Why do I ride?
There are many reasons. Most of them are pretty obvious.
The Freedom: Riding a bicycle (regardless of type, quality, or fashion) gives an incredible amount of freedom. Bikes are relatively low maintenance and require no state issued license to operate them. Even children can have the freedom to be mobile with bicycles. I can get from Point A to Point B without much hassle as long as there are no major hills or maniac auto drivers.
You Can See: The speed at which a bicycle moves along is definitely faster than we can walk, so we can cover more ground. However, riding a bicycle is definitely a slower pace than our highly efficient autos. Therefore, a bicycle travels at the perfect speed for seeing the world. You can cover a fair amount of ground and still SEE what is around you. A great example of this would be to take your bike on the Blue Ridge Parkway. You can truly admire the beauty of the mountains around you. Plus it is not a hassle to stop at every viewpoint and just take a gander at the amazing-ness of nature.
Adventure Awaits: On a bike (especially a mountain bike) one can take an ordinary day and turn it in to an adventurous exploration! Do you have any idea how many parks and trails there are out there just waiting for your knobby tires to locate them? And do you have any idea how fun it is to just spend the day getting lost on those trails? Granted, it is definitely a good idea to have maps and/or a GPS to help you get unlost as the sun starts to set.
Challenge Yourself: Mountain biking can be an incredible challenge at times. You try balancing yourself on two wheels while navigating single track riddled with rocks and tree limbs while huffing and puffing up a 20% grade. It will definitely get your heart pumping. Yes, you will fall. Yes, you will probably hurt yourself. But once you are able to make it up that mountain, there is no greater feeling of accomplishment. Especially once you realize you get to go DOWN that mountain!
And probably the biggest reason for me...
It allows me to really relax and find myself. To me, getting lost in the woods with nothing but my bike, my camelback (filled with lifesaving goods like Clif Bars, water, a GPS, tool kit, a headlamp, and my iPod), and no mission is the greatest therapy from the every day world there is. It truly makes me feel like I have control over my life.
We all get lost in the day to day world of work, paying bills, making other people happy, and being boxed into our four little walls (of homes, stores, offices, etc.). It really makes a huge difference in my outlook on life and my overall well being when I can take a few hours and just follow a trail wherever it goes.
No comments:
Post a Comment