Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - What do you think about?

i was telling a coworker a while back about my long distance biking. she feigned interest better than most so i may have gone on longer than was wise. at one point, though, she really brought me to a stop. "what do you think about when you're riding?"

i'm on my bike for hours and hours, in some cases 12 hrs or more. what DO i think about? the question has haunted me since. even during a ride i'll remember this question and ponder it and think, "what the heck am i thinking about now?" mostly i seem to occupy myself with turning the pedals over and over, the scenery, how much i dislike some drivers, what a lovely day it is (or not), cadence (but that's another thread (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=307547)), how pretty my bike is, and in general just random thoughts like that. i have no deep thoughts on my bike.

how about you? what do you think about?

** mp **

I start by 'thinking off the fluff' ... in other words, I just let my mind wander. I'll fuss about something at work, stew over some University-related issues, wrestle with relationship situations ... basically I think about all the things I don't have time to think about when my mind is occupied by TV, books, the computer, etc. etc.

When I've pretty much dealt with all of that, I move on to math. I take the distance I'm doing and break it down into fractions. A 600K breaks down into 10ths = 60 kms, 9ths = 66.6667 kms, 8ths = 75 kms, etc., etc. Then I refer to those all the way through the ride, and have mini-celebrations each time I reach a particular fraction. For example, when I reach 180 kms, that's 3/10ths. WooHoo. When I reach 343 kms, that's ~4/7ths. Another WooHoo! I have a lot of these mini-celebrations. :D The math also helps me determine if I need to eat ... if I'm on the verge of a bonk or not. If I can do the calculations fairly quickly and easily, it's all good. But as soon as I start struggling with the calculations, I need to eat because my brain isn't functioning at top form.

Once I've set up my mathematical structure, I'll play some games with the area I'm riding through. If there's an old house by the side of the road, I'll try to imagine what life was like back then, what the house might have looked like back then, what it was like to live there. Or if the house is in fairly decent condition, I'll renovate it in my mind, complete with furnishing and decorating it. If there is no house, but it is a really pretty area, I'll pick a spot and build one in my mind.

I might drift into thinking about the things I'm going to do the next day and over the next week. I refuse to do this one until I've reached the halfway point of my ride. For me, it makes the ride seem that much more difficult if I start to think about what I'm going to do next when I've still got a very long way to go.

Then I'll extend that line of thought into what I might do in the next month, or year, or few years. "Where would I like to be in 5 years time?" That sort of thing. I used to play the "what if I won a million dollars?" game, but I've gotten bored with that one because my answers rarely change much anymore.

About this point, I start to sing ... especially on climbs. I usually spare the world by not singing out loud, but if there's a chance of wildlife, sometimes I will belt out a song to let them know I'm human, not a deer. I'll make a game of trying to remember the words to as many songs as I can. By this point that's a real challenge because my brain power is starting to wane. On my 400K and 600K this year, I brought an MP3 player and listened to the radio for the first 7-ish hours, which helped this part of the ride because then I just tried to remember the songs I had heard.

And as the ride starts to get really long, I start going into laspes where I phase out for a while. I can cover 10 kms and hardly remember any of it. In this stage, I also start focussing on the here and now. This is where I really notice the herd of deer on the side of the road, and will dwell on the whole concept of deer. Or I'll dodge the mouse running across the road, and the ponder the subject of mice. Lightening will flash across the sky, and I'll go into deep thought about lightening.

Usually somewhere in this stage, I finish the ride. :)

Of course, there's the usual stuff....

But when it gets good, it's like a waking dream. Free association. Impossible scenarios play themselves out like scenes in a movie. Pages of books jump out and the authors continue to lecture about the subject. And I find it very theraputic, like dreams - cleaning out the subconcious.

Or maybe it's just me that dreams this way? hmmmmm doctor said I was much better now, too

i was telling a coworker a while back about my long distance biking. she feigned interest better than most so i may have gone on longer than was wise. at one point, though, she really brought me to a stop. "what do you think about when you're riding?"

for me, on a brevet or hard century, a lot of thought goes into diagnostics and planning. How am I doing? Am I feeling hungry? Should I eat something? Should I drink something? How far have I gone? When's the next turn on the cue? At current speed, how many minutes until I get to the next cue? Am I feeling hungry? Should I eat something?, etc. That sort of stuff can take up a surprising number of brain cycles.

