What is cycling for?

[badkitty]

After fun and transport, cycling is where I go to think, plan and generally defrag my brain.
Without it...

 

[jig-sore]

a simple phrase that can be used to sum up many things in life...

it's not what you've got... it's how you use it

 

[Cubist]

It is whatever I want it to be, which is why it is so good.

 

[GrasB]

What is cycling for? What ever you want it to be for, it's a personal thing for you to realise what you want to achieve. For some it will simply be going 5 miles a day with less effort & faster than walking, for others it'll be the training for & then doing a long tour ride averaging 200ks a day for 10 days. My idea of cycling is pushing my self physically, not only in terms of absolute performance, but also in things like exercise recovery speed.

What you have to remember is what people want to get out of cycling they tend to project onto other people. When I recommend things I will tend to think about people trying to achieve reasonable pace for sustained periods & being able to go places at that speed without to many problems. I know I shouldn't really but that is how I think about cycling & thus it's how I will think about recommendations.

As for people not responding as Brahan said, maybe you're just not picking things up. I find that drivers are much better at picking up my fingers being raised in thanks off the brake levers than cyclists.

 

[rh100]

For me, it started as something to get me off my @rse and try to improve my health. It has certainly helped to do that already, and has now also become my only personal means of transport (the GF drives the only car left in the household). It has also become a means of spending a day out in the countryside with the GF instead of driving somewhere. All good really, but the solo rides can be quality time aswell. I find it gives me a focus with something to aim for, longer distances etc

Oh, and it's something to spend money on that I don't have

Oh another thing, it's for cycling off all those doughnuts

 

[Renard]

What can happen is you fall into a pattern of behaiour when you train that you become so focussed on objectives etc. that you lose sight of the reason why you originally got into cycling - FUN!

 

[Glow worm]

I can't say I've noticed any folk on here arguing that racing/lycra etc is the only way to cycle. It's not for me, but if it's good for some then great. At least they're on two wheels not four. There's a lot of serious racing cyclists around here and they mostly seem like a really decent bunch and often say hello as they whizz past me in a flash! If they don't it's fine as I can understand why. As others have said, cycling should be what you want it to be.

For me, life these days is fast enough already tar very much. A slow coast home at 8-12 mph along deserted farm tracks is a great way to slow things down. I'm also a miserable bastard so I like travelling alone and would hate to cycle in a big group

 

[HJ]

Many of the responses here have restored my faith in CC...

 

[Jane Smart]

Many of the responses here have restored my faith in CC...

You were losing your faith in CC??

 

[vernon]

Cycling? Don't analyse it. Just do it.

 

[Ian H]

Just imagine a mechanical contraption that you attach yourself to and which, without any additional source of power - just power output of your legs, enables you to travel amazing distances at speed. Science fiction made fact.

 

[yello]

Don't you just hate it when the OP piques you sufficiently to post but then, after reading 5 pages of contribution, you realise your point has been well and truly covered!

So, yer, what everyone else said! But, in summary;

- curious observation
- just do it!

 

[purplepolly]

Just imagine a mechanical contraption that you attach yourself to and which, without any additional source of power - just power output of your legs, enables you to travel amazing distances at speed. Science fiction made fact.

and it's no wonder H.G. Wells was so fond of cycling.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Funny, I had the opposite impression to the OP - the racing section is one of the less well-trafficked areas of the forum. If you look at Informal Rides, Commuting etc., there always seems to be more going on there. And of course, even if people are suggesting joining cycling clubs sometimes, they aren't all 'road clubs' or clubs dedicated to racing. Clubs can be great though... without my old club, I would never have developed the interest in a whole range of aspects of cycling, or the fitness and cycling skills, that I have now.

 

[TheDoctor]

I enjoy the club runs too. Being the CTC, some of them go to cafes.
The rest go to the pub. Or pubs...
*wobbles slightly*