What has cycling done for you?

Roadsters

It has not done much but it has bought up some muscles to my leg and my stamina has upgraded a bit.

Blacktemplar

Maybe the question should be "what has cycling done TO you....." :?:

Broken collarbone
Grade V AC Joint tear & shoulder surgery
Grade 2 AC joint tear (the other one thankfully)
Chipped kneecap
Quite a few road rash scars
Emptied my bank account
Filled my shed
Baffled my wife & children with an unnatural liking for lycra

But in the credit column.....

Lost 2.5 stones
Got a lot fitter
Met lots of new pals
Raised £7K for Help for Heroes doing LEJOG
Filled my shed
Baffled my my wife & children with an unnatural liking for lycra

Kenjaja1

The summer of 1976 was the hottest and driest on record and I rode non-stop from London to Cologne. A couple of weeks later I rode back (again non-stop). In the spring of '77 I repeated the exercise.

In the summer of '77 the magnetic attraction from Cologne moved to London, we got married.
and she became SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed).

When we reach our 34th anniversary in a couple of weeks I will be on a long solo expedition but we are still married and happy so I reckon I got pretty good value for money out of the The Raleigh Merlin tourer that got me to Cologne and back. Sadly, the Merlin is long gone and replaced by a succession of younger models. I have always been faithful to my lovely wife but I am a bit fickle where bikes are concerned.. :twisted:

Roadtart

Chapeau, Kenjaja1, and chapeau to you both on your anniversary!

You romantic, soppy, so-and-so......

anto164

I'm 24, and i've been riding bikes properly for 10 years now.

So, what has it done for me?

Given me lots of awesome mates, given me awesome fitness, some awesome riding holidays with already mentioned awesome mates, given me a few cool scars, and a recent very near death accident.

If i knew what i'd have been through when i started cycling, would i have taken up the hobby?

Of course i would.

Adam@SportPursuit

Encouraged me to spend far too much money on kit, all that lovely shiny kit and used up all my weekends travelling around the country to put myself though pain. Love it! Would I give it up, nope.

1892

Adam@SportPursuit wrote:

Encouraged me to spend far too much money on kit, all that lovely shiny kit and used up all my weekends travelling around the country to put myself though pain. Love it! Would I give it up, nope.

That sounds familiar.

Aerozine50

Well after riding a commuterised MTB bike to work (Okay wrong thread for me) I have gained:

Better knowledge of the road
Better spacial awareness and a kind of 6th sense. As my dad might put it "Having eyes in your ar$e"
I've lost weight, love handles etc.
I'm now fitter for my other hobby as a result - Technical Scuba diving.
I now appreciate just how much it costs to run a car by comparison.
I now enjoy swinging the taxman for 20p every mile to and from work.
My self esteem has shot up!
I feel more alive!
I should hopefully live longer as a result.
I can now go for a beer at the weekend with a clean conscience!!!

Regards

Paul

amun1000

I now enjoy swinging the taxman for 20p every mile to and from work.
Forgivemy ignorance but...
How?

1892

amun1000 wrote:

I now enjoy swinging the taxman for 20p every mile to and from work.
Forgivemy ignorance but...
How?

I would like to know that as well.

Nightcat

It has really helped me find more friends and strengthen my muscles.

BigLee1

amun1000 wrote:

I now enjoy swinging the taxman for 20p every mile to and from work.
Forgivemy ignorance but...
How?

Its all here I wish I could!

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/rates/travel.htm

Kenjaja1

Aerozine50 wrote:

I now enjoy swinging the taxman for 20p every mile to and from work.

As far as I am aware you cannot claim business mileage for travelling to and from your normal place of work & the taxman's 20P allowance is for business mileage (i.e. travelling on company business to & from places other than your normal workplace). If you are claiming it then both you and your company are liable to get kicked where it hurts most by Mr Taxman (i.e.in the wallet).

ziggycycledust

Helped me fill 3 weeks ever summer carefully creating a 'bum groove' in the sofa, watching Le Tour non stop, listening to the dulcet tones of Sean Kelly.

jc4lab

Find theres no such thing as a boring bike ride but walking aimlessly around looking for stuff can be....Done a lot of travel abroad and using a bike enables to investigate so much more and speed things up as theres alaways the risk tideous walking might just lead to nowhere special..Some places not so glamerous still make for a really good bike ride.

Moreyn

PUTS A Smile On My Face Just Thinking About Getting Out On My Bike!

I could probably relate to every post on this thread; well, in some way or other : Injuries - Surgery etc. lets not go there!

Enjoy your cycling for whatever reason makes you happy.

Longjohn_

Cycling has given me a chance for adventure again. It has helped me stay fit. It has made me realize that my body is breakable ( I always considered myself somewhat indestructable). It has enabled me to meet some awesome people.

nunowoolmez

Cycling has given me my mojo back.

