cyclinfool

I like to think about a lot of things when I ride, sometimes it is funny things I might bring to this forum, sometimes it's work but on those rides where I am pushing myself I sing songs. I had two songs that kept me going this past weekend - Woodie Guthry's "City of New Orleans" and CS&N "Marrakesh Express". Peddaling to the beat. I guess these were two appropriate songs given the fact that about 40 miles of the two legs were spent traveling next to an old rail line. Other days it's other tunes, sometimes old movie tunes, british marches but never rock & roll. It's interesting how you occupy your mind with the hours spent pedaling away!

cccorlew

I generally think, and solve problems like global warming, what chain lube to use, the inequitable distribution of wealth, why do bad things happen to good people, what is the best gear to use on this hill, mans inhumanity to man, Ginger or Mary Ann, the best way to raise children, where did I leave my car keys, and the communication issues between genders.

zoste

For me it's the usual...work, kids, pretty girls, other personal stuff...I don't sing while cycling, 'cause everyone could hear me. I used to sing when I would ride my motorcycle, though. Oddly enough my two favorites to sing while on the motorcycle were Janis' "Piece of My Heart" and the Vanilla Fudge version of "You Keep Me Hangin' On".

Oh yeh...pardon my pedantry, but Steve Goodman wrote "City of New Orleans" and it was popularized by Arlo Guthrie, Woody's son.

Skipper

Air.

Tom Bombadil

I addressed this topic a couple of weeks ago. I largely just pay attention to the ride itself. The vibration from the surface, the smells in the air, the trees, the flowers, the countryside, the sky, the way the shadows are cast across the trail in front of me, how my legs feel, etc.. Sometimes I do get a song in my head. But I almost never think about problems or plan upcoming events or dwell on life's issues.

Now when I take a walk, it's mostly thinking about life's issues. If I need to get out and think about something, I have to walk rather than ride. If I need to get away from thinking about problems, I take a ride.

FightingPanther

"why am i so slow?"

"come on, u can do better than this"

"jesus christ that was hard, i guess i could take a little break...(quick flashback to being dropped)"upshift and hammer


i think of nothing else over and over, and as i sit here i look forward to doing it again tomorrow

Tom Bombadil

FightingPanther ... you are a "collegiate racer" and are over 50 years old?

Retro Grouch 

Not to pick nits but "City of New Orleans", one of my all time favorite songs, is an Arlo Guthrie tune.

neilG

Goodman wrote it, Arlo sang it.

JanMM

David Hasselhoff sang it, too.

JimF22003

When I'm standing on a long climb I can NOT get John Lennon's Across the Universe out of my mind. It fits my breathing pattern exACTly... Right Left Right Left WORDS are FLOWing OUT like END less RAIN in TO a PAP er CUP.... I love that song, but MAN!

Retro Grouch 

There are some things that a decent person ought not to share.

Jet Travis

Dutch singer/actor Gerard Cox scored a hit with the translation of this song, called "Het is weer voorbij die mooie zomer." I'm not making this up.

Yen

While in traffic, I think about what's going on around me... where's that car, is anyone coming up from behind, does that driver see me, do I need to slow/shift now or can I wait, etc.

On open stretches with very few cars, I let my mind wander more. I think a lot about my dad and how much he is missed. Mostly, I think about how much I enjoy riding my bike and what a difference it has made in my life.

Condorita

There is the whole thing about having fun, what a joy it is to ride (and gettin' healthy in the process! whatta deal!!). Sometimes something I see, or my surroundings, will inspire certain thoughts or cause me to think of certain songs. I don't carry my MP3 player with me on rides, so I'm not listening to anything but the sounds around me.

Louis

Lately it's been the theme from The Addams family.

MTBLover

Generally, I think about the traffic until I get to the immensely flat MUP I use for some distance rides. THen I just usually zone out and zen the ride. On my hill routes, though, I embrace the lactic acid- yeah, that's the ticket- the burn, baby! Who can think of anything else when your guads are on fire???

Catweazle

I missed that'n when you posted it. Thanks for mentioning the thing, because I just read it and I'm glad that I did. I particularly liked this comment, which you made in that thread:


That's me too! I won't do that on every ride, but I'll do it on every ride where something sparks my interest or curiousity. When I ride it's "me time". I clear my head of all my concerns and cares, and enjoy every tiny aspect of the ride. The breeze on my face. The sights around me. The texture of a stretch of road. The challenge of the hill in front of me. The feel of the blood coursing through my legs. the sound of the water in the creek under the bridge I'm riding over. Everything!

I'm not a religious person, in the sense of holding to a faith. Stuff like this is plenty enough for me!

DnvrFox

Right foot down, left foot down, right foot down, left foot down, left foot down (oops - OUCH!), right foot down

Jet Travis

The big question for me on a bike ride is: How much fun can I have right now?

Ken Brown

You want my thoughts and don't even offer a penny?

Jet Travis

Around here, we all get paid the going rate--and not a penny more.

freeranger

Many times it's "what has Donna stopped to look at now?", other times it's "I sure wish she'd find something to stop and look at, so I can catch up!!". On hills, I find that (and don't shoot me if this get's stuck in your head): Mickey Mouse Club-Mickey Mouse Club-not the rest, just that part-seems you can fit it to any cadence you wish to keep, and it works to keep me going. It fits my hill climbing prowess also!

leob1

Things just seem to pop in and pop out, usually it's one song or artist that lasts for the whole ride, last night was Greatfull Dead night. I also have had complete conversations with my self, out loud. Those usually end when I say, to myself also out loud, "Who the hell are you talking too?"

The Weak Link

That's a bad habit of mine, and fortunately I post very little of what I find remarkable during my epic adventures. Like last weekend when going down a hill at 30 MPH a rabbit darts out right in front of me and I miss him (or her, didn't have time to check too thoroughly) by two inches and I'm thinking, "Just wait until I write that up. I don't know who crapped more, me or the rabbit", and then I get home and determine that the incident was not worth initiating a new thread over.