Why do you Cycle?

because i am a fat pig..... but cycling makes me a healthy fat pig.

 

[1] To turn mundane commuting into free excercise time; I feel 'ill' unless my day starts and ends with a workout.

This is how I got into it; - I used to live in walking distance of work, and when the office moved out further, cycling let me continue that sort of routine and take it to a new level.

[2] I've got an addictive personality and it's the least damaging addiction I can find ( that also balances out my programming job & vodka-fueled social life)
Having said that, I've just posted a question about a new knee injury i've sustained. Damn my competitive urges. Thats what you get for breaking the 10% rule.
I'd be in a wheelchair by now if I channeled this into running.

[3] Because I've become obsessed with road-bikes. I frequently put pictures of them on my desktop. At the moment, it's the Litespeed Ghisallo. Damn, thats a sweet machine.

 

got my first light weight the year greg won the tour, was 14. I started cycling to get out of my miserable little hamlet. I could tell my mom "I'm going riding" and she thought I was up at the grade school playing Basket Ball with the hoods when I was 40 miles and three citys away. Her only rule was be home for dinner, I always was and she never had a clue. After High School I entered a Benedictine monastary, there was plenty of time between keeping "the hours" (prayer) so I cycled A LOT. A typical year was around 12 thousand miles however I did 18000 one year. This went on from 1982 to 1996, it was great. The joke among the other monks was I was training for the Olympics. I tuned up one older monks bike at his request, the next time he rode it he hit the brakes and went over the bars breaking his wrist. I felt bad about that but only for a moment.

 

I love solo sports. I like being able to wake up early, walk out my front door and enjoy the surroundings by myself. It helps me clear my mind and see how hard I can push myself before failure. Plus, I love living a healthy lifestyle, so it's about a million times more fun than lifting weights in an overpriced and boring gym.

 

signed and seconded

I've also been riding bikes my whole life. As a kid I always got my older brothers hand-me-down bikes, and rode them from sunup to sundown; when I got older, me and a few friends started a cycling club in our high-school...
...I fell out of it for a few years, but about 2 years ago I dove back in headfirst and haven't looked back. I love it.

 

Beats walking.

 

Monks are allowed to ride bikes? I didn't know that... what type of bike did you ride and were you allowed to wear "cycling" clothes or did you have to ride wearing a robe?

 

I wanted to do tri's and so I started to ride. Found out how bad I was so then wanted to do it because I couldn't. Now I love the ride, the smooth motion of travelling with only my limits keeping me back. It's a personal challenge every time with a huge buzz afterwards.

Just can't get enough.

 

I started biking because I was too young to drive. Last year I finally got my driver's license, and I quickly realized I like biking so much more. Driving feels much more dangerous. You just sit there and get transported wherever you want to go. It is expensive, and causes pollution.
So I sold my car after about a month, and I have biked everywhere since then. I like biking because it keeps me in tip-top shape, and I have to work to get where I want to go. It's also relaxing and therapeutic.

 

Someone should make a movie about your life.

 

The hot looking chicks!!!

 

Started as something we both could do.

Now, I am hitting the "zen" state of cycling where I seem to go somewhere, maybe it's aware. Difficult to explain but something happens with the steady breathing, the rythm of spinning and the world going by.

A higher state of living.

The recumbent puts me in a position where nothing really hurts so I can just cruise along and enjoy the experience.

 

I ride because it keeps me from doing drugs and all that other bs. Gives me something to do other than school.

I ride because its a mental release. Just me, the road, and the bike. Can't hear the phone ringing, cant hear people complaining, cant hear people telling you to do things, its my own world. The best is when I'm in the zone and my legs are moving with the beat of my music.

I ride because it keeps me in shape. At 6'1" and 170lbs with 6% bf, I'm doing ok. I also swim too.

Riding gives me a reason to eat in a healthy matter.

My cousin (who I always look up to) got involved in MTBing, and then I bought a MTB (13yo). Hit the trails for a couple years and then discovered the whole road scene. I figured the whole road thing would be easier than driving to the trails and then I got a road bike and became addicted (15/16yo). After two car accidents and a trip to the hospital, I've still found the determination to get back on the saddle. Can't give up.

I can honestly say that cycling has helped shape who I am today.

- Chase.

 

Great reply, although I can testify that eating junk food quickly provided me with reason(s) to eat in a healthy manner.

If I am any judge of tone, may I suggest you check out the local sailboat racing scene, they are usually looking for willing crew. Mostly good folks and it, too, builds character. People will tell you to do things, it's usually a team sport.

 

I brought my own bike when I entered, it was top of the line Trek in 82. We took vowls of poverty, meaning no material item however your family could give you "things" which is how I go a DeRosa Primato in 1990. Monks are indeed alowed to ride without the habit, most of the monks in my order rode around campus only not our on the roads. I would say out of 33 brothers 15 had bikes all curser types for the short trips. Now I'm married and lucky to log 5K a year, still on the DeRosa.

 

What model Trek? I had a 460 I rode the hell out of it the 80's.

 

for the ladies !
deifintely for the ladies .. and it doesn't matter if you have a entry level road bike all the way to a tribike, they all like the bulge in the spandex !

 

I started cycling after 2 really bad ankle dislocations from gymnastics. Even after extensive rehab my body just couldn't take the harsh landing and so I needed a low impact sport to transition into... I also live in an area with a lot of cycling groups so i've seen them since I was a kid.... I'd always wanted to try it and this summer gave me the perfect opportunity... bought my first road bike, a specialized, and joined a local group after a few hundred miles and now i'm training for my first century, I ride a one way 16.5 mile commute to school 4 days a week and ride all weekend... it's a great way to stay in shape, socialize and just plain get away from it all...especially when you have some music and a tailwind! there's nothing better than sprinting next to cars who are stuck in traffic or just having the satisfaction that you just traveled 50 miles and did not have to use any fuel other than a powerbar! My older sister just asked me this weekend after I got home from my 4th 40 mile ride in two days why I like cycling so much... all I could say is that you've just got to try it to know the joy of sore, tired muslces and the thrill of the sport, as well as the well deserved candy bar every once in a while without guilt!

 

you alluded to a story where you tuned an older monk's bike's brakes and he ended up going over the handlebars and breaking his wrist... you said you felt bad but only for a moment... why?

 

Because I did not adjust his brakes any different than I adjust my own therefore I did not feel guilt which is driven by conscience. A guy called Freud said guilt is a struggle between ego and superego. My god sir please read your Freud.

steppy