Fifty Plus (50+) - Do your rides seem to be "bend time"

I've noticed on several of my rides, that it feels like time warps and moves at different rates throughout my ride.

At times, it feels like time moves slowly. When I'm a bit tired the miles seem twice as long, the minutes stretch out. Thirty minutes can feel like an hour.

When I'm enjoying myself, the miles slip past. I almost feel out of time & space, like I'm in my own world. There have been times when I've only had 3 hours to ride and they slip past so fast that I feel cheated. Indeed, there have been entire days like that. Days where I combine riding with hikes, small town touring, and meals. Where I might ride 35-40 miles total, take a couple of hikes, eat lunch, shop an art gallery, and take 8 hours. I've wrapped up a few of those days by pedaling to my car/motel at around 6pm, wondering where the day went. Lamenting that it is over.

There are times when I'm out riding through beautiful scenery when I'm caught in a paradox, loving my ride while at the same time, hating that the miles and minutes are slipping away. Wishing that I could somehow slow the moment down, to become lost in it.

The idea of taking a 10-day vacation, where I ride a different trail on 6 or 7 of the days, is very appealing. Where when one day comes to an end I am comforted that there is another wonderful day ahead, then another, and another. To practice some escapism from stresses and demands.

I've wondered for a long time how others perceive their rides. Do you have trying days, where you grind out the miles? Other days where you are shocked that your ride is already over? Does it sometimes feel like you are part of a fantasy world, where normal drudgery doesn't exist?

Now that you mention it, yup,,, but after the long rides are over I sure wished I could go back and do it again.

I used to joke that the real reason to do aerobics was to make your life longer, cause you would know just how long a minute could be.

but yes, I've had those experiences. A bit more of the grind it out type, but even those I value for the time out of the usual, and the pleasant exhaustion from the exercise afterward.

That kind of vacation is one of my favorites. I was thinking about combining a multi-day ride on the Katy Trail in Missouri with visiting the Tour of Missouri race this fall.

All of my rides are the same. The first 3 miles are spent cataloging the aches and pains, thinking that I'll cut my ride short today because it feels like "hard riding" and I'm just not up for the full distance. The next 3 miles, I gradually start noticing what's around me more than my individual body parts. By 6 miles, I'm totally into the ride, and I decide to go further than what I originally plan. At the 3/4 point of the ride, when I'm on my way home, I'm thinking of what hills there are ahead and how I can avoid them, and thinking of shortcuts to home.

As far as time bending, no. In fact, it feels dead on, because your brain checks the time every time you look at the odometer. Now, when you bike, are you engaged in it like a project? Or you mentioned you zone out? Those are two things that can really make "black out periods" of time. I'm never really "in the moment" on a bike...it sounds like you are.

I've had rides exactly as you describe, Solveq. More of a formula ride. I'm going out to do 25 miles, I think about cutting it way short, to only 6-10 miles because it isn't enjoyable. And I've cut out of a few. Then I pace myself against my watch and the odometer throughout the rest of the ride. Those rides are good rides, I get exercise, I get outdoors, I relieve stress. But they aren't great rides.

There are other rides where I don't have a set time that I need to get back and I don't set a mileage limit. When I ride down the rail trail to Monticello, I have four choices. Head home, head east toward Brodhead, south toward Monroe & Ill, or west to New Glarus. Even as I ride into Monticello, I don't know which way I'm going to go. I usually stop at the Monticello Trailhead Depot, fill up my water bottle, and then decide which way has the most appeal to me today. Once I decide, I still don't know how far I'll go. The ride just happens.

I'm looking forward to them finishing the connector from my subdivision to Madison, where one can decide to ride into Madison on the Southwest Bike Path, around Madison on the Capitol City Trail, or up to the hilly country of Mt. Horeb on the Military Ridge Trail.

While I dislike cell phones and rarely use mine, I do love having it on my rides because it gives me the freedom to alter my ride and not have to be at any particular spot at any particular time. My wife doesn't even bother to ask where I'm going to ride on any day, because I don't know until I get there.

If I ever take the step of riding on roads, who knows where I might go!

Hmmm. Wonder what the difference is. I don't have to set time limits for my rides, and I don't really know where I'm going. I set a goal when I walk out the door, but it's more of a general idea. But I do stick to it most of the time until I get lost.

