BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

It really shows how easy cycling is. What other form of exercise could anyone do for at least say 12 hours a day everyday for a year?

I have to admit, as much as I love cycling, and as much as I hope to replace local car trips and even do a little bike touring with the kids when they're a bit older, cranking out tons of miles every day just to crank out tons of miles every day sounds excruciatingly boring.

Ah, the classic existentialist dilemma... As Camus saw it. Each of us chooses our own answer to the question of meaning in life...

Here's the thing about long rides: you don't have to worry about anything else. When I'm on a randonée, all I worry about is pumping out the miles, getting my brevet card signed, and keeping within the time limit. Your life narrow to a point. It's worth trying.

What other form of exercise could anyone do for at least say 12 hours a day everyday for a year?

Walk -- pilgrims. Rowing -- some people that make money on getting people over rivers. Diving -- japanese ama. Black smith in old villages -- weight exercise. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistence_hunting

others? exercise your mind, rights, or options, all day long.

Yeah, I was going to mention chess players. :) What about exercise your butt in front of TV? :)

physical exercise ---> mental benefit So, watching TV might be ok. But you'll find yourself drifting into a fog of diminished mental capacity. What we used to call senility. The one saving grace might be that you won't really notice, all that much. Life is funny that way.

"cranking out tons of miles every day just to crank out tons of miles every day sounds excruciatingly boring." Eh, isn't the English countryside attractive though? People all over the world crank out tons of everything everyday and it's excruciatingly boring. Thank god I don't work in a factory. I sit in a chair and my job is excruciatingly boring :) The commute is much more rewarding :) Something I'm working on hopefully though this year :) Actually, forgot the guy doing the cycling is a factory worker... so yeah

Actually, forgot the guy doing the cycling is a factory worker…

He was... but not anymore! He quit!

Managing this is a matter of circumstance. If I rode my usual 11 miles to work and back 250 days a year, that would be a bit over 5,000 miles. So my 3,360ish that I did do last year is a good representation of reality.

"Here’s the thing about long rides: you don’t have to worry about anything else. When I’m on a randonée, all I worry about is pumping out the miles, getting my brevet card signed, and keeping within the time limit. Your life narrow to a point. It’s worth trying." Ha! My ability to concentrate on a single thing has steeply decayed and is approaching a low asymptote characteristic of the neediness of my three girls. So, about long enough to take me up a tough local hill.