Megan left this comment on my post about getting your lady to ride with you.  It’s right on the mark and deserves front page exposure - thanks Megan - you rock!…=-)

“Pick a sporty guy: Most guys are at least a little bit sporty. Some are only interested in beer, computer games, or gossip. Steer away from these and you should be fine.

The main problem you’ll face when getting your guy to ride with you is ego. His. You’ll need to make sure you’ve chosen a guy who can handle the fact you’re better at things than him – he should ideally embrace this and be proud of the fact you’re a better rider than a lot of his friends. Over time he may improve to have greater technical skill and speed than you, or he may not. However, in the meantime you may have to face sulking fits and tantrums if you’ve picked a guy who is a little insecure, or who has an ego that doesn’t match his skill level.

To help reassure him, make sure you intersperse time on bikes with time spent doing things he’s better at as well. And when you’re initially riding together, take it slow. Try to remember not to jump gutters around him, don’t take him down technical trails straight away, and don’t fly through traffic if he’s not used to riding on the road. In general he’ll try and copy the things you’re doing, assuming he should be able to do them too – and when he fails, he’ll get humiliated and frustrated (leading to the afore-mentioned tantrums and sulking).

When you go on road rides together, remember to keep the pace slow – I know you’re happy with your pedals spinning, but if he hasn’t been riding much since he was a kid, he won’t be able to keep it up. If you end up going too fast for him, he may feel the need to prove himself to you, and go sprinting off into the distance, before collapsing exhausted and waiting for you, where you’ll be faced with tantrums about the fact you were going too fast.

Remember that your guy will probably not communicate his feelings with you, whether it be about the speed you’re going, whether he’s tired, or uncomfortable with the terrain. This is because he is a man, and if you are fine, then he feels that he should be too – you will have to ask him questions all the time, and remember to not assume he’ll be ok with something just because you are. Don’t let him jump into stuff that’s too hard for him just because he’s trying to prove himself.

Be prepared for him to blame any short-comings of ability on his bike. He’ll probably want to go out and spend lots of money on a bike much better than yours, as he thinks this will make him a better rider. If he’s really set on this idea, don’t discourage him, it might make him feel a bit more confident. Make sure he picks a bike that is suitable for him, and that it is set up to fit. A lot of guys feel happier if they know how their bikes work, and how to fix it. Explain how the brakes and shifters work. It’s not as simple as you think it is so take your time. Demonstrate how to fix a flat tyre – you shouldn’t have to do it for him, most guys prefer to be able to do tasks like this on their own.

You may have done everything right for his first ride or two and your guy may still not want to ride bikes. If that’s your situation my suggestion is to accept it. Some people don’t enjoy cycling and pushing harder is not going to make it happen. If he hasn’t enjoyed riding with you though, you might try and encourage him to find other guys to ride with. It’s less humiliating when other guys are better than you at a sport, and it’s always a better idea to learn skills from someone who isn’t your partner. If none of his friends ride at the moment, you might need to buy two bikes – one for him, and one for his friend. You can think of this as an investment into the future. If you can get your guy hooked, he could become a bike partner for life.

(My tongue in cheek variant on Vik’s piece - unfortunately based in part on some real life experiences, although my current guy is a fairly reasonable fellow, and thankfully we’re fairly evenly matched in speed and ability, and are planning a grand cycle tour of Europe for this Summer - well, I’m planning it, and he’s happily being dragged along)”

- Megan

Evil Moose Blog