Why do you Cycle?

[EMOC]

I started getting into it about 2 yrs ago and haven't kept it off my mind since. Why?

1. bikes are cool
2. i have the need for speed
3. the sport is addicting
4. since i'm in college, its the way i commute
5. doesn't use gas
6. channels my daily anger
7. again, bikes are cool

 

[Hitchy]

If I didn't spend so much time on the bike, I might have to stay home & talk to the missus!

 

[bobbyOCR]

because when the fuel runs out, I will be able to point, laugh and yell at all those stupid drivers who find nothing better to do than yell at cyclists.

 

[Ny Cykel]

Well bobbyOCR, you got a point, I have been reading piles of news writs, I even got pictures in news papers of reporters interviewing folks OUT OF GAS on the freeway while BICYCLES pass by, pulling trailers etc.,,, (Hurricane stuff)

 

[Psychler]

Up to the age of 30-ish, I enjoyed being really fit, playing sport, looking good etc and cycling was simply part of my training programme - no more than that.

After having a fairly serious injury which stopped me playing sport, I had 10 years of no training, eating and drinking too much and - you guessed it - no cycling. My fitness went straight out of the window and the weight piled on - about 100lbs over the years. I looked like a bag of spanners!

About 2 years ago I had a major operation which basically corrected the damage my injury had caused and my recuperation consisted of walking [gradually increasing distances everyday], going to the gym and - you guessed it - cycling.

I am now determined to lose much of the weight that I have put on. 30lbs has gone and I want to lose another 45lbs over the course of time. Because cycling is non-weight bearing it has become the basis of my weight loss progreamme and also means that I don't have to diet as strictly as I might otherwise have to.

When I was young and fit, I took it all for granted, and I didn't realise the enjoyment that I got from being outside and riding my bike, running etc. My ambition to lose weight has been the catalyst to starting riding my bike again, and now that I am, I have realised just how much I love it.

 

[Ny Cykel]

Psychler, I want to wish you good health and if you are not against it I will include you in prayer.
Thank YOU for your post, I am guilty of taking my health for granted and the fact I haven't crashed for years, well not bad anyhow.
I have lost 40 of the 50 LBS I am trying to loose and you guessed it, that last bit is the hardest, especially those home made beer love handles.
OK now I will shut up.

 

[aubinmg]

I ride because I love it. Ever since I was a child, I couldn't wait until my parents got me a bike. Once they did, it was history. I have been riding ever since. Now that I am old, it has the extra effect of keeping me fit but I still have the passion just like when I was a kid.

Ditto for me. I was 6 years old when I got my first bike and remember the day. I'm 56 and I've had a bike since then. There's nothing like being on two wheels with the wind in your face! I still ride for the pure pleasure of it. The side effects of better cardio etc. are just that, side effects. I'm certain that most of us here, gear heads to occasional riders do it for the fun of it. Join us!

 

[Frankie Dirtbag]

I started riding to take my mind off a long relationship that just recently ended. it also helps shed the pounds ive accumulated and rebuild my shattered confidence.

 

[superunleaded]

I was introduced to this drug(biking) when I was a teenager. I get all the high I needed especially when going out with friends and not come home 'til it gets dark(talk about no care in the world). When we are not riding, we just tinker with our bikes and just shoot the breeze. As I got older, I forgot about riding since there are other fun things to do like chasing women (well, that's what I think anyway).
Fast forward...
Having a family and work to deal with, time seems like it slowed down, or went too fast depending on how you look at it. Now that the kids have grown a little, I find that I have some free time so I started riding again and it was like "de 'ja vu" (sp) all over again. I'm hooked on riding and tinkering with bikes again. Now I ride to get my fix.
What can I say... biking is addicting.

 

[Tastic]

I commute to work on my bike. It's the only time I get to ride.

 

[dougadam]

I Love It :d

 

[mark higgins]

Its like a disease- you think you are getting better but it comes back and hits you in the a**! Or like an addiction. I've tried to stop off and on for years but I always come back to it- the freedom, the thrill of speed, the outdoors, the dodging traffic. You know I have no idea. I must stop immediately..

 

[Sunrising]

Great question Carlo and I'm sure one that will invite a whole host of answers.

I cannot remember a time when I wasn't on a bike, as it just seemed to make sense as a kid that this was the only way you could feel liberated, and get a speed thrill until you were old enough to get a car.

Of course, for the UK in the 80s there came the BMX explosion which linked bikes to fashion and street cred, but as this waned most of my peers drifted away from bikes as girls and engines came into view (don't worry - I was distracted by girls aswell). However, I still had the passion and viewed it as more than a means of getting from A to B. I got my first ATB in the late 80s and haven't stopped changing bikes and regulalry cycling on and off road ever since.

In addition to the obvious health benifits (one of the best aerobic workouts, less strain on joints and heart than running/jogging etc) it lets urban dwellers escape to the countryside, whilst also leading rural types (like me) to see their surrounding landscape from a different angle, getting a real feel for terrain and topography from the rise and fall of the road, and seeing nature and the changing seasons over the hedgerows, experiences denied to car drivers screaming past in a lower position.

I don't personally race (although will ride out with pals recreationally now and then), so don't get a directly competitive buzz from the sport, but feel that it is a great way of challenging oneself, for example to cycle further and faster each time which can lead to an enormous sense of accomplishment. It is also a sport that does away with the hassle of travelling to a pitch, hanging around for a dozen other players to get ready, enduring pathetic and forced agression and the communal dissapointement of a losing side.

