames and through the front tire of my Son’s bike that doesn’t have quick release. Then I wrap it through the secure point and lock it up.  Next, I take the KryptoFlex Key Cable and wind it through the back tires and the two quick release tires that are sitting beside the back ones.  I also wrap it through at least one frame as well.

Padlocks and Combinations – to lock up the Double Loop Cables I have been using the Steel Padlock and Steel Round Padlock that Kryptonite sent me.  These require a key which is fine by me, but if you prefer to walk around keyless after leaving your bikes…you’ll want to use a combination lock on the cables and will also want to choose the combination options for any of the other locks you use as well.

Quick Release Seat Posts – Only two of our bikes have a quick release seat post and I usually take those off and put them in the backpack I was carrying all the locks in.

In my personal opinion, choosing Kryptonite for all your lock up options is totally the way to go.  These guys offer everything you’re going to need and will provide great customer service should you need it. Be sure to go to their FAQ section and read up on all the great information in there….or ask a question of your own.

Check out their “where to buy” directory so you can make the purchase online or at you  local bike shop.  Be sure to pick up the locks you need for your own personal family bike riding needs.  Most important of all….get out there and ride with your family.

Yeah, it’s true.  There really are only two things that matter to me…..my Family, and Cycling.  Seriously, if I could fill my days with nothing other than these two things I would consider myself an utter success.  My Family and the Bike matter so much to me, that I’ve spent the past few years carving out a life that allows me to have these two things as my ultimate daily priorities.

Inside I’ve always known how mucho important these things are to me, but it wasn’t until I wrote this line in a recent post that I realized that nothing else really even matters to me: “Family and Bikes.  If I have that, then I have all I need.  The rest is just STUFF.”

But what happens when it comes to money and sustaining yourself so that the majority of time can be spent on these two things?  I’m not a Pro Cyclist who gets paid to ride a bike.  I may think of myself as a Pro Family Man…..but I have yet to meet someone who will pay me to be a Dad and Husband.  So what do I do? I have been lucky enough I have purposely created my own culture so that I primarily work from home, and have moved our Family around to locations such as our present home of Austin, where cycling is King and the weather makes it doable all year round.

However, as I find myself focusing more and more on my Family and the Bike, the idea of making money and building a career have totally taken the back seat.   But things have been weighing heavily on me lately and I’m searching out ways to balance my two main loves with that crazy little notion of making cash.

I know I have just a touch of “dreamer” in me, and I envision someone bringing me that paradise job offer which allows me to focus on my two loves letting me spend valuable time with my Family…teaching my kids about the world….and having no other priorities when I’m enjoying these moments.  Of course this offer also includes a whole lot of cycling time….and why not throw in a little world travel cycling along with it as well?

What have you done to fuel your passions in life?

We’re spending today at the Magic Kingdom in celebration of my Son Indie’s 5th Birthday.  Yeah, how cool is that?  There can’t be any better place to celebrate your birthday than Disney World when you’re a kid.  We’ll also be taking our Daughter there next week when we celebrate her 12th birthday.  Their birthday’s are the main reason we’re here in Florida right now and I’m so excited to be taking them for their big day.

Anyway, it got me to thinking about the best possible place to spend your birthday when you’re a cycling fanatic……how about Walt Disney’s Cycling Adventure Park?  Yeah, there isn’t such a thing…but imagine if old Walt would have been a cyclist and created such a place for us to go play? Here is what I think he would have included….but help me out and comment with your ideas of what would be in there as well.

Magic “Tourmalet” Mountain – An exact replica of the famous climb in France….along with cheering fans and everything.

Splash Moab – Incredible mountain biking trails and the opportunity to ride one of the greatest MTBing locations in the world.

Biking Wonderland – Every single bike known to man is waiting there for you to jump on and give it a go.

Cyclists of the Caribbean – Ride some of the best Caribbean routes that there are…..surrounded by palm trees and ocean.

Meet the Pros – Instead of Mickey and the gang, all of the great pro riders from today and yester-year are on hand to meet, talk to, and take photos together.

Okay, time to split….we’re off for our day at Disney.  Please help me out and include some more attractions for Disney’s Cycling Adventure Park with a comment below.

Let me tell you right now that today’s post has absolutely nothing to do with cycling.  I’ve had a few close calls in the past, but for the first time…after doing cycling blogs for the past six months, I’m deviating from what this blog is all about.

The reason?  Because I am way overdue to write about a little girl who means so very much to me.  I’ve already posted about her Mom, her younger Brother, and her baby Brother…..now it’s your turn Kassidy.

You entered my life when you were two years old.  Such a clear talker for your age, and it was so cute to hear you call me Darryl. But before too long, that all changed…and from then on you have known me simply as, Dad. You’ve experienced so much with me, and as I look back over these past 9 years it seems as if you should be at least 16 with all that we’ve done. But you’re only 11….what do I mean, only?  I can’t believe my little girl is soon to be a teenager….how did time pass so quickly?

