"I came out for exercise, gentle exercise, and to notice the scenery and to botanise. And no sooner do I get on that accursed machine than off I go hammer and tongs; I never look to right or left, never notice a flower, never see a view - get hot, juicy, red - like a grilled chop. Get me on that machine and I have to go. I go scorching along the road, and cursing aloud at myself for doing it."

H.G. Wells, The Wheels of Chance

I've also heard that riding all day at a sustainable pace is not an athletic feat, but a triumph of the will.
But at a mere 60 years, I've yet to learn that lesson, H.G and I are still doomed to ride together.