I'd like more rides like the ones you described. It must be in the set-up, because I think we do things the same once we are riding, unless there's some mental difference. I usually think, "How far do I feel like riding today? What is a goal that would meet that mileage?" and out the door. I usually don't repeat routes, so I'm always lost, so that may be part of my problem.

I usually think, "How far do I feel like riding today? What is a goal that would meet that mileage?"

On some days, on some of my most enjoyable rides, I don't even ask those questions. The goal is to enjoy myself. Whether that is 15, 25, 40, or 50 miles is something that I don't always know will happen. On the day last summer when I rode 64 miles, I only set out to ride around 25. On another day, I set out to do 40-50 but took nearly 8 hours to do 25 and had a great day.

I’m afraid I am far too linier to feel any time warp. I tend to ride to get somewhere or to see something. It is just a personality trait I guess. If I am riding to see something then time isn’t important and I get there whenever I get there. When I ride to get somewhere I only seem to care if I have enough time to do it. I haven’t tried trail riding yet so I am not sure if that will change my attitude.

Do you ride that Giant Revive you have in your avatar?

Sounds like you are an A to B rider. You pick your endpoint before you start. I do that from time to time. Although I almost never pick a distance, an endpoint, and a timeframe and then go out and do exactly that ride. This is probably one reason why organized rides have little appeal to me. They start at specified times, follow specified routes, and offer 1 to 3 specified distances.

My work has a lot of structure ... when I ride, I like to be unstructured.

I think I'm an A to B rider, but I definitely get in the "zone" where I'm in the moment and all that mental chatter is just not there anymore. No other activities do this for me like cycling does. I feel like I'm part of everything around me. I feel the texture of whatever the wheels are rolling over. I say hello to people on the trail. I hear the birds. I smell the fragrance of whatever is on the breeze. (Today it was the smoke from a big fire in Napa.) I watch my husband ahead of me or in my rear view mirror, and just feel at one with the universe. Today we rode for a while with a teacher from Chicago who is taking his summer vacation riding around California; it was lovely to connect for a bit with such an interesting person.

We don't really have a lot of structure, but we have a favorite ride that we've not grown tired of.

Nice topic, by the way!

I think I'm an A to B rider, but I definitely get in the "zone" where I'm in the moment and all that mental chatter is just not there anymore.

I get into that happy "just cycling" mode, but I've never felt time go quicker, and I've never really gone into a deep zone. I'm always looking around and pretty busy, mentally. I suppose when I miss a turn off because I was daydreaming will be the day time bends. I'm just not that centered, I guess.

I'm not aware of time when I ride. I tend to go slowly, plus I ride in very stop-and-go situations (New York City).

So then when I get home I'm amazed how late it is.

Sometimes on solo rides I get into those weird time warps, but never when riding with others.

Back in the 60's we had other ways to manipulate time.:twitchy::innocent:

Back in the 60's we had other ways to manipulate time.:twitchy::innocent:

;) As we did in the 70s and 80s. Now it's mostly red wine. Mostly. :innocent:

I feel like I'm part of everything around me. I feel the texture of whatever the wheels are rolling over. I say hello to people on the trail. I hear the birds. I smell the fragrance of whatever is on the breeze.

Now you're talking. I strongly relate to this. I have some symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome. I've taken a few tests for it and never cross over the line, but I get close. In particular, I have share the hypersensitivity to sensory information. My senses are always on. I am fascinated by texture, I'll stop in the middle of rides to feel the leaves of plants or even interesting looking soil or rocks. When I took the dozens of test rides last year, the number one thing I focused upon was the feel of the bike, I would ride each bike over multiple surfaces to capture it. When I walk down a street, I can smell the flowers and scrubs on the other side of the street. When I walk down the hallway at work, I can tell you what people are eating in their offices, or what scent of hand lotion they've used, even without entering their rooms.

This is one of the prime reasons why I love walks and rides so much. Because I gather so much sensory info. I've read articles by people who share these traits where they write about how much they pity "normal" people because they miss out on so much of the world around them.

OTOH, I am hypersensitive on taste too, which can be a curse. Food that others find moderately spiced, can be way too spicy for me to eat.

