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This feature originally appeared in Cycling Weekly’s print magazine (opens in new tab) in February 2018
Cycling is many things to many people. It is both a solitary sport where we clear our heads and a social sport where we can chat to our heart’s content. But how does cycling fit into relationships? Is the bike a place where romance can blossom? Can we find quality time with the love of our life on the road?
Work and domestic pressures often make time with your partner difficult to find. Add hours spent training for your next event, and quality time is even harder to come by, so riding with your partner could be just what the doctor ordered.
A disparity in abilities can be a concern, but cycling is a sport where you can go as fast or as slow as you like; indeed, a recovery ride can be as good for you as an eyeballs-out interval session. Matt Rowe, husband of Waow Deals rider Dani and coach, says: “We coach a few couples, and I guarantee there is a place in your training week to ride with your partner. They will get a lot more enjoyment out of their cycling because they are doing something with you and will resent you a little bit less because you are not riding on your own all of the time.”
CW spoke to five couples — both professional and amateur — and while there might have been a few niggles and the odd falling out from riding together, they all viewed the sport as a positive part of their relationships.
If you still need convincing that cycling with your partner will work, first consider all those Valentine’s gifts you could ‘share’, then read what our couples have to say.
Nikki and Matt Brammeier
As a road rider with Aqua Blue Sport, Matt Brammeier’s race programme is the complete opposite of cyclo-cross rider wife Nikki’s, but the pair use that to their advantage. Indeed, the Brammeiers are lucky enough to ride together most days.
“Our endurance rides are usually the same pace, give or take a few watts,” notes Nikki. “I’ll do my efforts while Matt’s doing his, then we just ride together the rest of the ride. It’s pretty good for me as I can get a really hard ride in just tagging along with Matt and a group in Girona. It’s one of the reasons I don’t need to race much in the summer!”
Their race schedules also allow Matt to work for Nikki during the cross season, an arrangement not without its issues.
“I’m the boss,” Nikki asserts. “I can be a bit of a madam at the races. So he says.”
“We’ve had our…
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