CommuterRun

I think I find cycling, in and of itself, fun.

I say, "I think I find it fun," because, as a utility cyclist, I never ride without a destination or purpose. If I find myself with nothing I want to do, I won't just go ride one of my bikes. I'll load up a canoe behind the Townie and head out cycling/canoeing/fishing/swimming and sometimes hunting, free-dive spearfishing and photography all in the same day.

If you see me on a bike, I'm on my way to somewhere to do something, or I am doing something even if it's just test flying a tune-up I just completed.

Sitting around the house, now that's boring. Boring irritates me. When I get irritated I get cranky. The wife and kids would rather I go somewhere and do something, even without them, rather than stay home all day.

catatonic

Sounds like you need to find better routes. I get that way when I have no variety, or have bland routes to ride.

hurley.girl

Boring? No way. Even though I may ride the same loop, with variations for distance, I never feel bored.

Sometimes I get to see a really cool bird. Like the time I spotted my first Northern Oriole sitting on a mailbox. I actually stopped to watch it a bit more. Or the time a bald eagle flew over head.

In the spring and early summer, sometimes I see and/or hear cool frogs. I especially love when I get to hear choruses of frogs.

When I'm not watching the wildlife, I'm keeping myself interested in other ways. Like trying to beat my husband up the final small hill that's a real killer after a long ride. Or getting on a stretch of long, straight, uninterrupted road and seeing how fast I can go.

Some days, fighting the wind is enough to keep my mind occupied.

-VELOCITY-

Yeah that bloody traitor. Not only did he disappear but he waited until he got me to join his team, before making the decision to move, to do the MS 150. So I ended up riding solo.

genec

Rode for years and years with minor local destinations in mind... some outlying little restaurant for a beer, or some great loop that just took me back home.

But one day I went beyond the horizon and just kept going... I toured. I had no particular destination in mind and it was very interesting seeing where I would end up each night. Got maps from tourist bureaus as I arrived in each state, and would plot a course on a local road and just take off.

I usually do have a destination of some sort today... be it as simple as picking up coffee (yesterday's ride) or simply doing a local loop as fast as possible (goal, not destination). I find I rarely get bored biking.

spinnaker

The best kind of ride is when you have no idea where you are going. You get to see new things. Since riding I have found places right near my home that I did not know existed, and I have been living here my whole life.

And what is with the avatar? Put a shirt on for Pete's sake. Does anyone else want to look at that? Well maybe some of the ladies I guess. And who knows maybe a few of the guys.

chephy

If I ride without knowing where I'm going - I just get lost. Even if I discover new places, I'd never know where exactly they are or how to get to them again. I also have a fear of being spat onto a dead end (and having to retrace my steps all the way back) or a busy road bikeable only by the bravest when I am feeling like taking a low-trafficked laid-back route...

Good point. When I have a goal, it basically serves the purpose of a destination.

spinnaker

Get a GPS with mapping. It is my favorite toy outside my bicycle and sailboat. Or if you want to go on the cheap, a map should do. What I like about my GPS is that you can go out and get lost. All you need to do is to ask the GPS the way home. It will even give you a route for bicycles.

PaulH

Even though I really enjoy riding, I ride only for transportation. I've wondered whether this makes me less of a cyclist. Perhaps it is because, when I grew up, cycling was simply not thought of a sport. I'm not sure that I feel that riding without a destination is boring, it's more that I can't imagine riding without needing to get someplace, usually somplace where it is difficult to get to conveniently by car.

Paul

cyclezealot

Usually I have a sense of which direction I want to go. Even when I just take off. I just haven't figured out how I am going to get there.
Bored. Not at all. That's when I am out exploring.
Exploring is one aspect of cycling I enjoy the most.

flyingscotsman

"Bloody Traitor"

I say that sounds like something somebody british would say!!!!

Amazing the accents you pick up in Miami.

Alekhine

Same here, although I'm a telecommuter/at-home teacher. Otherwise, I grocery shop and utility-ride, use a bike for transportation, cruise about for daily fitness on almost the same preset course, and tour the world with my bicycles.

Honestly, I do tend to find the daily fitness rides to be less enjoyable than the camping trips or foreign country tours (big surprise), but on the whole I just love riding my bikes, period. Having a bike or 4 that I love for different reasons helps things out though.