This page does a good job of describing the sensory issues. I don't relate to any of the other topics on it.
http://www.theaspergersconnection.org/courses/esimplications/additional_characteristics.html

I get into that happy "just cycling" mode, but I've never felt time go quicker, and I've never really gone into a deep zone. I'm always looking around and pretty busy, mentally. I suppose when I miss a turn off because I was daydreaming will be the day time bends. I'm just not that centered, I guess.

It isn't daydreaming that affects my sense of time, it is all of the sensory information from the ride itself. I almost never daydream when riding, that would block out the best parts of the ride. One of the things I like best about riding a bike is that all of the sensory information coming in, blocks out my thoughts of work and stressful issues. It is almost impossible for me to dwell on a work-related issue while I ride.

Tom,
Yes I just might be an A to B rider. And Yes the Revive is my bike of choice right now. I tend to ride early in the mornings right now because it is so hot so those might be time rides. I get back before it reaches into the 90s. I had some back problems in April so when I decided to get back into cycling the Revive felt just right.

I like riding my bike but I tend to like the nature side of it as well. I have tried the group ride thing as well but found that having to start at someone else’s time to get to a destination at a specific times is a bit too restrictive for me. But to each his or her own.

I bought a trailer the other day so I could use the bike to run the grocery store and other small errands where a backpack or rack pack isn’t large enough. It is interesting to see the look on people’s faces when you ride up on the Revive all by itself. Add a trailer and suddenly you become their best neighbor.

Bob

Tom,
I think I understand your "time bend" idea. Certainly the idea of just going out without an agenda and letting the ride unfold is something I commonly do. Actually, I am usually amazed at how much time I am consuming riding (now that I have retired, at least for a while) and am wondering about trying to set some schedule so that I actually accomplish something else on any given day.

I wonder if you are a candidate for some light touring. I know you have visited and ridden out of a small town for several days at a time. But, I wonder if you might like to do a credit card tour with just a very light load...It could be done with a handlebar bag and a moderate-sized seat bag (like a Caradice Pendle). And a map. Then you just slowly go wherever your whimsy takes you. Ultimately, full up touring gives one almost complete control...Or is it uncontrol?

Maybe it's like being a tethered ballon...And always getting reeled in back to the same place at the end of the day. But when there is no tether, you don't need to go back if you don't want to and you just land in the next town wherever that may be.

Yesterday we did a fifty mile out and back ride. The twenty-five mile out leg was into a seventeen mph wind and felt like it lasted forever. The return leg with tail wind seemed to be over in a flash. :speedy:

I've wondered for a long time how others perceive their rides. Do you have trying days, where you grind out the miles? Other days where you are shocked that your ride is already over? Does it sometimes feel like you are part of a fantasy world, where normal drudgery doesn't exist?

Most of my rides are club rides so the destination and mileage are generally predetermined. A couple of the club rides are more flexible as we change destination and mileage to accommodate the riders that day.

Last night I had the most enjoyable ride and it was around 2 miles:) My son called and asked if the granddaughters could ride their bikes over to visit for a few minutes. They live a couple blocks away and the girls had seen me returning home. Of course, I said yes.

I hitched the trailer to the mountain bike for the 4 year old and we took off on a ride around the neighborhood. The 6 and 12 year old rode their bikes and we had an enjoyable tour of the neighborhood with a few biking safety tips along the way. The younger girls are not allowed to ride in the road unless an adult is with them or they're riding in the trailer. I think the 6 year old is going to be a good rider. After our two miles she was wanting to go farther:love:

This time warp feeling you mention has always been one of the main reasons why I've kept riding since I was 16 years old. This is why I also never use a speedometer/odometer on my bike. This has worked for me for 38 years (not counting childhood), so it can't be too bad.

I'm still jealous.

OK... how about this? Does it only occur when you're somewhere you've been before? If you're somewhere new, are you all focused on not getting lost? Because when I'm on a bike I'm usually lost, and that just isn't relaxing.

Most of my rides are club rides so the destination and mileage are generally predetermined. A couple of the club rides are more flexible as we change destination and mileage to accommodate the riders that day.

Last night I had the most enjoyable ride and it was around 2 miles:) My son called and asked if the granddaughters could ride their bikes over to visit for a few minutes. They live a couple blocks away and the girls had seen me returning home. Of course, I said yes.

