Cyclists navigating a forest trail, sunlight filtering through trees.

Story and photos by Dylan Sherrard. 

Time doesn’t stretch like it used to.

Lady sitting on the ground with her bike smiling

With children in the mix, the hours lose their elasticity and slip between the juggles of life. 

Lost to the long list of nap schedules, appointments, meal plans and whatever other items you forgot to remember. And if you aren’t careful, it’s easy to finish the day finding your own time at the bottom of the list. 

Three woman with bikes standing and sitting on the mountain with tree around them

But around here, it’s a little easier to remember that your time is most important.

Women riding a bike standing up with trees around her

As a mom, finding space to ride truly takes a village. An extra couple of calls, a game of timewise Tetris, and the foresight to ensure that everything rolls fluid in your absence. 

Three women riding their bikes down a trail with trees around them and sunlight seeping in

But the core truth these mom’s are instilling in themselves and their support networks? Peeling away from the “should do’s” is not absence, it’s an investment. Because what might look like ‘stepping away’ from care is actually stepping deeper into it… tending to the cycling of care through looking after the centre of it - you.

Woman riding her bike down a trail with trees around her

And when these moms finally click for a ride, it rolls with its own unique rhythm. A lot of full-belly laughter and a little confusion, and moments of deep focus threading the ride through the forest. 

Three women standing in the grass with their bikes laughing and smiling

Wide open and well understood - no need to explain why every hour of the last few days has felt rationed. Simply relieved for the time reclaimed.

Two women drinking from their water bottles and one woman smiling in the trees

The flow is next level. The climb spins up through tall cedars, filling your lungs with air that empties the mind. A kind of care that pleases the full spectrum of senses. 

Three bikers riding down a trail with sunlight shining through

The descent brings forced presence as turns are shredded and loamy lines of deep forest pass beneath your tires. It's this kind of ride that leaves you physically depleted, yet, mentally and emotional recharged.

Woman biking on a trail surrounded by trees

And you don’t let go of this evening swiftly. It’s the push to truly choose what you value most in these hours that will only fit so much. To care for yourselves and each other all in one, while showing your children, by example, the importance of play and personal connection. 

Three woman smiling and drinking on an outside patio in the sun

The kind of connection that uplifts a village and allows you to accomplish more than it looked like the schedule could allow for.
Sometimes that self care isn’t about stepping back and doing less, it’s about stepping forward (onto the pedals) and doing a little more… for you. 

Woman smiling while cheersing a drink on an outside patio in the sun

And sometimes it takes a village. And this particular village provides. 

A Ballad of Belonging. Short stories of the moments that define our ride. 
Two girls smiling on an outside patio in the sun

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