Originally Posted by
mjac
What I do not understand is you stopped recreational riding because of the habits of drivers. But recreational riding is not done on the streets.
There is an entire BF thread dedicated to the definition of "recreational cyclist"
HERE.
For me, utility cycling is a forced march basically. Work, doctors, grocery, visiting friends and relatives across town i.e., bicycling with a PURPOSE and a destination/event/cause that is somehow related to work or getting through daily life using a bicycle as basic transportation.
RECREATIONAL CYCLING is everything else. Anytime you jump onto your bike with "fun" in mind and ride your bike for the sake of riding a bicycle because you WANT TO. You just want to ride the bicycle. Sure, your destination may be the ice cream shop or even the grocery for that matter. It is your state of mind that makes all the difference. I have bike toured across the USA 5 times fully self contained ON ROADS. This is called "recreational cycling" as well as bicycle touring. I was on vacation and my touring bike was my RV (recreational vehicle).
So perhaps your definition of recreation should be tweaked. Check the link I supplied above if you want more input on this topic.