Does Riding Your Bike Still Make You Happy?

This year I am going back to RAGBRAI which means I need to do a lot of miles between now and then so that the week is fun and doesn't kill my spirit. I'll be signing up for centuries, metric centuries, and lots of daily miles to get in shape for the climbs. Sometimes this can feel a little like a grind. For me it boils down to two less-favorable aspects - safety on the road and having to wake up way too early on weekends to do organized rides. 

Safety - I've been riding a lot of country roads which are great but don't always have a shoulder to ride on and sometimes people let their dog off leash and they are let loose to bark and chase. Both of these give me pause when it's time to get on the bike for my ride. 

I learned that I also need to schedule some massages to keep me pain-free on the bike. My bike fit is great but my muscles get sore when I ride a lot of miles.

What are your experiences? Here's an article from Bicycling Magazine, "What It Takes to Be a Super-Happy Cyclist"

http://www.bicycling.com/training/motivation/what-it-takes-be-super...

While it's a bit focused on racing, I think some of the same concepts can apply to other types of cycling e.g. commuting, centuries, etc. What do you think?

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by John Durham on May 24, 2016 at 9:26am

Hodor? 0715 Hodor? Hodor, hodor hodor. 

Hodor.

Permalink Reply by Aaron Bussey on May 24, 2016 at 9:33am

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on May 24, 2016 at 9:38am

Image uploader is still broken. :-/ Been working non-stop on the new site. Can't happen soon enough. 

Permalink Reply by John Durham on May 24, 2016 at 9:39am

Hodor...

Permalink Reply by Aaron Bussey on May 24, 2016 at 9:47am

Hodor?

Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on May 24, 2016 at 9:57am

Hodor, noun, see: Game of Thrones.

Permalink Reply by Aaron Bussey on May 24, 2016 at 10:04am

Hodor.

Permalink Reply by Heather on May 24, 2016 at 9:46am

It makes me so happy that I get really annoyed if something intervenes in my ability to do so, like a potential storm or going someplace with a friend who doesn't ride.

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