I hitched the trailer to the mountain bike for the 4 year old and we took off on a ride around the neighborhood. The 6 and 12 year old rode their bikes and we had an enjoyable tour of the neighborhood with a few biking safety tips along the way. The younger girls are not allowed to ride in the road unless an adult is with them or they're riding in the trailer. I think the 6 year old is going to be a good rider. After our two miles she was wanting to go farther:love:

Beautiful, just beautiful.:thumb:

I've noticed on several of my rides, that it feels like time warps and moves at different rates throughout my ride.

At times, it feels like time moves slowly. When I'm a bit tired the miles seem twice as long, the minutes stretch out. Thirty minutes can feel like an hour.

When I'm enjoying myself, the miles slip past. I almost feel out of time & space, like I'm in my own world. There have been times when I've only had 3 hours to ride and they slip past so fast that I feel cheated. Indeed, there have been entire days like that. Days where I combine riding with hikes, small town touring, and meals. Where I might ride 35-40 miles total, take a couple of hikes, eat lunch, shop an art gallery, and take 8 hours. I've wrapped up a few of those days by pedaling to my car/motel at around 6pm, wondering where the day went. Lamenting that it is over.

There are times when I'm out riding through beautiful scenery when I'm caught in a paradox, loving my ride while at the same time, hating that the miles and minutes are slipping away. Wishing that I could somehow slow the moment down, to become lost in it.

The idea of taking a 10-day vacation, where I ride a different trail on 6 or 7 of the days, is very appealing. Where when one day comes to an end I am comforted that there is another wonderful day ahead, then another, and another. To practice some escapism from stresses and demands.

I've wondered for a long time how others perceive their rides. Do you have trying days, where you grind out the miles? Other days where you are shocked that your ride is already over? Does it sometimes feel like you are part of a fantasy world, where normal drudgery doesn't exist?

That happens on all the good rides. Light and shadow seem to play a major part in that experience for me. One of my most memorable rides was late one afternoon with the sun behind me, I got into such a zone watching my own shadow ride on in front of me that I felt the possiblilty that it would never end. I definitely relate to the sensations of the ride itself, a really smooth surface fresh blacktop where you can appreciate the smooth nature of the bike is one nice one. I don't really dislike other surfaces, but do definitely notice the different feels. Lovey calls me Mr. Oblivious. I think it's due to tunnel vision and more than usual focus on whatever I am doing at the time. Which is one reason I think I like bike riding as much as I do, there is just the right mix of inputs and efforts to really let one focus and not think about the millions of other things that are always part of our lives.

Tom,

I wonder if you are a candidate for some light touring. I know you have visited and ridden out of a small town for several days at a time. But, I wonder if you might like to do a credit card tour with just a very light load...It could be done with a handlebar bag and a moderate-sized seat bag (like a Caradice Pendle). And a map. Then you just slowly go wherever your whimsy takes you. Ultimately, full up touring gives one almost complete control...Or is it uncontrol?

Maybe it's like being a tethered ballon...And always getting reeled in back to the same place at the end of the day. But when there is no tether, you don't need to go back if you don't want to and you just land in the next town wherever that may be.

Yes, that is appealing. And something I've thought about. I recently picked up a larger bag that I could hang off of the back of my recumbent, with this thought in mind. What I would like to do is to find someplace to drop off my car, or be dropped off. Then have a week to do what I wish. I could see myself riding 25 miles the first day, 45 the second day, 10 on the third, 30 on the fourth, etc.. A tour where the focus isn't upon the riding itself, the rides are simply part of the total experience.

I may have a chance to do this in Sept or Oct. It's on my list of possibilities, as I have vacation time to burn. As of July 1, I will have 15 weeks of vacation accrued.

Next week, I will be on a vacation where the car will be parked upon arrival and moved again when we leave. Bicycles and feet will be the motivation during the vacation. We have no plans or formal scheduals. Go where and when you wish....................................:) :) :)

Don't ever try fixed gear riding.

