Each and every day of the last three (almost four now) years I have taken a second to reflect on my gratitude for choosing to be a cyclist.
For me, there is nothing more rewarding than cycling as my chosen form of activity. Cycling has a bit of everything a middle-aged person needs.  Speed, excitement, friendship, effort, expense, color and done fast enough, it provides one the ability to eat. 

This = Cool

We can’t eat with impunity of course, it’s always “within reason”, but it’s absolutely better than the 2,000 calories a day I could eat if I were sedentary.  Cycling was a little clumsy, at first, in my case but it was no hill for a mountain climber.

With Spring just around the corner, many of my friends and I will be looking to spin sessions at the local shop to get ready for March and April – time to take the good bikes off the wall.  From there, it’s good times and noodle salad.
Then once the Spring rains begin to sputter out and local tracks start to dry out a little bit, it’ll be time for the big fun:  Time to play in the dirt…

Don’t get me wrong, running is enjoyable enough but I’d argue that covering the distance of a marathon in just over an hour with five to forty of your closest friends on a machine that uses you as the engine, that costs more than a decent used car, weighs less than a bowling ball and has a tire surface about the thickness of a thumbnail, at speeds topping 40 mph, with less than a foot of space between you and the friend in front of you…  Or how about a tailgate cookout after a day on the single-track?

Ladies and gentlemen, riding a bike is a decent way to get from point A to point B efficiently, but choosing to take bike riding to the next level, to choose to put in the effort necessary to become a cyclist avid enthusiast*, physical fitness just doesn’t get any better than that.  At least that I’m aware of.

Alas, ice and weather prevents an outdoors expedition so for today it will be Star Wars Revenge of the Sith and 25 miles that will look like this:

*Just for you MJ.