Friday 2 July 2010

Fill in the blanks

Search the internet for phrases like "the trouble with cyclists" and words like "smug", "sanctimonious", "holier than thou" tend to come up a lot. Search for phrases like "the best things about cycling are..." and this is what you find (in a rough order of popularity)


  • the post-ride snack and nap
  • that everyone can find some form of it that they really enjoy
  • the friends you make
  • that it feels like too much fun to be good for you
  • seeing things I wouldn't see from a car
  • that you don't have to be fit
  • that it helps offset all the flying I have to do
  • that cycling is appropriate for all ages
  • that you can burn a lot of calories
  • that you can eat almost anything you want
  • that I usually arrive in a better mood than when I left
  • that once you have a bike cycling is free
  • seeing the world at a slower pace
  • that so many other people share your passion
  • coming down hills
  • that it doesn't matter how old you are
  • the feel of breezing around
  • that you can make your own way across the countryside
  • the variety it brings to your life
  • that it rewards someone who puts in the effort
  • the sense of freedom
  • that you can do it for hours and chat with people while you ride
  • that you get to pass through areas around your town that you might not normally visit
  • that it rewards hard work and persistence
  • the independence
  • that almost anyone can do it anywhere at any time
  • meeting others who love it as much as I do
  • that it's simple - it doesn't need hefty infrastructure
  • the freedom - never having to queue
  • that with varied vistas it never gets tiresome or boring
  • that every time I get on my bike it takes me back to my youth - the feeling of all the freedom experienced comes rushing back
  • the freedom and adrenaline rush of being on the open road
  • that even the most routine of journeys can be a cause of pleasure
Having established that there is some basis to the "smug" accusation, and caught up with my weekly quota of  displacement activities, I think its probably best if I go for a ride now.

4 comments:

townmouse said...

You'd have to do an *awful* lot of cycling to offset even one flight... Of that whole list I think that (whatever else I may pretend) it's the 'arriving in a better mood than when I left' that really clinches it. Everything else is just icing on the post-ride doughnut

Enjoy your ride

gom1 said...

Yes I get that, but for me freedom, independence, sense of adventure are all up there too; and seeing places I wouldn't otherwise see, at a different pace. Calories, cardiovascular whatsits, carbon offsets don't come into it.

gom1 said...

Oh, and another thing - the feeling that I'm bucking the system in a small way.

townmouse said...

I suppose the freedom, sense of adventure, etc. is probably what puts me in the better mood...