I think this post is very relevant. I love the outdoors and cycling is my excuse to be outdoors. Funny is that my friends are golfers and nobody questions 4 hours on a golf course but tell someone that you bike for 4 hours and they think you are obsessive compulsive.
Just a glimpse of our world: I biked two days ago near sundown. There was a heavy cloud cover except just over the horizon. The sun acted like a giant bright light and cast the whole world in gold. I was biking in south central WI which is turning colors. It was an extraordinary experience. How do I explain this to a non-cyclist? I did to my wife and she had tears in her eyes because she understood.