Cycling as conversation-starter

[shootingstar]

At a cycling event today I was asked several times "Do you ride a lot?"
I know all these people were making small talk (very small) but I found myself stumbling around for an answer.

Compared to not riding at all, I guess I do ride a lot (except for when I don't).
Compared to professional riders and those ultralong distance riders, I ride only a little.

If I'm not going to see the person again, I tend to say that I ride nearly every day when it's not snowing/raining. It's pretty accurate.

If it's someone I will see more often because it's a workplace, then it can be the distance I did on a day just the past weekend/similar time frame. I don't talk about annual mileage. It doesn't mean much to anyone except for real cycling enthusiasts. Otherwise, pointless. A more meaningful thing to non-cyclists if not the mileage, but where I might have cycled from home area to destination point for a day ride. After all, we don't have a car. So why shouldn't I mention how I got to the destination?

Except for my dearie, no one else in my family has any concept how much cycling I do annually. They just know I love cycling and hear about my longer vacation bike trips in general. That's good enough for everyone.