Cycling - The Racing Post

Cycle Logic - The Joy of Cycling

By Diana North

Joy.

I’d be willing to bet that’s one subject you probably won’t read about in most cycling magazines. There is plenty of talk about training programs, lactate thresholds, VO2 Max, heart rate monitors, the latest gadgets, bikes, races and power gels.

All good stuff, but I like to think there’s more.

My theory is, deep down inside every cyclist no matter how serious, lives an inner child who is riding the grown-up version of his or her first bicycle.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but sometimes my inner child just wants to come out and play; carelessly and all day long.

And the grown-up me can relate.

Yes, the grown-up me has a ridiculously busy and responsibility-filled life. Just like everyone else. And, yes, the grown-up me has cycling goals and pipe dreams and visions of out-sprinting the fastest guy in the club. The grown-up me has even managed to spend some serious hours in the saddle, pushing those endurance, fitness and mental limits we cyclists can’t seem to stop testing.

But sometimes we all need to remind ourselves that bicycles are also something little children find under the Christmas tree, nestled amongst the toys and tinsel. Bicycles are often a child’s first taste of freedom and self-generated speed. They were once something to have fun on with friends, or to cart friends around on so you could get somewhere fun.

Have we forgotten the joy?

Every once in a while I let my inner child have her way. I secretly call the rides I take on those days my “joy rides.” And I don’t go around bragging about them. In fact, hardly anyone knows I do it.

But if I happened to overhear a cyclist admit they felt really tired on a ride, or that they just couldn’t seem to settle into a steady pace, unwind their legs or adjust their attitude, I’ll quietly confess my little secret. And then, if they haven’t laughed in my face, I tell them how a joy ride goes.

First, you have to reclaim your freedom. In real-life language that means call in sick, forget the appointment, lose the to-do list and leave the odometer/heart rate monitor at home. I know it’s painful. Force yourself.

Next, leave the fancy, matching, serious kit in your closet. Otherwise you are duty-bound to do the “marking your territory” thing as soon as you see another cyclist who doesn’t know how tough you are.

Last, but not least, it helps to not have a destination in mind. Seriously. You can’t be spontaneous if you have the route all mapped out in your head.

Then, when no one is watching, swing your leg over the top tube, click in and spin slowly out of the driveway, grinning. The grinning part is easier if you choose a gorgeous day to do the freedom reclamation part.

Go wherever the bike wants to go. Look around. Stop for turtles and loose change on the road. If you have any money, stop for coffee. Talk to the locals. Have a picnic. Listen to sounds that don’t have to cut through the steady swooshing of wind rushing past your ears. Take slow deep breaths. Challenge a little scabby-kneed kid to a race. Maybe even let him or her win.

Think about why you fell in love with cycling in the first place. Ask yourself, honestly, if you still get that same thrill. Promise to do something about it if you don’t.

The benefits of joy rides may seem small or even silly at first. Don’t be fooled. Easy spins are good for you. Every serious cyclist knows it, whether they heed such advice or not. In racing circles, they are known as recovery rides. But to me, the word “recovery” conjures up cold, sterile places where you get wheeled after surgery, and there’s nothing very joyous about that.

Joy rides help foster that mind/body connection. They allow you the time to remember how it feels to be in the moment, on the bike. They invite a sense of adventure, which is a wonderful way to combat the stress we all live with. They remind you that cycling can be a form of moving meditation.

So much of our lives are filled up with obligations and responsibilities. With all the pressures and demands, it’s easy to forget how important it is to have fun. And that’s where taking your bike on a joy ride comes in. Your secret is safe. Only your bike will know.