Also, I come up with stories in my head -- I run a bi-weekly tabletop roleplaying game for friends (3.5 Dungeons & Dragons, if you're curious) so 6+ hours on the road is a good time to mull over story ideas and villains and plot twists and the like.

Like, Machka, I sometimes play games with my imagination; and if there's a particularly nice house scrolling by, I'll imagine what sort of people have lived in that house now and what little imaginary triumphs and tragedies go on behind those walls.

This is a great thread.

Funny, though, I don't seem to think about much of anything at all. If I'm racing, I'm constantly thinking about logistical issues and just monitoring and manging all systems -- food, hydration, energy output, gear selection, what the wind is doing, etc. -- takes up most of my consciousness. On brevets I'm pretty much just living in the moment, just thinking about whatever I happen to see or hear. Of course, companions help immensely. It's funny how quickly time passes when I 'm on a bike (or hiking). I don't think I'd ever get bored!

I also try to read several different things in the days leading up to a long distance ride ... newspaper articles that interest me, an article or two in the Reader's Digest, the first several chapters of a novel, etc.

That way I might think about some local issues ... I spent a good portion of one century trying to figure out why they seem so opposed to apartment buildings here, even though we're in a "housing crisis" ... or issues that are more international, like a recent article in the Reader's Digest on some rather scary scams, like where people's houses are stolen, and identity theft, etc. ... or just simply, "I wonder what will happen next" in my novel.

I ride to not think. I spend the first hour or two mulling over things that have been annoying me recently. After that, I've pretty much resolved the issues and I'm blissfully out of things to think about.

Think of nothing and you have Zen.

Like Machka, I spend a lot of time doing mathematical puzzles in my head. Things like taking the remaining distance to the next chckpoint and calculating 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/5, etc... Then I try to figure out percentages, maybe get a cadence and calculate how many revolutions per segment, and possibly some more esoteric stuff (inversions, looking for patterns, etc..).

I'm a total geek.

I go on long rides (well, 30 miles is long for me :o ) so I don't have to think! :rolleyes:

Think of nothing and you have Zen.

Or you crash. ;)

Honestly, a lot of the reason I ride is to have quiet time to think. I am a self professed day dreamer and there is no better place to day dream than on the bike. I learned this in childhood and the same thing applies today, although i appreciate it a lot more as an adult.

It is important to remember however, that although one is day dreaming, he is still moving across the ground on a bicycle and there are a lot of hazards around. So amid, my day dreaming I try and force myself to stay alert.

Think of nothing and you have Zen.

+1

Seriously though, thinking of nothing at all or focusing on pedal cadence rhythm for example, is good! Its perfectly OK, and advisable if you listen to the Zen/Yoga side of things, to empty the mind of thought and let it take a break from the tens of thousands of thoughts that pass through it in a day.

Of course this is hard to do, and having a completely empty mind while cycling down your average road might not be conducive for safety, but trying not to think deeply about work, family, love, etc... and just lightly focusing on the basics of pedaling (and large moving object avoidance) seems to me not a bad thing.

I think of the same stuff as any other self-respecting roadie. Does my helmet match my jersey, is my bike cool-looking enough, how's my tan coming along, yeah, those chicks in the car are checking out my glutes, etc. :D

My computer can keep me pretty entertained.
I like to look at houses.
Sometimes if I'm in a good groove I sing.

I like to fantasize about what the next stretch of perfectly smooth, slightly downhill, coastal road, with a tailwind, and no truck traffic or traffic lights, will be like.

Of course, all of that is too damn much thinking.

It's a misinformed question. You're on the bike for 6-12 hours or more. No one thinks of ONE thing during that many hours!

It's a misinformed question. You're on the bike for 6-12 hours or more. No one thinks of ONE thing during that many hours! Actually, I interpret it as a more passive and polite way of asking, "don't you get bored riding your bike for 6-12 hours? what do you do to occupy your mind for that period of time?"

which says more about the questioner than the subject.

Actually, I interpret it as a more passive and polite way of asking, "don't you get bored riding your bike for 6-12 hours? what do you do to occupy your mind for that period of time?"

which says more about the questioner than the subject.


A-HA!

Exactly!


Why should we be restricted to any one mode of thought while cycling?