:p :D

Time kinda warps a little sometimes. You see I'm both a point A to B rider
and recreational wanderer. As a commuter on my Trek 820 Mtn./commuterized
geek bike I'm just plodding along to work and exhaustedly riding home.
But on my days off....especially on my LWB 'bent, I'm a kid again, literally.
The odometer is there to record miles but not to gauge how much longer to
ride or which way to turn. The kid in me does that. There are no painful wrists,
hands, neck or back to bring me back to adulthood. All I experience is the thrill
of riding, just the way it was on my old Columbia coaster brake bike so many,
many years ago. Sometimes I'm suprised to see the grey bearded old fart looking
back at me from the reflective windows I sometimes ride by instead of the kid that I expected to see.

My warping time is more like a slippage back into the past when my bike allowed me
to go out and cruise carefree throughout the world at my pace. I escaped from a
troubled home life, school, worries about the Viet Nam war, all the teenage
concerns of the sixties. My rides still take me to that magical, peaceful, free place.
I experience this sometimes on my road bikes, but eventually old age and aches and
pains bring me to reality long before the end of the ride. But on my 'bent, I have to
remember to come home.

I've pondered this "daydreaming" topic a bit this morning. Expanding the definition to include thinking of almost anything except the ride itself, whether it be things at work, at home, about family, what you are going to do when you get home, what you hope to get done in the next week, dreaming about being in a vacation cabin, whatever.

I never do this while taking a bike ride. I do it a lot while taking a walk. But a bike ride consumes me, especially one in a natural setting. In thinking about this, it became clearer to me why I disdain taking an iPod on a ride - because that isolates me from so much of the environment. Even why I don't wear sunglasses - for they alter the color spectrum and I don't take in the real natural colors. Or even a reason why I don't like riding on roads, where the noise and smell from the cars & trucks are so distracting, along with need to focus attention on safe riding habits.

It never even occurs to me to devote part of the time on my ride to thinking about other things. Riding a bike is truly an escape for me. Even on a city MUP, where I enjoy watching walkers, dogs, people socializing, other riders. When I ride a MUP, all that is an expected part of the experience, just like dodging chipmunks is when I'm on a rail trail.

When I see an unusual flower, I stop to look at it. When I hear an unusual bird, I stop to listen. I was laughing at myself a couple of weeks ago when I got caught out in the rain and was pushing hard to get to the next town to get out of it. But then I came across some cranes, so I stopped to watch them. Also during that ride, my first ride in the rain in over 30 years, I found the sensation of the rain hitting my arms and legs to be fascinating. I found myself watching the way the dirt from the trail accumulated on my tires, and watching how it sprayed off as the wheels spun.

I'm sure that if I rode with someone who normally rides a spirited 30-50 miles, pushing themselves to maintain a 17-18 mph pace, that I would drive them crazy. On my 26 mile ride last Friday, I stopped 8 times (I didn't count them as I rode, I can remember all of them). Once was when I rode over an old metal railroad bridge and I stopped to examine the bolts - which had some very interesting shapes.

I've pondered this "daydreaming" topic a bit this morning. Expanding the definition to include thinking of almost anything except the ride itself, whether it be things at work, at home, about family, what you are going to do when you get home, what you hope to get done in the next week, dreaming about being in a vacation cabin, whatever.

I never do this while taking a bike ride. I do it a lot while taking a walk. But a bike ride consumes me, especially one in a natural setting. In thinking about this, it became clearer to me why I disdain taking an iPod on a ride - because that isolates me from so much of the environment. Even why I don't wear sunglasses - for they alter the color spectrum and I don't take in the real natural colors. Or even a reason why I don't like riding on roads, where the noise and smell from the cars & trucks are so distracting, along with need to focus attention on safe riding habits.

It never even occurs to me to devote part of the time on my ride to thinking about other things. Riding a bike is truly an escape for me. Even on a city MUP, where I enjoy watching walkers, dogs, people socializing, other riders. When I ride a MUP, all that is an expected part of the experience, just like dodging chipmunks is when I'm on a rail trail.

When I see an unusual flower, I stop to look at it. When I hear an unusual bird, I stop to listen. I was laughing at myself a couple of weeks ago when I got caught out in the rain and was pushing hard to get to the next town to get out of it. But then I came across some cranes, so I stopped to watch them. Also during that ride, my first ride in the rain in over 30 years, I found the sensation of the rain hitting my arms and legs to be fascinating. I found myself watching the way the dirt from the trail accumulated on my tires, and watching how it sprayed off as the wheels spun.