I can remember back to the time when you were around six or seven.  There was a string of time when you often referred to me as your hero…..and I’m pretty sure you even wrote about it a time or two.  Wow, you really looked up to me didn’t you?  But then Brother #1 came along and I know that as soon as that happened, I stopped providing you with the attention you deserved.  Now with Brother #2 here, I doubt I am doing any better.  But every single day I think about how I used to be your hero.  Such an acclaimed honor, and I let it slip.

You have spent the past 8 days away from us…out of town visiting your Aunt, and I miss you very much.  Aunt Loretta says she reads this blog every day, so I hope she calls you over to read this from her computer (I’ve got my eyes on you, Loretta ).  This post is all about you, and it makes me feel great to get this out into the cyber world.

When you get back home later today, and as we move forward in all the adventures that lie ahead for our family….I am going to fight to win back my hero status.  I Love You, Kassidy.

My Daughter, Kassidy will soon be a regular contributor at Loving the Bike.  She is a brilliant writer and will be providing posts about cycling from the perspective of an eleven year old girl.  I can’t wait to have you on the team, baby girl.

I remember the day very well.  It was just over a year ago, June 23rd 2009.  I was in our bedroom and my wife was lying down on the bed….out of nowhere she says, “Darryl, I’m pregnant”.  My heart immediately sunk…..Child Number 3 was on the way.  We hadn’t planned this, so I was totally shocked when I heard the news.  My perfect world of great wife and two amazing kids was about to get seriously rocked.

I’m ashamed to admit it, but I immediately went into a depression and denial phase….and it probably lasted a lot longer than it should have.  I can still remember back to a good chunk of last summer with feelings of “Is this really happening?  No, it can’t really be happening”.  You see, I came from a family of two kids and everyone around me had a family with two kids.  To me, it was the way it should be.  Three just seemed like something I wasn’t sure I was prepared for.

Okay, so let’s fast forward to how this story can make its way into a cycling blog post.  Let me start off by letting you know that I can sometimes be a little Obsessive – Compulsive.  One example of this is when I’m out riding….when I reach down for my water bottle to take a sip, I have always sucked back 4 small sips each time.  Inside I’m thinking that each sip represents one of the four members of my family.  A strange personal fact, but the Obsessive – Compulsive in me makes sure it happens each time.

So as time passed last summer and the news of our third child still resonated in my mind, I continued on with my four sips of water at a time.  Again, ashamed to admit that I wasn’t able to accept this yet as my reality.  The days went on, the rides kept happening, and four sips continued being taken.

But on a beautiful long ride exactly one year ago today, my mind, heart, and soul aligned……and when I reached down for my water bottle, I took that fifth sip. I came home and told my wife all about my feelings, the sips, and that I was now ready for this.  I know I put a lot of emotional stress on my wife and was anything but the husband and father that I should have been.  I can’t take those 37 days back, and I forever regret my behavior during that time.

My wife and I believe that we often come across blessings in disguise…..and I can tell you this:  My baby boy, River, has turned out to be one of the biggest. I’ve nicknamed him “Lucky” because to this day, I’m still not sure exactly how he managed to beat the one in a million odds.  But when I look at him and see that great big smile looking back at me, I can’t think of things being any other way.

The days keep rolling along, my rides are even better, and that fifth sip tastes so perfect.

I had always thought my first bike was a tiny little purple thing with training wheels because that is as far back as my memory takes me.  I’m not sure why, but I had never gotten around to asking my Parents if that really was my first bike or if there were bikes prior to the purple machine.  I’ve been meaning to bring that up to them for a very long time….but all of a sudden I don’t really have to.

We were at my Parents cabin this past weekend and while digging around in the garage, we found this beautiful old tricycle.  When I saw it, I figured it was something out of a museum….“What an old classic trike”.  Then I found out that the classic trike used to be mine.  “Am I really that old”.

They just don’t make them like they used to now do they?  Take a look at this craftsmanship. Simple.  Functional.  My First Ride.  Wow, it’s like I located one of the missing pieces that make up the complex puzzle of who I really am.  Somewhere in this red metal and wood lies the foundation causing me to be loving the bike today.

The cool thing is that now I get to pass on this little piece of personal cycling history to my children. My 4 year old is a little big for it, but absolutely loves getting on and pedaling…..and I know that my 4 month old is going to love having it as his first bike.

Last week a good buddy of mine said to me…“If you’re as busy as you say you are, how can you get out there for all those two and three hour rides?”. “Priorities, my friend”, was my simple reply.  In essence there are only three main ingredients that fill my days….Family, Cycling, and Work.  If I’m good with those three then I’m doing alright.  This blog contains a little bit of all three categories, so you know it’s definitely up there on my priority list.

