So, why do you ride?(merged)

To see Tony in tight shorts.

 

I ride to be at "one" with the great outdoors! to explore new places with my wife and riding partner, to be with nature and to hear hawks and eagles (and sometimes coyotes) cry out. I also grew up racing BMX and MX as a kid
in the 1970's in So. Cal. Also road ride with my wife, but my total passion is the dirt!!! My Wife and I road whiting Ranch on friday (11/18/11) totally awesome day! trails were tacky but not muddy, quiet and peaceful not too many people there on friday noon... We saw at least 8 deer on ride and a coyote trotted on the trail ahead of us just before live oak trail. A classic MTB ride. This is why we MTB!!!

 

I enjoy riding because everything else in life fades away for that short period of time.

 

I do it for the beer.

 

I just read this article in the November issue of Bike magazine and thought about this thread....This is about as good a description of why I ride that I ever came across....awsome article:

 

As someone who had been away from mountain biking until very recently I have actually had occasion to reflect on this specific question recently and do a little soul searching about it, so my response to this is pretty contemporaneous.

First and foremost for me is the challenge of mountain biking. It is a singular physical experience, and doing it well and improving at it are, for me, one of the biggest draws. Getting myself to meet my goals on the bike is a great feeling of accomplishment, and one of the great things about mountain biking is that there will always be a new challenge.

LEt's face it, the adrenaline is part of the mojo, and another huge aspect of the sport for me is the danger and moments of balls-out insanity that you get from it. My other sports love is skateboarding, which contains a lot of this same feeling, but not in the same sustained way. I really do love the danger.

Being outdoors has been a passion my entire life, and I've always found ways to spend a large amount of my time in the forest, on the mountains, at the beach...mountain biking gives me a way to commune with nature in a unique way. It's amazing what you learn about an area by having to choose a good line down a hill or traverse a marshy area with a lot of water crossings. I prefer to go into the woods without a cell phone or other ties to the modern world and relive that part of my life from 20 years ago when there were no cell phones or GPS's and you were simply on your own to explore and learn about the environment around you. In the process you learned so much about yourself - especially getting lost deep in the forest.

Lastly, I just love the damn machines. I love tinkering with them, upgrading them, maintaining them. I love how they look and how they feel. It's such in interactive part of the experience, and I am always fascinated to see how someone's personality always seems to come through in the bike they ride.

Its been 9 or so years since I mountain biked, until recently. I have been road riding in the intervening years, yet I knew there was something missing but somehow didn't put the pieces together until I had a bit of an epiphany with a bike and a trail in Big Bear back in early Nov, and knew I had to get back out there. Best decision I've made in decades.

 

for me its a great work out! a great get away/ a great adventure/ a time to spend with friends/ like to push myself climbing those steep hills!! and at the same time enjoy all of nature. life is good anytime i can go out and ride. Enjoy the ride!!

 

For me, it's the combination of being in the outdoors, challenging myself physically and mentally.

Physically, it's not just the strength and endurance in your legs, and cardio, but also the upper body / core muscles that are taxed during long / relatively technical descents. Mentally, it's not just the discipline of long, hard climbs and getting yourself up and out to ride, but learning how to push yourself farther without crossing the line of being stupid/reckless. That line is a subjective one and some enjoy going past it more than others. I have logged a lot of miles on a road bike and enjoyed challenges there. But for me, nothing compares to mountain biking and I'm confident nothing ever will.

I wake up a few times a week, usually before my alarm clock even rings, and before dawn so I can meet up with a friend or two and ride over to the trail or drive to the trailhead and get in a ride before work. MTB has made me a better person--physically and mentally, and has given me a newfound appreciation for nature--not just outdoors but the effect weather and people have on the environment and our place within that balance.

 

I ride cause I want to see my kids grow up and walk them the isle when they get married, a year ago I was overweight, cholesterol sky high,blood sugar out of whack and now weight down,sugar and cholesterol normal, you can say I'm one of those success story about riding.

 

i ride because its a blast and cant get enough of our great socal scenery

 

Mountain biking has helped keep me away from a life of addiction that I used to live. It's more to me than "mountain biking". For me, riding/building comes from the soul. Maybe that's why I'm so passionate about building. Maybe feeling like potentially helping someone out as much as it has helped me. I don't know. I just want to ride.

 

Haven't posted here in a while since I have not been riding regularly lately-- work and life seem to get in the way. But today, I got myself to Aliso to do what me and my riding buddies call the "Aliso GT"-- grand tour. Nothing epic-- nothing really challenging as I've done this ride alone and with my group many times. I was riding solo this time-- just me huffing and puffing lost in my thoughts and the crunching sound of dirt under my tires. For those few hours, all the concerns of life were gone and it reminded me of why I love this sport so much. I am so grateful to be able to take part in this wonderful activity.

 

To me riding is a spirital feeling that heals my soul when times are dark. Problems with Family, Relationships, and everyday life start to heal everytime i start to pedal. By the end of a ride all my troubles seems to have been forgoten and i am once again at peace. Friends that ride with me always seem closer just after 1 ride. i have meet plenty of people on rides, dirt or road, and its always an experience to ride with someone new.

I ride because it completes me, and heals my soul.

 

Why do I ride? Because it is fun no matter how bad of a day I have had or how bad of a mood I am in when I get on a bike it makes me smile. It reminds me of being a kid again and not having a care in the world.

 

Wait - you're So Cal Shaggy? Bry Guy is gonna be pissed when he gets back from Fontana and logs on...

Your reasons for riding sound good, however.

 

It is cheaper than going to a therapist Except the cost of the bike, accessories, clothes, nutrition, etc. of course. Heck, I ride because it is so much fun and keeps me fit while enjoying nature.

 

there is to much stress at work. I ride because it relaxes me to sleep at night.

 

Because I can :bang:

 

I ride because i love exploring and recently discovered that there are a lot of really cool places to adventure right here in orange county, let alone in southern california. Just got my new bike yesterday, and can't wait to head out on some new trails!

 

I really like the feeling of being on a journey through the wilderness, the unknown and how comfortable I feel lost in the silence of secluded nature, the lack of noise, crowds, filth, greed, selfishness, violence, smog.... just a peaceful escape from the concrete jungle that seems to be a constant competition whether its for a spot in the fast lane or grocery store line. Nature has a way of calming my sole and setting me free. When I'm on the trail I'm happy, I feel good about myself and the exercise I'm getting, and I set goals, be it climbs or distance, and it feels great when you roll over the top of a climb you have been wanting to conquer. Here's to the great sport of mountain biking and the great people you meet on the trails, Cheers!
:beer: