Regarding training vs. exercising...In my younger days, I spent a dozen years racing bikes - road, MTB, and CX. For almost all of that, every non-race ride was training to go faster and/or farther. It was all about improving performance. Sure, it's fun to go fast, and I enjoyed high-intensity, competitive group rides, but it started to become a grind to stay motivated to suffer on every ride. I hung up my bikes in '04, and shifted my focus to other things in my life. When I started riding again a couple of years ago, I've had to learn how to ride for just the fun of it. Since I still have the urge to return to a level of fitness where I feel strong and fast(ish) again, and be able to ride with my friends who didn't quit riding, I do incorporate training intent on some of my rides, but I also make a point to ride sometimes without a performance goal.
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