What do other people think of while... waiting for the bus/riding the bus/getting off the bus/waiting for the bus again... ?

Why the hell should we be held accountable for our cycling thoughts?

I can't think of nothing at all!! My brain is whirring away all the time ... even when I'm sleeping at night I have extremely vivid dreams complete with memorable and logical plots. You know those 5-minute mystery stories, or the logic puzzles you find in logic magazines? I can read one of those quite thoroughly before I go to sleep, and by morning, I've solved it. In fact, related to the topic at hand, sometimes I read them before I go for a ride, and solve it during my ride.

I have no idea what it would feel like to think of nothing. My EX used to tell me that he could just sit and think of nothing at all, and I tried to get my brain to shut off like that, but I just can't do it. There's always something going on.

I can't think of nothing at all!! My brain is whirring away all the time ... even when I'm sleeping at night I have extremely vivid dreams complete with memorable and logical plots. You know those 5-minute mystery stories, or the logic puzzles you find in logic magazines? I can read one of those quite thoroughly before I go to sleep, and by morning, I've solved it. In fact, related to the topic at hand, sometimes I read them before I go for a ride, and solve it during my ride.

I have no idea what it would feel like to think of nothing. My EX used to tell me that he could just sit and think of nothing at all, and I tried to get my brain to shut off like that, but I just can't do it. There's always something going on.

I sit and stare at a blank wall for at least two hours every day. :D

It's a misinformed question. You're on the bike for 6-12 hours or more. No one thinks of ONE thing during that many hours!

I went back and re-read the OP. It says nothing about thinking of ONLY ONE thing. It asks what you think about? I think it is perfectly legitimate question from a non rider. They inquisitor was probably putting themselves mentally on a bike for that long and assuming they would be bored. That too, is a pretty logical assumption, if you haven't ridden much.

You have to be aware that most people in this country especially have to be entertained 24/7. Ipods, TV, computers, radio, books, magazines etc. There are just a whole lot of people that can't imagine not having some conventional means of entertainment available for that long. Look at how many runners and cyclist drag their IPOD's along. It's crazy.

You have to be aware that most people in this country especially have to be entertained 24/7. Ipods, TV, computers, radio, books, magazines etc. There are just a whole lot of people that can't imagine not having some conventional means of entertainment available for that long. Look at how many runners and cyclist drag their IPOD's along. It's crazy.
Right. So how often do you look up from your cadence display, again? :p :D

Look at how many runners and cyclist drag their IPOD's along. It's crazy.

I don't get the iPod thing. I just don't. I have one (it was free), but I can't even remember the last time I used it. Not since i started cycling, at least. (I used to listen to it on the bus late at night, but that was partly to avoid having to talk to anyone. For some reason a book isn't enough of a signal).

I was surprised at how many people on the MS Bike Tour had them - one woman even had little speakers mounted on her handlebars.

I like being on my bike with nothing to deal with except staying wheel side down. I get bombarded with input all day (phone, coworkers talking, BF playing music ot TV or computer game at home) and on the bike is the only time I get silence. I'm an introvert. I NEED silence, or I start to unravel.

Amen. Even more baffling to me are the folks I meet while walking in the mountains. Five hours from the nearest trailhead, smack in the middle of the most perfect country you'll ever see, and here's some fellow wandering around with Fifty Cent blasting on his iPod. Each to his own, I guess, but it seems like he might as well have stayed home for that.

Right. So how often do you look up from your cadence display, again? :p :D

I usually don't. I have it angled just right so i get the reflection of the road in the glass. :rolleyes:

I love my iPod but I can't listen to music while riding. I've tried it and hated it and made the ride take forever and gave me a headache. I love riding with no music/distractions. But I love music and the iPod gives me a great way to organize it and bring it with me on trips, etc.

thus far ive been very lucky. i have a friend whos as into the riding as i am and of a comparable performance level so i almost always have good company on all my long rides. but im also very comfortable alone. like others have said befor, just zoning out and watching the world go by is the most therapeutic thing ive ever found. i really like the above comment about doing the math as well. im always finding new ways of breaking down the ride into sections or comparing the section im on to other rides ive done befor (this ride x is the same as doing ride y two times in a row...thats not that bad!!!)
and at the risk of sounding crass and improper (im not very good with social propriety) i think about sex. you might laugh but as the miles drag on i find this to be very comforting.
i hope i havnt violated some forum policy there. ITS JUST THE TRTUH!

