Before I started riding again, when I looked down in the shower, all I could see was my gut. Now when I look down in the shower, I can see my . . . toes :innocent:.

The people I ride with.

Female cyclists.:)

The shower, the nap and the pie afterward.

Yes! That's about what I look like. And I get other people to smile back. Agree with everything above, plus it just feels good. Thank goodness for my local creek trails, they have nice scenery even sandwiched in among suburbia. A little water flow, a few ducks and geese...

this isn't exactly the same question, but close:

Zen and the Art of Bicycle Riding « Bike Style Life

Another way to answer the question is to ask, "when does cycling stop being fun?" On my recent Hoodoo 500 ride, these times were:

- climbing Boulder Mtn, where the road just kept going on and on, and the first summit wasn't really the summit - you had to do a screaming cold descent to get to the next long climb to the real summit!

- riding on and on over a straight stretch of road being chip-sealed in the middle of the night.

- riding up an interminable climb on a dead-straight stretch of road in the early hours of the morning.

So, what makes it all fun is the achievements of climbing to the tops of summits with tremendous views, along winding roads that invite further exploration.

I also agree that there is a spiritual dimension to this. I think of cycling - especially long-distance cycling - as an extended meditation. You are spinning two large prayer wheels, and you can feel a unity with nature. Distances pass quickly, climbs and descents balance each other, and the wind caresses and pushes you. When you think of being part of nature, the headwinds no longer defeat you.

Luis

iMO long distances are not fun - they may be about satisfaction, enjoyment and achievement - but they are not fun.

IMO fun is about laughing and smiling and I get a lot more of that on short runs when I have time to stop and smell the coffee, exhilarating off-road rides, riding and enjoying the craic with friends.

Fun is defined by the individual. Getting it right is fun for me. A sense of accomplishment is fun for me.

One of the biggest smiles that appeared on my face in recent times was when I checked my device after a 30 mile loop and realized that I had completed it in less than 90 minutes. Big fun..

The rhythm cycling provides is physical music and that makes me happy. And happiness is fun.

I am 70 and every day I ride a bike it's like being a kid again! I love group rides, usually the oldest rider, and no matter what age I have a common thread with all.

Because stopping feels so good? :innocent:

No. I wish I never had to stop.

My name is Ted. I am a Bikeaholic........

There is that point on meditation and the other on the mind wandering from one thing to another.

Somehow there are people who think its the same thing or at least an all inclusive understanding. Isn't there a tradition that says meditation is to go through a process? First the emptying of the mind of immediate things and then a concentration on something else?

It seems unusual to me that one can meditate on something like the pedal stroke or cadence.

I am as in the moment as my dog is when hanging her head out of the truck window.
I am seven years old again.

I think this might be it :)

It's a perfect combination of lots of things:

• Not too fast, not too slow
• The mechanics of the bike compared to the simple physicality of powering it - Just push the pedals and it goes
• A bike allows us to transcend normal human limitations in a straightforward manner (unlike really complicated devices such as cars, etc.)
• It offers freedom, but with "responsibility" - You can go anywhere you want, but getting home isn't just a matter of turning a key and pressing the cruise control button... you have to make it happen.
• The intrinsic comraderie of a shared activity with othet cyclists ("hey! he's breathing harder than even I am!!!" :p )

...and so forth. But usually I'm just gasping for air and hoping to make it back before I die. ;)

Cycling keeps me immature.

Meditative..

I've heard that meditation is the art of keeping your mind where your a$$ is. My bottom is on a bike, not at work. My bottom is in today, not yesterday or tomorrow. Cycling for me is about being in right now.

Much like motorcycling, it's the fun feeling of being motive out in the openness. It's the unobstructive views you get to see of this beautiful place we call earth. It's the thrill of ripping down the hill as it seems so fast when it's not on a bike. I love nature so not only do I get to ride around some great farmland but I can jump on many trails and ride in the middle of the woods along the river with noone around.

Then we move to the exercise portion. Exercise is my main goal. I've tried various forms of exercise over the years and never would keep up with it. The bike is fun, so the exercise is the most sustainable that I have found.

I believe I have what they call restless leg syndrome. I have trouble getting to sleep because as soon as I lay down, I feel the need for my legs to move. Cycling is some pretty extensive exercise for the legs andleaves them exhausted and lacking in the needing feeling to move.

My knees were getting pretty bad and painful. I couldn't sleep because if this either. I would have my wife massage the knees every night digging into the tendons below the kneecap so I could go to sleep. Since starting to ride the bike, my knee pain has been completely eliminated.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=423464The smile on Alberts face says it all to me. Here he is attempting a track stand trying to disprove his oft quoted missive.

Being mechanical, bikes gives me the ability to "tinker", and there is a sweet feeling when everything is "right" - no little "niggles" to fix, bolts to tighten and adjust, and wanting to change nothing ... doesn't last long, there is always a new niggle to tackle, and more miles to pedal ... damn, wish I could do it longer, faster, warmer, and not having to stop to pee...
Plus all of the above..

Makes me feel sexy. :innocent:

Getting from A to B on your own power, even if B=A, is pretty cool and an accomplishment.

And the endorphins.

Bicycles are time machines.

I feel exactly as fit and fast on my bicycle today as I did 50 years ago. It is the same wind-in-the-face, covered in sweat endorphin release as when I was a teenaged kid.