Some months ago, a person I talked to was surprised at the cycling speed which I was able to reach. I was quite proud of myself and was expecting well deserved praise for my achievement. What I got instead was the following comment:
But you are not enjoying the ride!
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Solstice Parade 2009 by Joe Mabel via Wikimedia Commons |
Today I even thought whether to invest in a cyclocross bike since I would be much faster than on my hybrid, although my hybrid is just 1 year old!
The fitness part of cycling is great, but I feel that i am shifting my focus toward numbers and performance which may take up much more of my free time, and be less fun in the end result.
Today I skimmed through the latest entry on Fatcyclist. While my training levels and achievements are light-years behind those of Elden Nelson of Fatcyclist, it seems that we are reaching the same conclusion:
Ride for fun! I would just add - otherwise it's much less worth riding
Are you riding for fun or just for numbers? Tell us in the comments!
If it's not fun, you'll eventually burn out and stop doing it. That's the problem with obsessions: they drain all the pleasure out of things.
ReplyDeleteFast cycling is great if you enjoy it in a safe environment but not on my super-highways at 6000 miles per hour when I'm there :( I hate to moan about this, but sometimes I prefer to ride in the road where the cars are going much slower :)
ReplyDeleteShifting focusing and challenging yourself is a good idea, but once it starts to take over the fun part, then you need to know why you're doing it.
It is a great post, what you said is really helpful to me. I agree with you anymore. Also great blog here with all of the valuable information you have. Keep up the good work you are doing here. Thank you for sharing such a useful post.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that there is such a problem with cycling. I read EliteWritings review every day and there are different opinions which are not about the numbers while riding.
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