Interesting reading Ex's stuff. My thoughts (on not thinking) were really directed at going with a few km to go in a crit, I can barely imagine what it is like to hold it together for 100km off the front in a road race. But Ex's account reminded me of Tim Krabbe's "The Rider" for which I know [MENTION=6684]valygrl[/MENTION] shares my enthusiasm. Krabbe was an international master chess player as well as a keen amateur bike racer, and his hero contrasts his brain when playing chess - all points and irregular surfaces and complexity - with his brain when on the rivet in a bike race - too smooth for any complicated thought to gain traction, so that he can barely calculate the gear inches he is using.

Riding solo - not being in a break, endurance riding or even touring will do it - has a similar effect on me. When I'm in a rhythm and cranking along I'm often not really what you could call thinking, I'm just in the moment, aware of my surroundings and of the physical sensations of the ride, highly awake but wordless. It's very meditative and it's a big reason why I keep getting on a bike.