It is amazing how an awesome ride can be so theraputic when you are feeling down.

Biked to the local brewpub that is located across the bridge from MN to WI last night... but took the frozen bay instead of the bridge. I've ridden the bay in daylight before, but never at night, with nobody in sight.

The feeling of being all alone out in the vast expanse of ice was amazing. No noisy cars, no garbage, no pedestrians. The only sound was my tires crushing snow and the ice cracking as the night air cooled it down (something you have to hear to understand, 2-3' of ice makes a pretty loud noise when it fractures). Stopping in the middle of the bay and looking back at the city was one of the coolest things that I have ever seen.

I forgot about the girl that no longer wanted a relationship and got my beer jug filled.

-It was a good ride.

Cheers. Reminds me of this video.

Thats one thing I love about riding. A nice long hard ride just takes out all those negative emotions. Whether you are feeling angry, depressed or whatever, at the end of a nice ride you are just too tired to be upset and your head is cleared.

Yeah, I know what you mean. I was pretty screwed in the head for a couple years. Now that I have been riding a lot I'm feeling the best I have felt in a long time and getting better. It probably sounds cheesy but bikes are the best thing to ever happen to me. Thank god.

When I had to put my dog down, all I wanted to do was ride. Rode a lot harder too, my self pity seemed insignificant.

Whenever I need to clear my head hoping on the bike is usually my first choice. It also works great when I have alot of negative energy that needs to be re-channeled.

You rode on the bay? As in you rode on frozen water? I'd be kinda scared riding alone, but it sounds like fun at the same time. And yeah, a good ride can put things in perspective.

that's pretty much what i do when i need to clear my head. in summer i'll ride out of town and check out the sky for a while. in winter i just keep moving so as not to freeze.

i love that sound (ice cracking). i hope i get to hear it this winter. i'm sure i will soon.

Exercise clears the mind...it's true in all aspects.
But that's great, I love going riding like that...so nice.

Yeah, endorphins and the other chemicals produced during work outs are extremely beneficial to mental health, as is the act of focusing on just you and your legs, pumping along, with the night closing behind you.
/endpoetic

oh man i haven't heard that song in ages. Insomniac Olympics owns.

When i got back into biking last August, I was still in the process of getting over my first and only serious relationship and my rebound girl had just found someone else. I would just ride like 20 miles out into the country and concentrate on nothing but the task at hand and it was better than anything else i'd ever done to get over something.

totally understand this effect of riding. GODDAMN I LOVE RIDING BICYCLES!

sounds peesefull

i ride out in farm country on summer nights for fun, can't say I get the same affect, but it's nice hearing only you, the wind, and the trees.

cycling is awesome.

Wow, that's a fantastic vid!

That bay ride sounds like some of my rides just after a new snowfall. The snow is like a blanket over the world and it muffles life. It's like carving fresh powder in the trees or riding side streets when nobody else is out of bed yet. It's all peaceful and still. I'm taking Friday afternoon off and going for a ride...

Riding certainly is a pick-me-up....so is the anticipation of tasting good microbrew....double upper...

hard riding and slayer seems to always snap me out of a depression, something about slayer being so incredibly negative that it makes my negativity pale in comparison does the trick.

So much agreed. Riding the Erie Canal path in summer is like riding through hell with 3x the population. Riding the Erie Canal path in February dressed for the cold with two inches of fluffy snow and not a person in sight for six miles is perfect. I noticed so much more on that ride last week than I've ever noticed before. Shopping carts in the canal, signs that I'd never spotted but have been there for years. The snow slowed me down just enough to take in a new view.

Agreed on the girl aspect too: Sometimes they don't get why I ride for hours a day in all weather. The last one couldn't figure it out, now she's gone, and I've got a brand new Ridley sitting on my counter with a freshly cut steerer tube.

some of my most peaceful moments have been on a bike while in the middle of a case of the blues. riding just gives me an unbelievable sense of clarity and calm sometimes. nothing like the simple beauty of a long ride on a springlike day that completely melts away the stress and uncertainty of living in this ****ed up world.

that's what actually got me back into biking. i had a rough summer, so i built a bike, went for rides. works better than anything else. i'd rather ride than listen to my friends tell me it's over for good.

What a bunch of sissies.