It is also a sport for all, from the muscle-bound to the stick insect (in fact you will observe from the pro tour circuit how the stick insects dominate), with age or ability no barrier to one's enjoyment, or how you are respected and treated by others in the cycling community

 

[mongooseboy]

ive been biking since i was a kid. always had mountain bikes up till just a few weeks ago i bought a road bike on clearance...of course its winter and cold here in NY state. Biking gets me outside and makes me feel GREAT. also its very good for the environment and saves gas (and money) in my car.

hopefully my road bike can help me drop the 30 pounds i want to...

 

[JTE83]

My cycling started in high school with a nice bmx bike. Was into bmx freestyle during the 80's. Kept a little with it during the 90's -- that's why I have 6 nice bmx bikes. But nowadays I hardly bmx after discovering the speed of road bikes. Will give bmx an occasion spin to do some tricks - like front wheel rolls, rock walks, jumps, used to be able to do a 360 but not anymore.

Then I tried 2 mtn bikes but never caught on with them because they were too slow. Got fat around 205 lbs in 2003 so I bought my first road bike for workouts because I wanted to go fast and far. In 2 years / 5000 miles I went to as low as 139 lbs. Now that I've reached my weight goals I now bike for transportation or to maintain my weight from overeating. When I biked a lot of miles I gave racing a try twice, but found I'm not fast enough. So actually now I should quit buying road bikes and expensive gear when I'm not a hard core racer. It became a 6 road bike bad habit with expensive bikes! But it's such a pleasure riding a nice fast road bike.

 

[shabbadoof13]

for me.. the best bit about cycling is wizzing past all the cars stuck in traffic jams!!!!

 

[Tonto]

It's just one of those days when, from the first turn of the cranks, I don't feel right. I feel stiff and heavy and awkward, the cold air stings my throat, I feel the beginnings of cramp in my stomach.
So, I trundle slowly into a headwind, on a lunar surface of a road, slowly leaving drab suburbia behind. Usually, the first glimpse of the open countryside perks me up, but not today. As I go, I'm questioning why I bother. I'm not a cyclist. I'm an imposter. All that money I've spent on this sport! I'm deluding myself.
The negative thoughts continue and I can't get any sort of rythm. The hills leave me gasping. It's November, it's about to rain and I'm miserable.
Around the turning point of my route, I stop for a quick breather. There's been a lot of road works and I notice a little laneway on the far side of the new flyover that I'd never noticed before. Without any conscious decision I start cycling across the flyover and turn into the laneway. I look up, and it's a bloody monster of a hill! I never knew there was a road over the top of that hill, just assumed all the roads went around it because it's so steep. The cyclist's urge sparks up.....there's a hill, gotta climb it. Off I go. My legs start to spin in a nice easy rythm. I try to go a little faster and my legs respond with ease. I'm intrigued to find out what's at the top, where the road leads, but all the way the road winds between high hedgerows. I push on, my breathing easy and steady. I look behind and can't believe how high I've climbed so quickly. Now, in my head, I'm Lucho Herrera, with the polka dot jersey on my back, all sinewy strength and grim determination. It's a glorious feeling, I could climb this hill all day. Rather than straining for the top I'm savouring every moment. Don't get me wrong, I'm hurting, but I own this pain. And then hedgerow falls away and I crest the hill and see the full sweep of Dublin Bay, the city spread out below me, all the way to Howth Head. It's not the most spectacular view in the world and I could drive up there tomorrow in my car and just give it the merest glance, but right there an then it's magnificent. Sometimes a cyclist sees a different view, the one you earn in the getting there.

 

[cyclist45]

interesting question. i cycled when i saw my church people cycling(that was a outing to sentosa.) and that was my first induction to the world of cycling. i have also seen those "pro" cyclists on the road...helmet,road bike with slicks, water bottles/hydration packs. on sentosa, i learned how to ride a bike.
i cycle because i want to....i also want to get fit at the same time....and go further distances...faster. (for those who don't me, i do walk fast) i now cycle once a month at ECP, due to me not having enough allowence to buy a bike, and my parents object to me having a bike.
1)maybe when a singapore cyclist wins the tour de france, or any big races/competions, the the singapore govt will promote bikes.
2)currently, bikes are banned on mrt and buses(even although they didn't say)
3)cyclists with out helmets are getting horned on the roads(they are commuters on bikes)

the future may look bleak, but i am still into cycling.

 

[Aaron H]

When I first started (20+ years ago) it was a case of getting my brother and me out of the house so my parents could have some peace and quiet (thats what they told us).

Then all my friends were in the local touring club, so I joined that for the social aspect.

Then I ended up in the local racing club and turned out to be an ok club rider in the time trials and road races which kept me fit and stopped me becoming a lardy pants.

All I can say is whatever level you are in cycling it's so addictive whether it's the keeping fit, the competition or the making new friends, I'll probably still be riding my bike until the day someone decides I'm too old and senial to be on it or I keel over during a training run, one way or the other I won't be giving up cycling without a fight

 

[schmoopy]

I started riding to take my mind off a long relationship that just recently ended. it also helps shed the pounds ive accumulated and rebuild my shattered confidence.

I agrre that cycling is one of the best ways to destress and get rid of the negative energy of life.

Much better than drinking or drugs !!!