Bicycling For Fun

While many bicycling enthusiasts are fighting for their chance to become the next road-side memorial, there is such a thing as riding for fun with no other agenda but to enjoy the scenery, breathe fresh air and get some exercise. It’s easy to spot a casual bicyclist: they are not dressed up as a gay piƱata, they are not riding a fancy bike, they are not equipped with various accessories i.e blinking lights, rear view mirrors, hydration systems, etc. They are not blocking traffic lanes, not arguing that they are an equal mode of transportation and that they have just as much right to be on the road as a normal motorized vehicle. Just the opposite: the casual bicyclists are content with riding on a sidewalk or in a park where they don’t bother anyone and have almost a hundred percent chance of coming home in the same condition they left.

Last Sunday I took my bike to the Mill Creek Streamway Park for a 38 mile round-trip through one of the best-kept and better looking nature parks in the metro area. I can ride the whole distance from my house without getting on the road and only crossing one intersection with a stoplight. Riding the trail this time of the year is a great way to enjoy your exercise. The smell of blooming flowers and trees, fresh cut grass, birds are chirping, pretty women are jogging in skimpy outfits and you are pedaling along through the hills and valleys toward the Kansas River where the trail ends. On the way back you are pleasantly tired but still enjoy your surroundings, the views, the smell and of course the women. You don’t care about your protein intake, heart rate, cadence and hydration because you realize that you are not and never will be Lance Armstrong. So you render unto Lance that which is Lance’s and keep moving. Disco music in your MP3 player is helping you along the way, fresh air supplies the nutrients. At the end, you drag your tired body to the couch, just to lay down and dream about the next weekend ride.

Riding a bike on a trail.
As pleasant and fun
As it sounds

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