jaxgtr

This is why I ride my bike....

flangehead

That’s what mama said there would be.

jppe

I used to hear that too, when I was still working. Retirement has about solved it. I love your stable of bikes!

gobicycling

At 82yo, for many years I have always tried for a well rounded fitness program, which includes bicycling, swimming, walking, resistance exercises, stretching, body metrics ,(,I.e.
​​​BP, cholesterol, etc. ) and nutrition.
My home situation is such that I've had to reduce my bicycling in order to help take care of the needs of my family and wife.
I ride when I can and often they are short rides. My computer batteries went dead a few years back and I've never replaced them. I do swim about 5 mornings a week as this compliments my wife's activities. I also walk. I ride because I just greatly enjoy cruising around talking to people seeing the sights. I look fit when swimming and often do my stretching at the pool, along with 3 minute planks and 20 to 30 push-ups. Younger people are always wondering how old I am and why I look so good. That's a great feeling. So I ride for fun, relaxation and enjoyment.

jppe

You are able to ride in two of my favorite areas. Just love CO and Tucson. We took a trip to Tucson a few years ago to look for a house but grand babies started coming and that ended that effort!!

MinnMan

All of the above, pretty much.

Except beer, alas. That went by the wayside when the celiac disease showed up.

jaxgtr

I know it is not beer, but if you are looking for something on occasion, try some of the Mike's Hard Lemonade varieties. While they are not "gluten free", they remove almost all the gluten down to 5 ppm or something like that. A friend of mine has Celiac and every so often, likes to have an adult beverage post ride and this is something he is able to consume and not cause him any issues. He likes the Black Cherry flavor.

Wildwood 

Diventa di nuovo un ciclista oggi

They do make me smile often…… And for soooo many reasons!


AustroDaimler Olympian - 531DB, narrow bars, narrow Sprinter tubulars, smooth frame, smooth components. Rolling in the drops given that nearly 20cm head tube is glorious

Tallerico endurance frame - full custom - sorta the AD Olympian with an updated lugged Columbus frame and Ergo10. Wearing 25mm Veloflex Arenburg.

Calfee TetraPro - semicustom (slack that HTA) carbon fiber, all day racer, running Ergo 10. Rolling with SPESH 24mm Turbo tubulars


@jppe - the whole forum has admired your rides (journeys)….and the bicycles have been worth admiring 2.





clear your handlebars and your mind will follow!

SurferRosa

My beautiful bikes, the sun, available infrastructure, belly fat, pot brownies, ...

MinnMan

Thanks, but hard lemonade doesn't appeal to me. I make do with - and sometimes even enjoy - hard cider.

jaxgtr

Ahhh, yep, same concept. I tool like the hard ciders on occasion.

andrewclaus

Yes, it's no accident we ended up here. Both places have a cycling lifestyle that fits us. We're able to live car-light, sharing one old car that gets used a few times a month (and is able to move us 900 miles between houses twice a year).

I just cycled up Mt Lemmon (8,300' in 70 miles) for the first time this season the other day. It reminded me again of why I keep cycling.

Thanks for the great thread.

gthomson

I will say all of the above (maybe not ice cream, but I love pastries). Looking at Wildwoods bikes motivate me as well if that makes any sense? I just love browsing through pictures of bikes on Pinterest and even looking through the GCN inspiration photos that people post. Believe it or not, when I'm not fully motivated to jump on my bike, I start browsing through other people's photo's and get inspired.

I look at my numbers but don't get too concerned about them. It seems the media or the industry is always telling you that you have to be improving, increase your FTP, get your cadence up, build your endurance, etc... I just like riding my bike, is there anything wrong with that?

Bald Paul

I started riding in '76 after knee surgery on the advice of my surgeon. I found that I enjoyed it so much, I ended up with a touring bike (Romic, set up for multi day bike camping) and even dabbled a bit in some racing (custom Raleigh.) Then, for reasons I can't remember, I sold them both (still kicking myself over that) and bought a motorcycle. Good for the ride, not good for exercise. Heart attack in my 40s put me back on an exercise regimen, and back to cycling it was.

I can't do the distances I used to ride, as my knee now sounds like an old, rusty ratchet wrench, nor am I anywhere near 'racing speed', but I manage to keep my heart rate where my cardiologist wants it during exercise (okay, sometimes on a hard climb or a sprint zone in a club ride, my HR alarm on the Garmin goes off.) I used to do a lot of solo riding, but there just seems to be too many distracted / clueless / aggressive drivers now as compared to my touring days.