Assuming you are male, I can think of at least one very good reason why daydreaming about sex while wearing lycra pants is not a very good idea. :D

haha you are right. good thing i am sitting down for most the ride and the blood flow is occupied in "safer" parts of the body.

On both my 400K (22 hours of cycling) and 600K (39.5 hours of cycling), I brought my MP3 player. I knew I had quite a bit of time out there all by myself, and wanted the distraction. On both rides, I listened to it for about 7 hours ... by then the signal was fading and my batteries were wearing out. By then, I had also begun to become annoyed with it.

However, I enjoyed it during those 7 hours. I listened to the radio, rather than just music, and the station I chose is a rural one which informed me of events that were going on in the towns I was passing near and through, and also gave me the news and weather every hour or so. So I heard about the farmer's markets, and rodeos, and football championships, and graduation dinners, etc. etc. It was almost like having someone there talking to me. They played music as well, and some of those songs stuck with me later in the ride. It was actually kind of nice. :)

However, for shorter rides, or rides where there are a lot of people, I don't bother with my MP3 player. It is too much hassle, and I actually find it a bit rude if someone is on a group ride and is so intently listening to their music they don't hear a "good morning" from other cyclists. Why go on a group ride if you don't want to socialize?

And I'll also add that I only hook my ear bud into one ear, not both, and I keep the volume fairly low. That way I can hear the other sounds going on around me too, like the chirping of the birds, the crunching of the deer in the forests, the howling of the dogs and coyotes, etc.

Mainly daydream. Ask all my former teachers, I can always do it. I design gardens, plant size bloom time, color. I'm a rock climber so I try to solve some moves that I can't easily make and try them out later. I'm a home brewer so always thinking recipes. As for music...I leave it home. I am listening to it now, love it, has a place but not on my bike. I agree w/ bug, too much sensory overload in our society anymore.
Unfortunately when the ride gets really long I start to think of the pain.

i was telling a coworker a while back about my long distance biking. she feigned interest better than most so i may have gone on longer than was wise. at one point, though, she really brought me to a stop. "what do you think about when you're riding?"

i'm on my bike for hours and hours, in some cases 12 hrs or more. what DO i think about? the question has haunted me since. even during a ride i'll remember this question and ponder it and think, "what the heck am i thinking about now?" mostly i seem to occupy myself with turning the pedals over and over, the scenery, how much i dislike some drivers, what a lovely day it is (or not), cadence (but that's another thread (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=307547)), how pretty my bike is, and in general just random thoughts like that. i have no deep thoughts on my bike.

how about you? what do you think about?

** mp **

It depends on the ride. When it's on a group ride, I might be talking with somebody, herding other riders, helping the group stay together, or (on faster ones) counting revolutions at the front or concentrating on the wheel in front of me.

On solo rides, I'm typically just rolling along, not really thinking about anything.

some terrific responses. i am most impressed, as usual, with machka. although my mind is often buzzing, too, i find that when i'm on a bike i'm zoning out about nothing. or is that zen-ing out? i do math, too, and think of the distance i've traveled and distance to travel. on a particularly windy day when i was only doing about 10mph/16kmh this was particularly depressing.

i'd never listen to an ipod via headphones but i am considering adding speakers to my bike. on longer, lonelier rides it would be nice to have some tunes or catch up on some NPR podcasts. at the risk of inviting all sorts of nasty comments, i'm thinking of something like this (http://www.active-tunes.com).

i tried thinking about sex but it got too uncomfortable. lycra stretchy but abrasive.

I like what spokenword said about diagnostics. I pretty much go into a monitoring mode, Scan my mirror check surroundings, I always have my camara so I'm looking for something to shoot. Drink, eat etc. etc. Without really concentrating on any particular thing.
I do relish the thought of my mp3 player and earbuds giving the anal retentive control freaks heartburn.:D

Oh, I don't mind when folks wear earbuds. I just don't understand it, ie. no big deal.

Of course, I do consider folks with them in to be a hazard to my safety, so they are given a wider berth. But then I categorize different folks as safety hazards for a variety of different reasons, so one more or less doesn't really matter.

Oh, I don't mind when folks wear earbuds. I just don't understand it, ie. no big deal.

