What is your favorite part about cycling

[Dirtyhip]

What is it?  

For me it is cornering hard and jumping. I love that feeling when you lean back into it and the bike leans over and loses traction just a bit then hooks in.  Also, the thrust and then the moment you are in the air off a kicker or a drop. Being airborne is so much fun.

We are headed to a big ski resort and a pump track this weekend.  Three days of shuttling and pumping.  So exited here.  I am going to pee my pants kinda excited. 

[Kzoo]

I like long flat stretches of road without intersections.  Places where you can get in the drops and and just spin.........

Hills can be fun as well.....

[Square Wheels]

I hate climbing, a lot.  Old fat guys are not designed to climb.  When I get to the top of a climb it's a great sense of accomplishment.

[Dottleshead ★]

The meditation that occurs on those long rides... just me and my thoughts... the 'bike zone' if you will.

[Road Runner]

I like just about all of it, except for the cars.  I like the freedom of cycling, the control of my bike, the speed, the cornering, and making people stare at the old man on the bike going much faster than they suppose I should be able to go.  My favorite part is when I get home, exhausted and sweaty from a good ride and feeling just like I did fifty years ago.    

[smudge ★]

I appreciate the "bike zone" when on my Roubaix too. If I'm not zonin' out, I'm realizing how cool it is to have a nice bike who puts up with a medicore engine.

On the fattie, I like when I realize I finally feel comfortable enough to enjoy the ups and downs and swing-arounds of the trail. The flow.

[Zealot]

So many things! Physically, first and foremost  I like speed. On the road or the dirt, I love the exhilaration that goes with moving fast. Second, effort. I truly enjoy pushing my body beyond what I think it's capable of. 

Mentally, I live the focus I get with mountain biking and the meditation I get from riding long quiet stretches of asphalt. Both are rejuvenating.

But above all, every time I throw my leg over a bike I am transported back toy youth - riding was fredom.  Of all the things I feared when I was a kid, riding a bike was not one of them. And I could escape my little world and see greater things.

[TrentonMakes]

24 minutes ago, dotman17 said:

The meditation that occurs on those long rides... just me and my thoughts... the 'bike zone' if you will.

Definitely this - as well as the feeling of accomplishment after a big climb, flying downhill after a long climb (but not too fast)... feeling the wind on my face, and seeing the scenery five times clearer than if I was in a car.

[Parsnip Totin Jack ★]

Silence, except for the low ssss of narrow tires on a smooth country road with little to no traffic.  Rolling hills that twist their way up to an unseen crest that eventually drops back down again to a river or creek bed where the climb starts anew. The oasis where riders refuel and wait for stragglers to arrive with smiles for all.  The coffee shop at the end of the ride where espresso and tall tales are shared.

[maddmaxx ★]

Being faster than people 30 years younger than me.

 

That hasn't happened in a couple of years though.

[bikeman564™]

Girls w/ nice butts

But also just the fun of it. It's a hobby where I can do what I want.

[az_cyclist]

this is a hard question to answer.  I like climbing and descending.  I like club rides and solo rides, long rides and shorter ones.  I love the California doubles, rides in Arizona, and the rides I have done in Minnesota.

[Wilbur ★]

Taking the bike off the hanger in the garage.  Sometimes, hanging it back up is also the best part.   

[Square Wheels]

I forgot, I really like buying new stuff.

[Longjohn ★]

1 hour ago, Square Wheels said:

I hate climbing, a lot.  Old fat guys are not designed to climb.  When I get to the top of a climb it's a great sense of accomplishment.

lol, you hardly qualify for old or fat but I understand what you're saying.

[Parsnip Totin Jack ★]

7 minutes ago, az_cyclist said:

I love the California doubles,

That's all well and good but what does that have to do with cycling?

[Square Wheels]

Just now, Longjohn said:

lol, you hardly qualify for old or fat but I understand what you're saying.

I didn't start riding until close to 50 (now 52) and I weighed about 235 then, now close to 180.

[Longjohn ★]

I like riding with noobs and encouraging them. I love seeing them develop a love for cycling that can bring them enjoyment and health for many years.

[Zealot]

14 minutes ago, Longjohn said:

I like riding with noobs and encouraging them. I love seeing them develop a love for cycling that can bring them enjoyment and health for many years.

Oh yes!!! 

[Reverend_Maynard]

Lots of good answers here.  Almost all of them describe something I like about cycling.  I cycle for fitness, primarily, but I'm motivated to do it because I enjoy it for it's own sake.  I'm not sure what, if anything, is THE thing I like best, but if I had to pick one...

The freedom to go where you want, when you want, wherever your legs can take you.

[Zephyr]

3 hours ago, dotman17 said:

The meditation that occurs on those long rides... just me and my thoughts... the 'bike zone' if you will.

/\ THIS /\

I like that cycling saved me from getting a second car for commuting to work.

...., that cycling made 30 pounds of middle disappear

...., that 15 points of BP and 13 beats per minute disappeared

...., the solo effort of it.  My work is a team effort and team oriented, and with cycling it is all about me.

..., the hammer time.  I rarely go for a easy ride.  I love to push my physical limits.  I love to get to my max and hold it for as long as I can.  That when I arrive home I am scared to stop because my legs are so trashed I can hardly stand to walk into the garage.

...., that when I do ride with someone else, 99% of the time it is WofZeph, and we spend many hours side by side on our bikes

..., that there is such a cool internet forum to hang out on.

 

[Kzoo]

2 minutes ago, Zephyr said:

/\ THIS /\

I like that cycling saved me from getting a second car for commuting to work.

...., that cycling made 30 pounds of middle disappear

...., that 15 points of BP and 13 beats per minute disappeared

...., the solo effort of it.  My work is a team effort and team oriented, and with cycling it is all about me.

..., the hammer time.  I rarely go for a easy ride.  I love to push my physical limits.  I love to get to my max and hold it for as long as I can.  That when I arrive home I am scared to stop because my legs are so trashed I can hardly stand to walk into the garage.

...., that when I do ride with someone else, 99% of the time it is WofZeph, and we spend many hours side by side on our bikes

..., that there is such a cool internet forum to hang out on.

 

Can you send us the URL for that?

[Ralphie ★]

54 minutes ago, Kzoo said:

Can you send us the URL for that?

[Ralphie ★]

Being in the zone, when the pedals feel like they are turning themselves, the scenery rushing by is refreshing, and all is right with the world .

[maddmaxx ★]

I thought of something else.  In my first week back, 21 miles was probably more than 90% of the population of the country.

[Thaddeus Kosciuszko]

I enjoy the Discovery - seeing and observing what would go unnoticed when driving - and perhaps taking a picture or a few, then satisfying my curiosity by learning about what I found.  And then sharing the pictures and Discovery with the good folks here.

[Road Runner]

The bike forums are great!   

[Further]

I've always liked the downhills, going as fast as I could. And I've come to appreciate a nice tailwind.