The Trek Ride Is Relaxing...Here's Why

Several years ago, one of my great friends Greg Wolf connected me with a friend of his that was selling a bicycle.  It's a Trek, and it's what I would call a "hybrid".  It's not a fat tire mountain bike, and it's not a lean road bike.  For me, it can be a bit of a trail bike and a bit of a road bike, which makes it the perfect EXERCISE BIKE.

With more time on my hands, I've been able to saddle up and ride more recently.  Yesterday, I had to tinker a bit with the right pedal that seemed to be clicking at the top of my pedal stroke, and I've added some little storage accessories to carry my phone wallet, spare tire tube, a few tools, etc...  This morning, the click in the pedal was gone, so that was nice.  And as I was riding, I was trying to explore just why riding this bike is fun for me.  

First, because it's a hybrid bike, it can travel fairly quickly.  Obviously, I'm not going to be any Tour de France participants, but there's something about pedaling down the road at a quick pace that makes it fun.  Of course, I can't seem to get up early enough to beat the wind that seems to pick up steam just when I get out on the road.  Usually, in my area, the wind is blowing from the south in the summer, which means the start and finish to my ride are nice, but in between is the wind.

Second, there's something about the sound the bike makes that is relaxing.  The sound is mechanical, but it's a quiet sort of "whir" that almost matches the breeze.  At my age feeling like I'm exercising with the feel and the sound of a strong but quiet machine is energetic and inspiring.

Third, my knees appreciate the low-impact workout.  I've tortured my knees over the years through sports, marathons, trail runs, road races, and ultra distance events.  And it wasn't that long ago, that my knee pain was so great that I could barely take a walk around town.  I know my heart rate doesn't get as high while bicycling as it does in running or even swimming, but exercising relatively pain-free feels like freedom.

Fourth, other than the purchase of the bicycle, which I think at the time was a couple hundred dollars, bicycling is an inexpensive recreational activity.  I do always wear a helmet, and I have a pair of gloves and some sun glasses.  And generally, I wear bright reflective clothing.  Because I don't have special shoes, I just wear my tennis shoes with the standard bicycle pedals.  None of those things cost much money.

Admittedly, living in a rural area helps where I can ride.  My county and township roads have very little traffic unless some trucks are rolling into the grain elevator or I don't time a Sunday morning ride very well, and people are heading to the church service in town.  Also, there are bike paths nearby in the Quad Cities that are easy to get to and enjoyable.  I just need to get my truck back, so transporting the bike is easier.

I'm looking forward to building up my strength and endurance to eventually take a longer ride.  I use to do that...put some supplies in a backpack and head off in a direction and just go.  I need to get some more hours in and keep losing some weight, though, before I'm ready for that.