Why do you ride ?

Easy Rider

As noted above: High intensity riding ( whatever that means at your own personal fitness level ) silences all the annoying thoughts bouncing around in my crazy head. When I do the blue trail at CR there is nothing else in my world except the 10 feet of trail in front of me and a strong desire to keep forward momentum going and avoid stalling. Climbing the 'steps' or bombing down a fast downhill at Hartshorne same deal, not enough working brain cells left to have any thought except being in the moment.

Never road biked prior to this winter and assumed that my short attention span and lack of mental toughness would make that into a tedious drag. I was pleasantly surprised that steep street hills have the same effect for me, on the crossbike I wind up in the lowest gear and only think about what I can do seated and and if and when I will need to stand up.

A winter morning's crossbike ride on the gravel road in the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. On MTB in deep snow riding down an empty road with a sole horse rider decked out in full dressage kit.... ( I made sure to wipe most of the snot off my face before passing )

It's all good and I dig it.
 
because this state got a bug up their ass about twisting a throttle and no more places to ride moto and that's why I started mtbing way back when. I had a moto since I was 8 with endless mxing and riding opportunity, now nothing. So this was the next best thing. I grew up in bumpkintown so only natural that the woods were always my playground...
 
These are all the reasons I ride:

speed
adrenaline
challenge
stress relief
health benefits
solitude (when I'm riding alone)
camaraderie (when I'm riding with friends)

but most of all, fun
 
I Ride Because.....

I grew up on bikes.......I had a huffy chopper with training wheels on it (sick joke from my parents I guess)...I apparently used to ride down the sidewalk and then tip over every time I got to a driveway apron the next door neighbor use to watch out the window and laugh😡 but I always got back up...so who's laughing now mom and dad?😀 I know they were not laughing every time they had to get up at the crack of dawn to bring me bmx racing..

Seriously though....

Riding clears my mind....keeps me somewhat fit....gets me outside and away from my TV and this damn computer....challenges me....makes me push myself more and more each time I go out....and I like to scare the crap out of myself once in awhile....😎
 
I started riding thanks to a TV show called "Drop in"... Now I ride because it's part of my life. The same way I have to eat, sleep and go to work.
 
I'm with Matty. Every where I use to ride are houses now. If you get caught riding a dirtbike in some places now you get your bike taking away, a big fine, and I believe beaten.
 
"why do I ride?"

reasons:

* besides playing basketball, it's the only form of exercise that I like. my knees wont allow me to run. I've tried the gym thing (tread mills, etc.) and cant stomach running/ riding in place like a friggin hampster. hate lifting weights. etc. etc.

* need to stay in shape to avoid getting fat, having high cholesteral, high blood pressure, heart disease and dying before my kids grow up (which would kinda suck).

* lost about 20 lbs since I started riding on a regular basis, lowered my blood pressure (successfully avoiding the meds my doctor started to write out a few years ago) and my cholesteral. and have kept those pounds off.

* was getting chest pains (docs couldnt figure out what they were from after various tests) when I was out of shape. havent had them since (3 years?) I got back in shape....due solely to riding. having undiagnosed chest pains in your 30s is quite alarming. not having them anymore is definite motivation for me to ride ride ride!

* like being out in nature.

* dont need to wear my "fat pants" and love moving up a few notches on my belt.

* love riding with my buds every weekend but also love mind-clearing solo rides with tunes blasting in my ears.

* reduces stress.

* love "training" for races and having personal goals.

* like having an excuse to go out to my garage (and away from screaming kids at times) since "I need to work on my bike" 😉

* like getting others involved in a clean/ healthy activity like mtb.

* also ride so that I have a reason to write a 1/2 page long confessional post on a message board filled with mostly strangers 🙂
 
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Why Do I Ride?????

I have been on two wheels some way shape or form almost all my life. I raced BMX when I was a kid and also got into freestyle and have been trail riding since back in the day. There used to be trails all around my house when I grew up. I got away from riding when I started skating and snowboarding. Ironicly it would be those sports that drove me back to riding. I blew my knee out snowboarding back in 2000 and after all the rehab and everything my theropist said I could keep paying him 150.00 a week to stretch me out and ride a stationary bike for an hour or I could save my money and get a bike and go ride it and I would get the same benefit. So I bought my first mt. bike and discovered that I should have been riding all along. I found out that I could rehab my knee while risking other injury flying through the trails like a little kid again and I haven't looked back since. It's funny how things go, it took a sport that I love to bring me back to another sport that I had forgotten about and really enjoy. Besides where else can a grown man or woman walk around covered in mud like a little kid making mud pies and it be totally acceptable.......

So That My Friends Is Why I Ride.... (Oh and to one day be faster then Tony through 6MR......haha JK)
 
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