Of course, I do consider folks with them in to be a hazard to my safety, so they are given a wider berth. But then I categorize different folks as safety hazards for a variety of different reasons, so one more or less doesn't really matter.

So do I ... which is why I only ever wear ONE ear bud. I hate the idea of not being able to hear what's going on around me. Plus I get dizzy if I wear both earbuds while doing anything other than just sitting quietly.

Assuming you are male, I can think of at least one very good reason why daydreaming about sex while wearing lycra pants is not a very good idea. :D
I was on a conference call with a customer when I was reading this ... I was laughing so hard ... I had to share what you said here to them ... you're a crack up!

JTTBH! :lol:

I hate the idea of not being able to hear what's going on around me.
Yeah. IMO, ears are secondary only to eyes while on the bike, and I'd just as soon put blinders on my glasses as wear earbuds. Either would make me very nervous while riding. As always, each to his own, of course.

Very interesting answers here...
Sometimes I go on a long ride and I know I need to think about something in particular (mostly related to work) but I find it very difficult to focus on one thing is particular. I usually end up focusing on the route sheet, calculating the km until the next checkpoint, looking at the scenary, daydreaming, this kind of things... Then sometimes I start thinking about my friends and my life back in Canada and in England, and I've done so many cool things with so many cool people that I always have lots of really great memories to remember. And of course the more it goes the more great memories I'm going to have to think about when I'm on my bike. Sometimes it makes me a bit sad though...
I also think about my holidays plans... On the 600 I spent the last 100 km thinking about my cyclocamping trip coming up next week!!

funny, on a long ride the other day I was thinking about this very question. :rolleyes:

very interesting how parallel to Machka's progression of thoughts on long bike rides mine are.

I usually start with thoughts about the upcoming ride. I'll visualize portions of the route, the map, certain intersections. The weather. The traffic. Sometimes these thoughts have a little touch of anxiety about the ride. Should I have taken today to do this long ride, should I be doing some other thing with my time- from mowing the lawn to coming up with a cure for cancer? Did I leave too late to get to my destination, am I recovered enough from previous rides, did I get enough sleep, did I bring enough food, how's my pace. When I get to the "how's my pace?" part I start to think about what kind of shape I'm in- am I fast? Will I run into another cyclist or cyclists and will I pass them will they pass me? Am I getting any faster? How many more good long rides am I going to manage to squeeze in this month, this summer, this year. Then I start to get into total mileage and the math starts

I think a neurologist would have a field day with this thread. There must be some trigger for math. I then start to figure out average speeds, miles for the year, miles for my lifetime, gear ratios, frame angles, distances on the planet. How many gallons of gasoline would it have taken to go this distance and at what cost and at what cost over a lifetime of cycling and what have I done with that extra money then the self-examination of the personal economics of my life...

Have I earned enough money, have I saved enough, how could I better invest?

then my old house in the woods that we bought shows up in my head and I start redesigning the studio/barn building we hope to build and what else to build on the property. Again math on design, costs, time and wander into design principles (usually as those espoused in "A Pattern Language" (http://www.amazon.com/Pattern-Language-Buildings-Construction-Environmental/dp/0195019199))

Now I start taking in the landscape more. Individual homes and houses or if it's more forested or even less settled the natural environment. I start to get more into the immediate moment and if I'm feeling good this is when I get on the aero bars and focus on pace, speed, climbing a hill, taking a drink, maybe eating a bit etc.

then it's all over the place from music to sex to spirituality to work to plans for more travel or life in general.

How many people get the opportunity to spend so many hours in contemplation combined with intense physical exercise? I also do long distance swimming and have very similar thought patterns. A great read is "Swimming to Antartica" (http://www.amazon.com/Swimming-Antarctica-Tales-Long-Distance-Swimmer/dp/0156031302/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-9077300-8563824?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1182184785&sr=1-1) by long distance swimmer- Lynne Cox.

It would be interesting to see what role biochemistry, neurology, genetics, gender etc. play in these thought patterns. They may not be as random as they appear to be.

Also, individuals more comfortable with this kind of contemplative thought patterns might be more drawn to distance events. Others might not like distance cycling not so much due to the physical effort than the mental concentration effort that would feel like a strain to them.

