31/05/2026
🚲☀️ Apparently one giant bike ride wasn't enough... 😅
After Nik and my epic ride on Friday, we decided to do it all over again yesterday—but this time as a family adventure. Dad wanted to come along, and since we only have two e-bikes, Nik volunteered to ride my mom's old bike so Dad would have at least a fighting chance of keeping up with us. 😂
I loaded both kids onto my bike, and we headed off through Casa de Campo once again. We followed the river toward Toboganes de Madrid Río and finally made it to the splash pads that were closed the last time we visited. This time they were open—and absolutely packed with families escaping the Madrid heat!
🌊 Teagan quickly decided the cool fountains sounded much better than climbing on hot metal playground equipment, so we locked up the bikes and let the kids run wild in the water. After they were thoroughly soaked and completely happy, we hopped back on the bikes and continued on to the playground at Plaza de España.
After some climbing, running, and tire-swing adventures, we decided dinner was the next logical stop. We rode back toward home and stopped at our local VIPS (basically Spain's version of Denny's, but with much better food 😆).
Knowing he would be slower climbing the hill home on mom's old bike, Nik headed out early to get a shower before helping with bedtime. Dad and the kids finished up dessert before starting the final leg home.
And that's when the adventure got interesting...
A few minutes after leaving, Dad and I accidentally got separated when he took a different route. Then, while trying to turn off a path onto the sidewalk, I misjudged the edge of the curb and dropped my rear tire into a rut. The impact apparently separated the tire from the rim, leaving me stranded at 10:45 PM with two kids, one cargo bike, and a completely flat tire. 😳
Thankfully, Nik had just finished his shower and Dad had just made it home, so they jumped in the car and came to rescue us. The kids got loaded up and whisked home to bed while Dad and I walked the bike the rest of the way home—him pushing from behind whenever we hit the hills because that thing is HEAVY! 💪😂
Definitely not how I pictured the day ending, but after a 19-mile bike ride and a 2-mile walk, I can confidently say I got the workout I was looking for.
Two 20+ mile rides in two days, plus biking the kids to school all week? I was more than happy to spend today doing absolutely nothing. 😁
(Well... except for attending one of Teagan's classmate's birthday parties. But I'm still calling it a rest day. 😆)
🇪🇸❤️ Life in Madrid keeps finding new ways to turn ordinary weekends into adventures.