It's an important moment for Cycle The World's couple: Caroline Soubayroux is expecting. But, for someone who, not so long ago, travelled 29,000 km pedalling around the globe, is it possible to balance pregnancy with a passion for cycling?
“During pregnancy, physical exercise, no matter how much it should be reduced and kept in check, is undeniably good for you. It lowers the risk, for instance, of gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia and helps with your mental well-being at such a particular time”.
So Caroline's pregnancy has also included a significant yet well-reasoned amount of sports activity, which has also encompassed her passion for cycling.
“Little by little I increased my physical training focusing on balance, mobility and exercises that strengthen the pelvic floor. I jogged 5 km three or four times a week and, as long as I could, I went riding with my friends. I'd say up until my fifth month”.
This was a limit that could not be crossed for safety reasons because when gestation is that far along, more precautions are needed on the road.
“When you're expecting and want to ride a bike, it's not so much the pedalling that becomes an obstacle. Instead, taking precautions means always having someone present who can help if circumstances become dangerous for either the mother or the baby. So, after the five-month point, I realised that I could no longer force people to slow down to the reduced pace of a soon-to-be mum, and I, therefore, decided to temporarily abandon bike riding. But then came the Filante Hybrid”.
At first, Caroline hesitated a bit, and had the same natural reservations regarding e-bikes that all high-performing athletes share. Nonetheless, while riding it she recognised all the benefits that a pedal-assist bike can offer someone who, for various reasons, has to temporarily opt out of pedalling using only muscle power.
A realisation that Caroline very simply summed up in these words: “Pregnancy is not a time for great performances on a bike. It's rather a moment to think about the health of your baby and keeping fit”.
Discovering the Filante Hybrid even helped her face the hilly roads of Tenerife as well as the climb to the great cycling destination of the Canary Islands: Cañadas del Teide, set at 2356 metres above the sea.
“The Filante Hybrid made it possible for me to ride with my husband David on the roads of Tenerife and even climb almost every day up to Mount Teide: an incredible place where the air is pure and full of vitamin D.
This would all have been unimaginable if I had used a standard muscle bike. It would have put too much strain on the baby and on me. But by modulating the Hybrid's support setup, I was able to climb up there while maintaining perfect control of the exertion. I was able to concentrate on the importance of physical exercise and, at the same time, prioritise the safety that gestation requires.
So, thanks to the Filante Hybrid, I can assure future mums who are into cycling: during pregnancy, with all due precautions, when it comes to the beauty of cycling, nothing is impossible”.