Also, individuals more comfortable with this kind of contemplative thought patterns might be more drawn to distance events.
I think this is a very keen observation, and goes right back to the psychology behind the question in the OP. Ignoring questions of fitness and commitment and physical discomfort, I think the majority of humans would simply be bored silly by long-distance cycling. This certainly seems to be a generation that requires constant stimulation (iPods!) and is a bit lost without it. (A certain celebutante crying herself to sleep in her cell comes to mind.) I can't see those people subjecting themselves to 20 or 30 hours of introspection.

I can't believe anyone hasn't said this one: Cost of This Activity per Mile. I have the cost of my new bike down to about $0.43 per mile, excluding expendables such as tires, chains, etc. Now if you figure those in... divide into average monthly totals... add sales tax... etc...

Another fun one is, if you're riding a fixed gear bike, figure out how many pedal revolutions it will take you to cover a given distance.

Or, figure out what time you will finish the ride if you maintain your current average speed. Recalculate as conditions warrant.

Also, individuals more comfortable with this kind of contemplative thought patterns might be more drawn to distance events. Others might not like distance cycling not so much due to the physical effort than the mental concentration effort that would feel like a strain to them.

I think you may be on to something here. There is a qualitative difference between distance events (especially those in which you are competing only against yourself, or the conditions) and shorter, more intense or more directly competitive sports - ESPECIALLY team sports.

I suck at team sports because I always zone out at the wrong time and miss the ball or whatever. Individual competition such as fencing, not as much, but it still irks me to be one someone else's schedule and timing.

I am intensely introverted and will get physically ill if I am forced into situations of constant stimulation for too long. (Migraine usually)

That said, I don't think I'm likely to start doing math however long the ride. Pretty sure I have a learning disability in math, or at any rate I'm hampered by ADHD there. I do see and manipulate *patterns* in mathematics and statistics, but the actual calculation trips me up every time.

I think of the same stuff as any other self-respecting roadie. Does my helmet match my jersey, is my bike cool-looking enough, how's my tan coming along, yeah, those chicks in the car are checking out my glutes, etc. :D

or how much faster I am with the red socks ...

I haven't worked up to the kinds of distances you folks can ride, but in my 30-40 mile rides I think of music. I've been an avid choral singer since grade school, and I tend to work through Verdi's Requiem or Handel's Messiah. We do Messiah every year and I should have two parts memorized (bass and tenor, since I switch) and Verdi about every other year, but always with different conductors so you really need to know the notes technically. I need to know four parts. Of course you can't correctly imagine the music without imagining all the parts for proper cueing, so in three hours I don't even know I've gone anywhere if the bike fit is right. Otherwise I get distracted and don't get out of the first movement!

I think I'm going to learn Mahler's First symphony next.

I can't imagine surviving on the road without being able to hear! No earbuds for me.

Love this thread!

Road Fan

I find that I find myself during the early days of a long tour (8+ weeks) actually thinking a lot about things to think about. Sometimes it would drive me crazy! But as the days turn to weeks and the weeks to months I found that my mind would just roll along on autopilot. I love when I get to that point in the tour. This is much more the case when touring solo (of 8 tours, 4 have been solo). I also like to problem solve. Remember back in the 80's and 90's the little contraption called a "flickstand"? Well, I love that thing but it had a flawed design, it would often disengage and your bike would fall over. So I remember one tour (Alaska to Maryland) I must've spent the better part of an entire day thinking about a flickstand re-design. I ended up with a bungee cord/cable tie contraption that worked great! I used that homemade contraption for many tours after.

i was telling a coworker a while back about my long distance biking. she feigned interest better than most so i may have gone on longer than was wise. at one point, though, she really brought me to a stop. "what do you think about when you're riding?"

i'm on my bike for hours and hours, in some cases 12 hrs or more. what DO i think about? the question has haunted me since. even during a ride i'll remember this question and ponder it and think, "what the heck am i thinking about now?" mostly i seem to occupy myself with turning the pedals over and over, the scenery, how much i dislike some drivers, what a lovely day it is (or not), cadence (but that's another thread (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=307547)), how pretty my bike is, and in general just random thoughts like that. i have no deep thoughts on my bike.

how about you? what do you think about?

** mp **

I think riding is like meditation...

This is getting pretty serious here....

Does anyone else talk to cows along the way?...Come on,admit it....

Or is it really just me?

I guess I wouldn't worry too much about talking to cows. If they start replying, however...