Gerryattrick

I went out last week for a reunion drink with some colleagues from a company I worked for up to 20 years ago and the conversation turned to fitness. We are all in our 50s/60s and used to play a lot of sports back then, but everyone else said that they do nothing now, other than walking or golf (which is just walking with a lot more stops and a bar at the end!)

I said that I do cycle, but don't do any sports. My rides are a mix of riding for the enjoyment/scenery with intervals of riding harder to help my fitness, and some said that they would consider that as a sporting activity.

I don't race and don't even monitor my ride metrics, and have always believed that sport involves direct competition, so it got me wondering how others of my generation regard their cycling - sport or pastime, especially if they don't race.

1Shifter

I ride for the exercise and to enjoy being outside. I get passed ALOT by folks much younger than myself with much nicer bikes but I'm pushing 58yo. I do have a bike computer and keep track of my mileage but that's about it.

wibike

Same as 1Shifter, as a senior rider I just enjoy getting out and getting exercise. Smartphone and small hikers GPS keeps track of daily mileage and where I am at.
Always nice to wave and give way to younger folks as they fly on by.

OldsCOOL

Sport. Definately.

John E

Both. The only sport I have ever truly, passionately loved.

Retro Grouch 

Definitely pastime for me.

Old coach

Recreational sport

Jim from Boston

I ride mainly for fitness via my commute, which I lengthen for training, and I do measure my metrics, and consider it a lifestyle; not a sport in the competitive sense, but athletic nonetheless.

Touring and riding my bike on vacation, while a fitness activity, is more of a pastime.

PS: Well said.

tsl

Basic transportation.

I got rid of my car in April 1999. With vanishingly few exceptions, wherever I am, I got there by bike.

That's not to say I don't enjoy it--I do, it's a hoot. And most days I'll take the long way to work and back, just for the halibut. (So is it recreation?)

Plus I generally ride in a sporting manner--I'll smell the roses from my coffin. (So is it a sport?)

But out of my 5K to 6K miles a year, the vast majority (85-90%) are point A to point B. Very little riding around in circles with no destination.

dougmon 

Hard to say. On the weekends it's a pastime, even if I'm just out running errands. I get to see a lot of the town I live in that I might not otherwise see. On weekdays, it's just a commute, so neither sport nor pastime.

gear64

Not a sport. Just a means to get out in the world and covers more ground that walking.

martianone

Only ride for pleasure. Doing so, I commute, travel, participate in part of the world going by and I do get some exercise that adds leaves me with a good feeling.

rydabent

At 77 I ride strictly for recreation and exercise. I am in the snow belt and dont ride when it is cold. This year with a little more than 500 miles under the wheels I have lost 15 pounds of winter fat, and am down to 175. Further I consider my LWB bent and trike as my fountain of youth machines.

BobbyG

I bike commute for fitness which is neither sport nor pastime. However I do take weekend rides which I would consider "pastime." If sport is defined by competition, then the competitive aspect of my cycling is the personal challenge of getting my butt in gear on days I don't feel like it. Occasionally I'll get the itch to up my average or top speed, and I'll give it a go; but racing in traffic runs counter to my first rule...safety first.

skidder

I'm not sure. I like riding, but I do it for the aerobic conditioning, plus I bicycle commute to work a few times each week, too. And I don't race or do charity rides or group rides. If I could still run I'd be doing foot races on a track.

Dave Cutter

In my sixties and retired.... I don't race. I ride purely for the fun of cycling (about 2K miles a year). I do consider cycling a sport... and the type of bicycle I ride is a sport-like type of bicycle. But I don't consider myself an athlete. I consider myself a cycling enthusiast. And I consider my cycling as an activity (like canoeing, hunting, hiking etc.).

sevenmag

I'd have to say pastime. I ride because I enjoy it, the heath and fitness benefits are just a little Lagniappe. I've always been active so if I hadn't started riding, I'd be doing something. No idea what though.

JohnDThompson 

Therapy and transportation.

baron von trail 

It's all relative. My daily 50-mile R/T commute, although clearly not a true sport, is to me just like a sport. I race the clock; I seek improvement; I train and sleep for it: rest up on weekends and do fun, fast recovery rides; I eat accordingly, often passing up on alcohol and "wrong" foods. It's my Olympics.

I'm not yet sure, but I believe I do plan to do a fast across America tour in a few years. It's not my style of riding, but I do see it as bucket list material. Prepping for that is definitely a sport.

FullGas

sport, most definitely.

not a racer, but logging more miles than in prior years and riding at tempo more frequently than before.

and it keeps the voices in my head from shouting...

baron von trail 

It keeps me from shouting at the wife.

Mobile 155

I guess it depends on how you define it. For me it is recreation but then so is tennis or target shooting. Sometimes it is transportation and sometimes utility. But if running is a sport then cycling is as well. 5ks, 10ks and marathons for most runners would be the same as half, metric and full centuries and I do those at times.

Bandera

Sport: The basics of position, pedaling technique and bike handling developed for competition don't disappear decades on when it's all just Base Miles rides.

-Bandera

stardognine

Purely recreation/pastime. If I considered it a serious sport, I'd feel pressured, and it wouldn't be fun anymore. But my fun can definitely include some hard riding, or at least hard for me and my limited abilities.

Kindaslow

I wanted to say sport, but most dictionary definitions include competition as part of defining sport.

I do not compete in anything anymore, got tired of competition many years ago.

So, pastime, hobby, addiction, ....I love the riding, that it gets me into shape, yet I also love the bikes themselves.