Pro cyclists bring a lot of gear to races. Toms Skujinš is of course no different. Bike, helmet, shoes, kit, gobs of nutrition, computers and phones…there’s a reason they have a team of soigneurs to help schlep it all around. And we tech reporters eat it all up. But we rarely ask what those riders have left behind at home.
For Skujinš, this season hits a bit differently. He’s leaving more than his own bed and coffee machine as he toes the line at races throughout Europe. Skujinš and his wife Abbey Mickey are new parents, which means Toms’s time away takes on a new weight. Fortunately, the Zoom era allows us all to stay in touch with family, but the bike/life balance still becomes a more dominant question for riders once a kiddo comes along.
I caught up with Toms Skujinš just before he headed off to the Tour de France team presentation in Copenhagen, Denmark in advance of the first stage of the Tour de France. He gave me a quick update on life as a dad and how he and Abbey have taken to parenthood.
Be sure to check out all the other Tour de France stories and videos right here on Slow Guy on the Fast Ride. Dan Cavallari is on the ground in Copenhagen, Denmark for the first few stages — and he’s covering it all by bike!