I used to be a cyclist. Well, more accurately, I used to not be a cyclist. And I was fatter. Then I was a cyclist, and slightly less fat. Now I am a guy who periodically rides a bike, and who seems to be getting slowly fat again. The difference? Priorities. Used to be a mashup of work, cycling, and family (consisting of a nice and tidy pair of my wife & I), now I have a new big (small) one that trumps all others. My daughter. She's 6 weeks old. And awesome. But unable to ride in a bike trailer for another 11 months, so now instead of riding my bike in most of my "free" time I spend it sitting with a baby in my lap who is alternating between crying and sleeping, leaving me with lots of time to think about cycling. Stupid American Association of Pediatrics and their "rules" about "baby" "safety". Apparently her neck muscles are too weak to withstand the trauma of a crash. And yes, theoretically I could just not crash, but I do crash on my bike. A lot. To a degree that my coworkers wonder why I continue to ride, and acquaintances are, well, "uneager" to ride with me. Pussies. Anyway, my original plan of hooking my daughter up to one of those medieval leather weightlifting devices to strengthen her neck was nixed by her mother as being "insane", "ridiculous" and "the worst idea I ever had" (good thing I don't share most of my ideas with her. I have plenty of good ideas, problem is, most of them suck). So, in lieu of strapping my newborn daughter up to a jerry-rigged neck building contraction (something else the American Association of Pediatrics probably frown on, way to go jerks) I've opted to write about cycling, and all it's myriad joys (a well fitting pair of bib shorts), pains (realizing you have a certain amount of crotch numbness that is acceptable to you), and discoveries (saddle sores, WTF?)
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