Keith Oates

Apart from the fitness and sheer pleasure of riding a bike very regularly it has also enabled me to make many friends all over the world. I find and go into LBS in every town I visit and that gets me to meet and make friends for rides and chats, which is a good way to find your way around a new location!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

jc4lab

Welcome Mr Oates..Although we dont know each other personally I remember a legendary poster by that name from the cycling+ days..

Keith Oates

Thanks for the welcome and it is a while since I've been here, at the moment there are not so many names that I remember from the C+ forum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

moonbucket

It probably saved my life, if that sounds a bit dramatic, it's true. I've been suffering from chronic depression and due to a combination of a brutal workplace, nursing my beloved Grandad through cancer and then some dreadful family issues I became suicidal.

Getting out of the house on my old jalopy of a MTB, even just a few miles to meet the missus after work, just took me so far away from my troubles - it was like, no-one could contact me or hassle me, I was just in my own wee world. At times, fitness apart, I felt like nothing mattered as long as I was riding - I could have just kept going somedays even if I ended up half way across the world.

Now, a year later my depression is under control, and I'm getting fitter. My weight has stabilised (the depression made me really over-eat, something I'm starting to make inroads into), and I have a new MTB and a new Road bike in the shed. The missus and the sprog are both really into cycling now too which makes it even easier to get out and ride.

Most of all, cycling seems to just shrug off all the hassles and stress of life and makes things so simple, you just pedal and get lost in your thoughts, which can be so random - songs, odd ideas, anything can just pop in there!

I love the feeling that the road bike and I could go anywhere if we wished, I also love the feeling on the MTB that I can get to places most vehicles will never see. Next year I'm going to indulge in a bit of touring - I've started tinkering with the servicing and mechanical side of things and hope to weld up a few lightweight trailers and restore some old frames into tourers.

I love it.

mercian52

Last chance saloon to lead a strenuos active life after climbing(heads of both radii broken leaving permanently bent arms)fell running(16 years throwing a 12st frame downhill took its toll on knees, ankles,hip)Loving all forms of biking-audax,off-road,group rides,intervals(legacy of running days)and have been surprised and delighted that an already very fit person can improve strength and endurance;every ride is now a "felt good"or"great ride" entry inthe the diary.Any runners out there coming to the end,get a bike-it may take some time to get really comfortable but persist and be dogged-the reward will be lifelong health and fitness.

ice climber

My aerobic capacity is the best it has ever been, my weight is now below 78kgs, first in years. Loads of new people and places to go. So what lay behind this?

Been a arm chair follower of the TdF and other events for 20 years or so but never a had a "proper" bike. My main passion was the mountains and after 30 years of various climbing activities with injuries and the last 5 years skiing I started gym spin classes to keep fit for ski touring.

There, a number of people at the gym asked if I was into cycling! No was the answer! but then I walked into my local bike shop in West Byfleet in August this year and walked away a few weeks later with a custom fitted Italian alloy/ carbon fibre......... now 2 bikes later!

So, at the age of 57 I have a new passion for a sport and look at every chance to get out, even did some of my work visits on my bike much to the surprise of my colleagues when I turn up, bit sweaty

Steven

Can\'tPedalSlowly

Having now put both rugby and pole vault behind me (yes, pole vault,) I now enjoy cycling both as a method of getting to work as well as as means to exercise and keep fit (this is actually a lie. I exercise in order to enjoy guilt-free cake.)

I have also encouraged my girlfriend to take up cycling since I thought that this would enable her to exercise without setting off her exercise-enduced asthma. As it turns out, I was right! She has now caught the bug big time and it has now become a past-time and means of exercise that we can do together.

LeicesterLad

Just as a sidenote:-

I honestly can't imagine life without Cycling. If i try to imagine such a scenario, well, its just not worth going there. (strange thing is i've not been cycling proper for 'that' long, i don't know what i did before cycling?!)

Supergoose

Having called time on my formation synchronised swimming career, and with my athletes foot playing up after many years (12.3) semi professional Kabbadi player. I sought out a new physical and mental challenge, cribbage just did not cut it, yep its cycling for me.

Frank the tank

Filled the hole that football used to occupy and the one that golf never will.

Over the last twenty years it has kept me fit, made some great friends, built some great relationships and cost me a bloody fortune.

Long may it continue.

what brakes

Its destroyed both knees and prevented me from walking properly for a good 12months and has stopped me from any activities including walking my dog etc for nearly 2 years and god knows how much longer!

oh actually that was the donkey that hit me that caused that along with the NHS being complete twonks....

although cycling did get me extremely fit, allowed me to enjoy the beautiful country side and not forgetting getting away from the Mrs and kids for 6odd hours at a time! lol

Cycloslalomeur

It's allowed me to go from a Levi's 501 (I know, I'm hopelessly stuck in the eighties) waist size 33 inches to a 28 in the four years since I MTFU'd and swapped my fast hybrid for a real bicycle. The jeans are tight only in the thigh area, which is a Good Thing. Fitter, happier, more productive.