I'm sure that if I rode with someone who normally rides a spirited 30-50 miles, pushing themselves to maintain a 17-18 mph pace, that I would drive them crazy. On my 26 mile ride last Friday, I stopped 8 times (I didn't count them as I rode, I can remember all of them). Once was when I rode over an old metal railroad bridge and I stopped to examine the bolts - which had some very interesting shapes.

Do not ever change. :thumb:


Edit: I find, like Dnvr says, biking for exercise only will not last. If I can't find someplace new to ride and different things to look at that my biking becomes strained.

I like wearing sunglasses, because I think polarized lenses actually show what colors really* look like. If you get grey ones, all they do is remove the glare that hides the details of what you're looking at.

As far as the time warp, now I'm really confused. I, like you, notice all kinds of things all the time, and will stop to look at stuff. But yet, I don't seem to get the same zen state.

Perhaps it's because my daily life is so unstructured to start out with? If I'm not at my computer, working on a project, then I'm free to do whatever tasks or fun stuff I want. So a bike ride is actually one of the most structured things I do, and it requires far more prep and planning than most stuff, even if it's a 10 mile ride.

I have some gray, polarized clip-ons. I like them when I'm driving my car. But to me, it's still a very different world when I'm wearing them vs not. The gray reduces the vibrancy of the colors.

I would be receptive to trying polarized clear lenses.

Sunglasses aren't as necessary on trails as on roads. There is very little glare off of the trail surface and there is a lot more shade on a trail. I've been back on a bike now since Sept '06 and haven't worn sunglasses on a single ride. Since I wear eyeglasses, I have UV protection from them.

Edit: I find, like Dnvr says, biking for exercise only will not last. If I can't find someplace new to ride and different things to look at that my biking becomes strained.

I like riding in new places. I also enjoy riding the same trail over and over. However it is never the "same" trail. Trails are constantly changing. Different flowers, different plants, the leaves on the trees are gone, then small, then light green, then larger and darker, then late-summer green, early autumn twinges of color, peak autumn colors, post peak, then gone again. Every plant along the trail cycles through these phases. There are different birds at different types of the year. Nuts and berries in their seasons. And so on.

One great thing about having a nearby trail, is the opportunity to get to know it really well and appreciate how it changes all year long. There is one bridge that is 3 miles south on my local trail at which I always stop to admire the view and try to pick out what is different from the last time I stopped.

Last Saturday, while riding, I looked at my watch and saw I needed to be home in 45 minutes to get ready for a graduation party. Riding as fast as possible the 45 minutes was up before I got home. I did luck out as my wife also lost track of time while gardening (dodged a bullet on that one). Yesterday I rode two 20 minute time trails for a workout. Watching my HR monitor and stopwatch for the 20 minute segments seemed to take forever and I would have loved looking at the farm scenery instead.

I like riding in new places. I also enjoy riding the same trail over and over. However it is never the "same" trail. Trails are constantly changing. Different flowers, different plants, the leaves on the trees are gone, then small, then light green, then larger and darker, then late-summer green, early autumn twinges of color, peak autumn colors, post peak, then gone again. Every plant along the trail cycles through these phases. There are different birds at different types of the year. Nuts and berries in their seasons. And so on.

One great thing about having a nearby trail, is the opportunity to get to know it really well and appreciate how it changes all year long. There is one bridge that is 3 miles south on my local trail at which I always stop to admire the view and try to pick out what is different from the last time I stopped.

I've been riding that trail (in addition to as many other places as possible) for 9 years now. :notamused: I can finally say that the presence of humans has not done it any good. Saturday, there were mcdonalds wrappers in the middle of a swamp. Jeeeeessssshhhhhh. Maybe the cockroaches deserve the world.

The worst littering I've seen was a small town where idiots had purposefully smashed beer bottles on the bike trail. Not only is it senseless, it could harm innocent people, and it hurts your town by discouraging bike tourism.

Don't ever try fixed gear riding.

:p :D


You don't have to worry about that. If my choice were riding a fixie or walking, I'd go with walking. Now a single speed with say a 38:19 gear, that I would ride.