Why cycle?

I'm far from being an intelligent man. I'm barely a man. From time to time, however, I think (normally whilst seated on the lavatory or partaking in the dreaded lawn mowing). One subject which has recurred, with large gaps on non-thought, over the past ten years or so is 'Why do I cycle?'.

Rather than concentrate on me specifically, it's probably more fair to ask 'Why does anyone cycle?'.

In 'days gone by' the answer was likely to be 'it's a cheap and efficient way for one to get from point A to point B' but that's not why I cycle nowadays. I rarely have anywhere to be and (shame on me) very rarely use a bicycle as a means of transport. To me, it's almost exclusively for recreational enjoyment.

Why then? If it's for exercise, there are many other equally valid and less 'Eek! That car came a bit close to me' activities I could partake in.

I discussed this some years ago when out with a few members of the local CTC. One man, who was obviously capable of deeper thought than me, theorised that the rotational motion of our feet (in addition to attracting angry dogs) may have some 'magical' positive effect upon us. Perhaps we are mildly hypnotised by ourselves into enjoying it? I'm not sure quite how much stock I would put in that theory but he could have been right about the angry dogs.

In response to my earlier 'Why not do a different form of exercise?' question; It's a funny thing. I don't particularly think of cycling as being exercise. I mean, I do but I don't. I'm glad to clear that up. Maybe expanding and explaining myself would help. Yes, of course I realise cycling is doing my body good and I like to do it for those reasons too but it's not like (for me and as an example) running on a treadmill. Running on a treadmill benefits me in a cardiovascular manner but I normally find it a chore as opposed to an enjoyable activity. I can't think of an instance where I've been on a treadmill and thought 'I'm really enjoying this. Perhaps I'll keep going a bit longer than I had originally planned'. With cycling, I'll get home and wonder if I should have 'thrown a loop' in or devised a longer route. That's generally not because I think I should have 'burned more calories' but rather I feel I could have had more fun.

I have wondered if cycling is attractive, in part, because it lets one get out and about looking at scenery and involved in the world without having to be 'too involved'. Definitely the pottering about (my cycling speeds range from 'bonked' all the way up to 'potter'), looking round and admiring the views give one some mental stimulation. I think that could be part of my answer.

Another theory has been put forward by Ned Boulting in his book How I Won the Yellow Jumper (ah, that explains the image at the top). In the chapter Blokes On Bikes (pages 251 to 262) [DON'T READ THIS BIT IF YOU FEEL IT MIGHT SPOIL THAT CHAPTER OF THE BOOK FOR YOU] he suggests it may our association with cycling as children and a desire to recapture our youth [YOU CAN READ THIS AGAIN BUT MIGHT NOT FIND IT INTERESTING]. I think that's a pretty valid point. He could be onto something there. I'm sure he's not the first to consider it. I'm kind of disappointed I didn't think that myself. Maybe I should pretend I did, to myself at least. I could probably eventually convince myself I'd thought that all along.

In summary, at its most basic level, the answer to 'Why cycle?' appears to be 'Because I like it'.