College classes have started for another semester. I’m not a student, I’m a professor, and now that we’re back in full swing, I face the same kind of challenges many riders face — how do you find the time to ride?
Contrary to popular belief, most college professors put in at least 40 hours a week. Right now, I’m averaging a little over that because of meetings that run past 5 p.m. one or two evenings.
But evenings are the obvious time for me to squeeze in a weekday ride. Tuesdays are a given, since I can get home an hour earlier than usual. Friday evenings would be a good time for a short ride. I typically do 25-30 miles on Saturday morning, so I don’t want to be tired for that, and then Sunday morning is the club ride.
So if all the stars align correctly, I can get in four rides a week. That won’t happen this week, but it’s my goal. Besides, I have other interests besides biking. I try to play golf on a semi-regular basis, but have been out on the course only eight times this year. There’s yard work to do. My wife and I are empty nesters, so I don’t worry about attending to kids. Still, it seems there’s never enough time.
To get better, you have to ride more. How do you handle it? Have you arrived at some kind of regular schedule that lets you get enough rides in? I’d like to hear some ideas from readers about carving out time to ride.