Why do people cycle?

Question

I bought a new bike with the aim of getting fit. I did several days of cycling maybe 5/6 miles but the thing is that while i'm cycling i don't know what to focus on.

Sometimes i start thinking of how long it seems to be taking and then its really unenjoyable.

What do people think about while they are cycling?

What are they aiming for when they go out?

Aiming on getting fit doesn't seem to be keeping me motivated, i need something to stop me thinking about how mcuh more i have to do before i can go home.

Answer 1

Cycling is not transportation, it is a journey. It's not about getting from Point A to Point B. It's about enjoying the trip for many different reasons for many different people. It's about seeing what's there. It's about moving under your own power. It's about getting faster and stronger as you keep doing it. And many, many more "it's abouts."

Next time you ride, care less about where you are going and how long it will take to get you there. Care more about having fun.

Answer 2

I cycle for many reasons:
1) For fun and enjoyment!
2) As a means of transportation
3) For health - fitness.

Number one is the best reason of all.
Instead of thinking how long it seems to be taking (as you wrote), I think the opposite; how little time I have, or how short the ride was, and I am ready for the next one. (Of course some recuperation time is needed if I have done a intense or long ride).
On a side remark: I never use a Ipod or similar, I want to lissen to traffic and have my senses focused on what I am doing, for enjoyment and for safety reasons. I advice you do the same.

Just find your pace and the kind of cycling that you would enjoy. Sounds you are either overdoing it and so it is becoming gruesome and tyring, or that you do not have a challenging fun goal while you ride.

See this web sites, maybe they could help you:

www.timeoutdoors.com/sitetools/Article_List.asp?acd=bike

www.ctc.org.uk

www.audax.uk.net/

Answer 3

I ride a mountain bike for the most resistance, and tend to ride at least 20 miles a session. I like that I can cover more distance so the scenery changes, keeping me way more entertained than walking. I ride hard, so that by the time I'm done, my legs are wobbly and tired. I like to ride a variety of terrain, one day I'll ride mostly flat straight bike paths, another I will decide I want to ride hills. I have my IPod cranked to my favorite hard rock or hip hop. No workout has ever made my butt and legs look better. I do it to stay in shape, sculpt my lower body, and to kick my own ***. Would do it everyday if I could. What's not to like? Maybe you should find something you can do with a buddy.

Answer 4

The reason why I cycle is because it's the most fun activity I have found so far. It takes the stress of the week away. I love to do mountain biking, being outdoors in the woods and clearing a piece of the trail that you haven't been able to do is a great rush.

When I started, it was for fittness, but that got replaced for fun. So, getting fit is a side effect for me.

But it doesn't mean for everyone to like a single sport, it's just that you have to find an activity that you really like, either indoors in a gym, on some courts (voleyball, soccer, beisboll, whatever), tracks (running, marathon), water (swimming, sailing, kayaking, windsurfing), etc..

If cycling doesn't really cut it to you, find something else that you like.

Answer 5

The whole idea of cycling is to get away from everything else that is going on in your life. It's your 1 - 2 hours of serenity. Take in the scenery around you and see what your missing when your in a car, it's amazing how much you actually miss.

Cycling should be like when you get together with your friends from work.....no work talk allowed! When cycling, no thinking about anything except how beautiful the surroundings are , how good the fresh air smells (unless your biking in a metro area), and the sounds of birds chirping and squirrels rustling through the leaves.

SERENITY NOW!!!!

Answer 6

You already have lots of good answers but I'll throw my two cents in anyway. Last winter I stood on the scales and saw that I was 256 pounds. I already knew that I was out of shape with high blood pressure and high cholesterol and 56 years old. My friend talked me in to a bike to become more fit. I had already tried walking and jogging and it hurt all my joints so biking seemed to make sense. One very important thing is that I started out with a good bike that fit me and my needs. It was a hybrid. At first I just started out very carefully and challenged myself to ride a little farther each time. Now I have lost 36 pounds and really enjoy the way I feel. At first I was sore and sometimes bored but for some reason I started to find it very relaxing and challenging. I have rode for over 1300 miles this year and look forward to going out on the bike for the way I feel after I ride for a while. I feel 10 years younger.

Answer 7

Its hard to stay focused on any activity if your main goal is to get fit. That's why I didn't stick with running. Running is a great way to get fit, but like you, I found it hard to stay focused. If you find something you enjoy (cycling for me), then focus on the other aspects of it, and the getting fit part will be a nice bonus to a hobby that you enjoy. When cycling, try working on improving your form, building your speed, increasing your distances, maybe entering a race or two down the road. If you start doing this and find that you enjoy the sport, getting fit will come naturally.

Answer 8

Listen to Roberto and BHR.

Biking, no matter if you are on the road or trail (I do both, because the skills from one make me better at the other), should be fun. There have been days on one of my bikes where I just wasn't having fun, so I cut it short and went home.

Biking is about being in the moment, and concentrating on the 15 feet of trail/30 feet of road directly in front of you. All else disappears, and when you're done riding you realize that you haven't thought about all the other things going on in your life for the last hour, two hours, three hours, or however long you were on the bike. It's about freedom.

Answer 9

Aiming to get fit is a boring aim. This is why I don't go to the gym. Boring. I also find too much road work very boring. The solution is to either find some interesting terain (Yep, time to get down and dirty.) and/or do it with friends. It is not so much that cycling is not for you, it is just that the type of cycling you have chosen isn't that fun.

Luck

Answer 10

I find 'traffic-free' routes enjoyable. I don't have to think/worry about traffic surrounding me and most have beautiful scenery.

I went out Sunday morning with the intention of being 'ten minutes' I'd walked down with some-one to their place, 'borrowed' their bike, didn't come back until two/three hours later.

Forget about getting fit. Don't think calories per second whilst cycling. Most importantly forget the time, if you're clock watching, ten minutes will seem to take longer than ten minutes!

Cycle some where interesting.