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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

Happiness is...

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Old 06-26-15, 07:54 PM
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Happiness is...

...spending 2 1/2 hours on a bike on a peaceful Friday evening in the summer in the countryside. Not even a spoke breaking ten minutes into the ride, sending me back home to switch to a backup wheel (hey, more mileage!), could dampen my enthusiasm or impinge upon the zen-like calm I experienced as I glided at speed past cows, horses, rolling pastures and corn fields and, erm...well, more cows, horses, pastures and corn fields. It is the countryside, after all.

Sometimes it all comes together into a sublime melange of endorphin high and a paradoxical sense of stillness, and it's a small block of space-time to be cherished. Someone said that cycling is as close as you can get to flying. I think that partly captures it.

If there's anything better than cycling, I haven't found it yet.
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Old 06-26-15, 08:00 PM
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Old 06-26-15, 08:03 PM
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"a warm gun, mama, happiness, bang, bang, shoot, shoot"
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Old 06-26-15, 08:08 PM
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finally found a long stretch of country side road with almost no cars, exhaust fumes, intersections, stop signs..instead, i found farmland, smell of fresh air, cows, horses, and i'll just go wherever this road takes me.
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Old 06-26-15, 08:10 PM
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Until you come across a pack of dogs
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Old 06-26-15, 08:11 PM
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Negative crowd.
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Old 06-26-15, 09:07 PM
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Originally Posted by BillyD
Negative crowd.
No negativity for me tonight. Too happy.
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Old 06-26-15, 09:21 PM
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They are all just jealous. I'm glad cycling makes you happy.
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Old 06-26-15, 09:37 PM
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Being retired.... I often sleep in to take advantage of the cold days warmer afternoon ride time. Or in mid-summer get up early to enjoy the cool air of a morning ride.

Sometimes I deliberately ride during the hottest part of the hottest days because the heat can make my arthritic joints move so freely after even long periods in the saddle. But I also ride in freezing winter temperatures.... just to be outside... and just to be riding my bike.

Cycling has brought a lot of joy to my retirement. Cycling has been a lot of comfort in my... later years.

Originally Posted by rousseau
.... Sometimes it all comes together into a sublime melange of endorphin high and a paradoxical sense of stillness, and it's a small block of space-time to be cherished.
Hallmark... should put that on a card.
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Old 06-27-15, 03:27 AM
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Originally Posted by rousseau
...spending 2 1/2 hours on a bike on a peaceful Friday evening in the summer in the countryside. Not even a spoke breaking ten minutes into the ride, sending me back home to switch to a backup wheel (hey, more mileage!), could dampen my enthusiasm or impinge upon the zen-like calm I experienced as I glided at speed past cows, horses, rolling pastures and corn fields and, erm...well, more cows, horses, pastures and corn fields. It is the countryside, after all.

Sometimes it all comes together into a sublime melange of endorphin high and a paradoxical sense of stillness, and it's a small block of space-time to be cherished. Someone said that cycling is as close as you can get to flying. I think that partly captures it.

If there's anything better than cycling, I haven't found it yet.
That was pretty deep, dude. Sublime melange endorphin paradoxical space-time puff puff give.
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Old 06-27-15, 11:21 AM
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Happens on most rides for us, on Bike Fridays, a tandem, a touring bike, and mountain bike, and maybe sometimes even a road bike.

Last night it was about two hours around the coastline of Victoria on our Bike Friday Pocket Llamas, British Columbia before going to the Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner.

Yes, sublime.
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Old 06-27-15, 12:10 PM
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...not having to work on a beautiful sunny windless saturday! At least I rode my 22 miles to work and will ride back at 4pm.
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Old 06-28-15, 05:34 AM
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"a warm gun, mama, happiness, bang, bang, shoot, shoot"
...living inside a glass onion.......
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Old 06-28-15, 06:27 AM
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only cause saturday and sunday have sucked here due to the endless rain.
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Old 06-28-15, 01:32 PM
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I can't help but agree. Country road cycling just bleeds the stress and worry out of my life.
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Old 06-28-15, 01:38 PM
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Happiness is a wife that is only kindacrazy, given that is the minimum for a wife, more money that I need, not as much as I want, and toys I like, no matter what others think about them.
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Old 06-28-15, 02:11 PM
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Happiness is the UPS guy knocking on your door to deliver your brand new bike in the box. Heaven is opening the box.
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Old 06-28-15, 02:14 PM
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Originally Posted by a1penguin
They are all just jealous. I'm glad cycling makes you happy.
Like it well should.
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Old 07-12-15, 10:03 PM
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Happiness is enjoying the delightful fact that just 7 km into my ride I (often) reach a place of literal and emotional and/or spiritual harmony.



It's like a physical exclamation point. This sign says to me: You have just started your ride for today. Enjoy the zen-like calm that will envelope you over the next two to three hours.

Except for that one hill that makes you wish you didn't like donuts so much. That one's there to make you feel guilty about the donuts.

Hmmm...donuts.
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Old 07-13-15, 04:30 AM
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My zen state came on Saturday when I rode my fixed gear for the first time in ages. It really was one of the best rides I have had.
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Old 07-13-15, 06:04 AM
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happiness is....

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Old 07-13-15, 06:09 AM
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I just ride my bikes and add up the mileage, that is fun for me.
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Old 07-13-15, 08:59 AM
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Happiness is...

Coming across a pack of dogs!
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Old 07-13-15, 09:30 AM
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Originally Posted by Rowan
My zen state came on Saturday when I rode my fixed gear for the first time in ages. It really was one of the best rides I have had.
Look out I was attacked here when I mentioned how magic is was on the fixed gear when the stars align. Above all don't mention zen states.
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Old 07-13-15, 09:56 AM
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Originally Posted by popeye
Look out I was attacked here when I mentioned how magic is was on the fixed gear when the stars align. Above all don't mention zen states.
Utterly repressed churls abound a dime a dozen.
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