Baby Bookwalter!

 

People may have noticed that Jamie wasn’t riding the Binge this year…and it was for the best reason possible. She was six months pregnant at the time. It was such a thrill to announce the news in front of the Binge community.

So by far, the biggest change for the 2020 season is Baby Bookwalter is due any day now!

The biggest difference to this year’s pre-season is that I’m looking at the future through the lens as an expecting parent. We came back to Girona earlier this year than previous years so we can plan for the baby’s arrival. Using Girona as our base means that I’ll be away from the family less once race season starts, and Jamie will be able to keep chipping away at her Ph.D.

Mitchelton-SCOTT has been very supportive about this new personal change. They’ve seen my teammates become fathers and understand things have to be in a good place at home to perform well on the bike. That said, I won’t get the standard four-month paternity leave that a lot of non-cyclist fathers in Girona get!

As for preparation, we did baby classes back in the USA and have talked to lots of family and friends and read up in anticipation of the baby. We are also very lucky to have a great support system both here in Girona and back in the US.

There is no other way to put it---I’m so excited for this baby.  It’s something I think about daily and even hourly. It feels daunting but in a positive way.  I feel I’m in a good place heading into this journey and most importantly get to do it alongside Jamie. We’ve had so many amazing adventures these past 12 years and are both excited to embark on the adventure of parenthood.