Why I ride

[Bike Goddess]

I started riding 3 years ago and did most of my longer rides with my local bike club. I wasn't confident that I could be alone and fix a flat, etc. Most of the riders were faster than I was, and I always felt I needed to pick up the pace. Sometimes that was fine, other times it wasn't.

This past fall (2005) I decided that I really enjoyed doing metric centuries for my twice weekly long rides. Turned out no one else in my club wanted to do that distance with me. They just wanted to do the regular ride of the day. Now, if I don't see them on the route, it's no problem. I always travel on roads where other cyclists are likely to be so that if something does happen, help is close by. I can go at my own pace, stop anywhere I wish, and enjoy the scenery. This has made my cycling experience much richer for me. I still enjoy being with a group on a ride, however at times it's hard to change my modus operandi in those situations.

I think all of us at some point find a way to make cycling enjoyable. I know that it helps for me to have long term goals as there are days when my mind isn't interested in doing anything ("thank you for sharing- we are going out anyway"!). It also helps to have forums like this one as it keeps me engaged in the conversation as well as affords a place for me to meet and ride with other like minded souls.

[DrBee]

Great post Patty! You summed it up perfectly! Sometimes we need a reminder that it's not just about going faster and training training training. I'll try to think about your post on my next ride.

I ride because I love the feeling of the breeze, the speed, feeling like I'm doing something for myself, and so that I can eat what I want. I love the comraderie that we have here on TE. And - little benefits like when I was in a gas station restroom yesterday (we're travelling) and walked past a full length mirror and saw more muscles than jiggle in my legs

[pyxichick]

I love riding with other people because it feels powerful to be in a group working toward the same goal. (And I can go faster.)

I love riding by myself because I can explore areas of my city that I've never seen before. On my last ride I found a little cafe about two miles from my house, hidden in a residential pocket on a street that I would've never gone down in a car.

[Lise]

I ride because I've never felt so strong, powerful, and free as I do on a bike. It's the closest I can come to that childhood dream of flight.

I also like the power of not depending on my car. Of zipping in and out, getting there before the cars do, "parking" right in front of wherever I'm going, and never worrying about feeding the meter or parking tickets.

[crazybikinchic]

It is my "purple happy pill". I use to work with someone that was on an antidepressant that was purple. She said that it had a smiley face on it. That being said, I am a nicer person when I ride (or exercise in general). When I am exercising, I do not have any problems, they just disappear for awhile. When I ride, I am FREE!!!! That's all.

[chartman64]

I've just gotten back to riding after a long absence. After not having ridden since grade school, my boyfriend bought me a mountain bike for Valentine's Day back in 1999. I trained on it for a couple of months in preparation for a trip we were taking to England which included two days of biking. It was a lot of fun, but I didn't get hooked. A couple years later, he wanted to do another bike trip, so I got back into training. We rode the Ring of Kerry in Ireland. A LOT of fun and incredibly beautiful; resulted in a billion beautiful pictures and memories. But again, as soon as we got home, the bike went back into storage.

It wasn't until the price of gas hit $3 that it occurred to me that the bike might be useful for something other than the occasional vacation. I started training so that I could use it for errands and exercise. It's harder now, because I live at the top of a very, very steep hill and while going down is lovely, getting home is a pain in the behind.

But that was just about two months and 11 pounds ago. I'm slowly building up speed and endurance, and spending a little less on gas. I did my first group ride about a month ago, and am planning to do my longest ever (about 50 miles) next Saturday.

And I'm inspiring my boyfriend -- we've started talking about our next trip. Not sure where yet...

[pooks]

Were there a lot of tough hills on the Ring of Kerry? Any scary bits? What's the traffic like? (Should I be asking somewhere else?)

[Grog]

It is my "purple happy pill". I use to work with someone that was on an antidepressant that was purple. She said that it had a smiley face on it. That being said, I am a nicer person when I ride (or exercise in general). When I am exercising, I do not have any problems, they just disappear for awhile. When I ride, I am FREE!!!! That's all.

Well said! Same here.

When I ride, I just stop thinking about anything but the very present moment. That's a wonderful thing for me!

[chartman64]

Were there a lot of tough hills on the Ring of Kerry? Any scary bits? What's the traffic like? (Should I be asking somewhere else?)

The route we took (this was back in March of 2001) wasn't frightening nor terribly difficult. There was very little traffic, our pace was very relaxed. There were a couple of tough hills; our second day out of Glenbeigh heading toward Waterville featured a long climb that was a bit steep for me, but again, I had VERY little training, stamina or endurance at the time. I think I'd do much better with it today. Actually the biggest challenge for me was to stay on the bike for more than a few minutes without needing to stop to take more pictures. It was all so incredibly and indescribably beautiful.

We're talking about going back to Ireland for another riding trip,this time a bit further north. But we're also talking about Italy and Eastern Europe. Who knows?!

[margo49]

The human body was put together to *move*. Not to just think and feel emotions - to move an enjoy its coordination.
A bicycle is the ultimate human-machine interaction. It can do nothing without you to ride it. And what you put in it is what you get back.
It is perfect for a woman as she can ride and maintain it independently and without too much need of special equipment or technical assistance.

I love to ride and I feel I am My Best Self on my bike

[Bad JuJu]

I love to ride and I feel I am My Best Self on my bike

I couldn't have said it better, margo49: I'm a better person when I'm riding, and I'm a better person FOR riding. And, when I'm on the bike, I know that's where my whole self wants to be.

[Tater]

I ride because I really can't imagine my life without some kind of motion in it. I am happiest when I am riding or running. Sure, the health benefits are great, but I really dig the childlike joy of riding my bike, the breeze on my face, the sound of the freewheel ratchet, shopping for bike stuff, the beauty of a paceline...I could go on and on!

Mr. Tater and I just moved, our 90 mile round trip commute by car just got reduced to a twenty mile round trip by bike commute. I am really looking forward to parking the truck and using my bike for my primary mode of transportation.

[Denise223]

Hi Patty:

I came across your post from last year and wanted to bring it back to be enjoyed by those who haven't read it. (or if you have, you can enjoy it again like I just did ).

Peace & Love to you all,

Denise