Everything else gets done when I have the time, but the only thing on my mind each and every day is making sure that my core priorities get satisfied. But how do I do it?  Well, I’m far from having it all running nice and slick….there are definitely days when I don’t feel that I spent enough time with my family, or felt like I was running around in 10 different directions without really getting anything done.

It’s I’m a work in progress.

But what does seem to work is being totally in the moment.  When I’m working, it gets my full attention.  It’s my goal to spend each and every working moment being productive so that I can accomplish as much as possible during that time.  If I’m with my Family, I need to be 100% with them.  Not checking messages on my phone or computer…and being completely in the moment. When I’m on the bike….it’s all about the bike.

I do find however, that when I’m out cycling my mind is constantly coming up with cool ideas for posts, tweets, and also ideas for my day job as well.  I guess even Einstein knew where to find his inspiration:

I thought of that while riding my bicycle.

– Albert Einstein

I love being in the moment when I’m out riding, but I also really enjoy it when I’m out there and my mind is racing with thoughts.  I often wish I had a voice recorder with me to make sure I remember what I was thinking during a ride.

Us humans are incredible beings….if we push ourselves, there is so much more that we can accomplish.  With clear priorities, good focus, and passion we are able to take on the world.

And win.

With Father’s Day just a couple of days away, I wanted to post about the Super Dads out there.  You know, the ones who successfully juggle being a role model to their kids, a caring and compassionate family member, hard worker, playful, inspiring, leader….and the list goes on and on.  All that, and of course still having time to put big miles on the bike each week.

But a Super Dad can only be as good as his supporting cast….so this post not only goes out to all my Super Dad counterparts, but their entire Families as well.

Each and every day….all around the world…..Families are in motion.  It honestly amazes me how on a daily basis a Family can get themselves ready, get the kids off to school, and the Parents to work…..all the while never missing a beat.  Even when some sort of scheduling conflict comes up, all the duties get performed.  What amazes me even more is that this continues on for at least 14 or 15 years.

If you were to sit back and think about it, you might feel it is impossible to believe that for the next 15 years you will be able to execute all the tasks that come with being a Family…..but we don’t think about it.  We just keep on doing what we’re doing and it all just falls into place.

The reason it works is because you know it has to work.  There are no other options so you can’t talk yourself out of accomplishing these goals.  You also get help.  Help from your other Family members, and at times you also get help from Family and Friends.  Each Family has their style, but it all gets the same results.

If people around this world can consistently make this happen, what’s stopping us from achieving any other goals we put our minds to?  Nothing.  Take the same approach as a Family.  Don’t look at the big picture, just do what needs to be done today.  Don’t go after it alone…..get help when you need it.

Anything can be done.  It happens every day.  The human spirit is unstoppable if it is used correctly.  Here’s to the Families that are already doing it.  Take a minute and give yourself credit for all you have achieved in your Family.  Good work.

Oh….and of course, Happy Father’s Day.

So what makes a great cyclist?  Is it the training, equipment, passion, focus?  All of these things, and more.  But for me, there is one vital component that has made me the cyclist I am today….My Wife.

Okay just to clarify here, I’m not currently in the doghouse or trying to suck up in any way, shape, or form.  I’m writing this because it’s the truth.  And you know what?….I’ve never actually told her this.  So, Sweetie, this one is for you.

When we were fresh newlyweds you gave me the thumbs up and were the driving force behind me purchasing my first road bike.  At the time, we were living in the Caribbean and money was not flowing all that freely…but even so, you encouraged me to go for it.  There were definitely so many other things that you would have preferred we spend the money on, but you did this for me and I am so thankful.  Your love and support then, is the reason I’m loving the bike right now.

Last spring when we were out bike shopping together, I knew my budget and what I could realistically spend on my new upgrade.  There you were, trying to convince me to blow the budget and get one of the nicest bikes in the store.  Wow.  I ended up sticking to my budget, but man, it sure felt great knowing that you were wanting the best for me.

Since then, I’ve picked up a few little cycling toys here and there, and each time it’s been received from you with nothing but positive remarks and support.  Have I told you how amazing you are lately?

More important than supporting me in the equipment that I’ve picked up, is the time you’ve allowed me to have on the bike.  As a family man with three young kids at home, you’ve given me the freedom to get out there for as long as I want and need.  I appreciate this more than you know.

You’ve never questioned it or commented on something else that should be done…but instead you’ve always sent me off with a smile and “have a great ride”.  And although you’d rather not hear the details of how close a car came to me or how fast I descended down a hill, you’re the first to ask me how it was with genuine interest and care.

I Love You, Amanda.  You really have made me the luckiest cyclist out there, and although I’ve never said it…..I’ve felt that way on each and every ride.