I got clipped a few years ago and ended up in the ER. Luckily, it was just road rash, a bashed helmet (which did it's job - the CAT scan of my head found nothing - well, nothing bad, anyway!), a good sized chunk of skin missing from my bad knee, and 12 stitches in my forearm. Had it not been for the one other driver on the road that morning, it would have been much worse, as the offending driver tried to drive off without stopping. The second driver chased him down and stopped him after checking to see if I was seriously hurt. Consequently, I only ride with a neighbor of mine, who still works during the day (I'm retired) or with the club on club rides, which isn't often enough. A lot of the club rides are well above my average speed, and distances / climbs only a migrating mountain goat would love. Thankfully, I have Zwift. Almost 2400 miles indoors so far.

I do love checking out new areas, having moved here with my wife to the Upstate (SC) when I retired. I'm looking forward to next spring, when I'll be taking a trip to Lowcountry for an organized ride. 43 miles, and the steepest grade is under 2%. I leave my driveway and hit a 7% hill to get out of the development!

Wildwood 

Hey @gthomson = Go ride!


The Falcon takes me soaring every time. Without fail. Must be the red frame, or the perfect fit.


BTW, Thanks. Maybe posting too many pics isn’t a bad thing???

cyclezen

HUGE 'LIKE' for this thread and all the comments !
...although I'm not much into high content alkyhol... now, wine/beer is another story... LOL!
my biggest fear ? not being able to ride/walk/hike...
Ride On
Yuri

rumrunn6

1 day at a time

today's motivation: good weather, bike was out of the basement already, doing a new exercise routine, finally after a long covid pause, losing the glutes so needing to keep them activated aside from the squat machine at the gym, got a new light so I need to get more nite rides in ... oh & the stars are aligned (lunar eclipse tonight)

downtube42

I claim to ride for exercise, but it's a lie.
I claim to commute to save gas, but it's a lie.
I claim to ride to reduce traffic, but it's a lie.
I claim to ride for my mental health, but even that's a lie.

I ride because I love to ride.

Fast, slow, short, long, flat, hilly, mountains, desert, recumbent, upright, road, trail, gravel, pavement, mud, vintage, modern. Heck I even loved riding in Texas, and I hated living in Texas.

jppe

I’ve climbed Mt Lemmon all the way up to the ski area and beyond. It’s amazing how the landscape changes isn’t it?? I’ve also done El Tour de Tucson but didn’t care for the hike a bike part. You’re doing what I’d dreamed of doing. I’d love CO in the summers and AZ the other months. But I’m also okay with the summers in AZ.

Digger Goreman

Riding speaks to all my social conscience, alleviates health issues I had/might have, and I actually feel bad when I have off days... an addiction? Perhaps, but one I can live well with!

Since 04 Aug 2020, that's 3525 miles of gas and maintenance NOT put on my car. It is also (with diet) what keeps me out of the american health system. Get the motorists off the road and I am in heaven

Phil_gretz

Amen to all of this. The health system will kill you if you give it a chance.

Riveting

Started commuting as an adult in 2013 to lose weight, and then after getting somewhat fit and losing 60 lbs, from 2014-2018 I too used to ride almost exclusively for the purpose of chasing PR's (both times and distance) and was ALWAYS trying to ascend every Strava segment leaderboard I could, on EVERY single ride, constantly pushing the limits of my new found (superhero level to me) fitness. Single, double imperial centuries, 1,000+ watt sprints, 13,500' in 111 miles (D2R2, ) 24hr rides, 400km brevets, Mt Evans, etc... all I wanted to do was get better and chase numbers. It consumed me and it felt great succeeding and becoming healthier/fitter than I ever imagined was possible.

Then incurable (but manageable) Stage 4 Lung, Lymph, Spine Cancer got me in late 2019, in the ICU with a collapsed lung due to the tumors pushing it closed, wondering if I'd even make it, let alone ride again. Luckily I had the type that was treatable with a pill, and in the Spring of 2020 I took my first rides again. PR's, speed, distance, and leaderboards were the absolute furthest thing from my mind. All I cared about was that I was BACK ON THE BIKE!!! and those first rides were so unbelievably bittersweet. That year I recovered enough to get ~3,000 miles in, including a century with my 27 yr old son, and a ride up Mt Evans from Echo Lake. Then in Jan of 2020 it decided to metastasize to the brain, which was treated in Feb, more found up there and treated again in May, which were big setbacks in my winter/spring training, but now in 2021 I've been able to get in 2,500 miles so far (and maybe 3,000 before the years over), including a 6,500' imperial century in Denver.

Now when I go out, I'm no longer riding to chase numbers, I'm out there because I realized I just enjoy riding and challenging my current self no matter what speed I'm going, and no matter what my power meter is telling me. Just as long as I'm out there, I'm as happy as I ever was chasing numbers or leaderboards.

My motivation is simply: the more I do this thing now, the more I'll be able to do it when the **** ultimately hits the fan again.

gthomson

Keep them coming Mr. Wildwood, I love them. I know you've posted a few of the entire collection but can never get enough.

PaulH

Lack of parking spaces.

cyclezen

Opportunity for some Chateau Thames Embankment after the ride.... LOL!