What helps define "riding" in my view, is less in part an introspective consideration, than a parameter defined by external natural and social elements. When the neighbors look out at me with that expression of sympathy in their eyes, or the one that reveals that they are questioning my sanity, then I know I'm alive and "riding". Snow...freezing temp punk.....make my day!
Dennis Young
today sunny riding in Hotaka, Japan....ho hum....
>
> Ah yes, the philosophical question, what constitutes "riding", or,
> more to the point, "serious riding"?
>
> I don't look at it so much as mileage per year (by the way, I hope
> I don't disappoint anyone too badly, but that 20k is my motorcycle
> mileage per year - I don't use a car unless absolutely necessary),
> but more as to seriousness of intent. Which for me comes down to
> one absolutely dividing word.
>
> Rain.
>
> A serious biker is not bothered by that fact that it's probably/
> definitely going to rain that day. He rides anyways. This isn't
> an original concept, although I personally developed it 35-38 years
> ago as a bicyclist, 5-8 years before I owned my first motorcycle.
> If I was planning on riding that day, and the weatherman said it's
> going to rain - screw it, I packed whatever gear I needed to be
> comfortable in the wet and rode anyhow. I rapidly figured out who
> were the real cyclists in the Presque Isle Bicycle Club - they'd
> show up for the weekly Sunday ride, or daily workout (a couple of
> us raced) no matter what the weather. We'd go out, get soaked, end
> up back at my apartment and get blitzed (and possibly laid)
> afterwards, and I'd take whoever's machine needed a bit of work up
> to the attic shop and take care of it.
>
> Everybody else kept their bikes clean. They (back in 1970-75) were
> the same kind of folks who run those Discovery Channel specials at
> (but not to) Daytona and put on maybe 1,000 miles a year.
>
> Of course this meant that I always owned at least one road bike
> with fenders and always considered Blumel's one of the great
> inventions of mankind. And why, last fall, when I got back into
> that long lost love, my first job upon getting the Raleigh
> roadworthy was to dig up another set of Blumels and get them
> mounted. Sewups first, Blumels second.
>
> Am I a serious cyclist now? As of this writing, I don't quite
> consider myself to be one - yet. The motorcycle has replaced the
> bicycle as daily transportation (commuting to work by bike would be
> an hour and a quarter going in, double that coming home - that's
> unrealistic, and I've got little enough time to myself during the
> work week), and this being winter, I'm only knocking out about 75
> miles a week at present. Once it warms up a bit and daylight
> lengthens, I can easily see the weekly mileage doubling - if only
> because I'm feeling a lot healthier than I have in a while. Then
> again, I am cycling in the winter. 30 years ago, I was cross
> country skiing (the skiis have gathered dust since moving to VA in
> '98).
>
> George R. "Syke" Paczolt
> Montpelier, VA
>
> r garni <crispyflotilla@yahoo.com> wrote: Dear All,
>
> A question that I am sure comes up periodically, and
> one that has certainly has risen again (it's alive!)
> in George's letter, is a definition of terms:
>
> When we say 'we ride' (as in, our bikes) what number
> does 'ride' constitute?
> <snip>