Why I Stopped Riding Bikes

Yet again Dan's candor and self-reflection is fantastic. He's a gifted presenter. It was great to see Thor and very welcome to hear his perspective. I call myself a cyclist, love cycling and race watching but I don't always want to ride. I'm still trying to figure out what type of cyclist I am and it's nice to see you guys exploring that for yourselves.

I lost my drivers license in my early 20s and started riding everywhere everyday. I was a skinny 158 pounds at 6ft tall and gained 19 pounds of muscle. I am a speed demon so everywhere I went was a time trial. I used to wake up on Saturday and Sunday mornings and could not wait to do a long ride. I got married, moved to a different state, stopped riding for seven years and gained 50 plus pounds. Bought a bike and started riding again. Lost about 45 pounds. Felt good and was back in shape. That lasted about seven years. Stopped riding again and here I am. 57 years old 45 pounds back on. I bought a new bike in 2023 and still have not put any meaningful miles on it. Now it feels like a chore instead of fun. I road to work one day in April. It is 11 miles mostly flat and took 1hr 20 min. My old job and me being in shape was 18 1/2 miles with a good amount of hills and took me 55 minutes. I am hoping I can get back to loving cycling again.

I'll never ride again, too many pissed off people on the roads and too many friends no longer on the face of this planet after getting murdered by cars. Have fun out there.

When I was a kid, I would go out on all day bike rides when there was nothing else to do. My other love was reading maps. I never got lost. I also never told my parents how far I would ride. The sheer joy of exploration was, and still is, part of the thrill of riding. I rode occasionally through my 20s, 30s, and 40s. I was involved in different sports at varying levels of success. Now in my 50s, I rediscovered cycling. I feel like that 10-year-old waiting for his next adventure. My goal this year is to ride the same distance as you the weekend of your charity ride in June. It will be 100K longer than any previous ride. Cheers.

I ride because every time is adventure! Even the same old routes – I’ll experience something new each time! I go out with the attitude that I’m connecting with my mind, body, nature etc – which always teaches me something new through the experience. Plus a way to challenge myself and the sense of accomplishment and achievement. Which tracings carry over into other aspects of life. Ride – smile – embrace life!

Seriously. This is refreshing. I thought I was the only one who was cycling obsessed who feels… less enthused. I was an early MTB adopter (1989) and became obsessed. It was nearly my only hobby. Gravel came along and I added a new obsession (where have you been all my life?). But, recently I'm not as in love as I was. I work at a bike store and thought my lack of love was just compared to a couple of the kids who work there. They come in on their days off to work on their bikes (something I once did regularly).
This year. I want to get back. I've got my rollers and HRM ready. Not racing anything more than local but, it will be the year of riding.
I hope. I miss being in love with cycling.

When I'm training on my road bike on normal days, I really enjoyed making and following plans, ticking boxes etc. But when I'm out on a bikepacking trip or a fully loaded bike touring trip, the sensation of "being on the road" is already satisfying. Just looking at the spinning wheels, the shadow moving along and everything else going backwards is good enough.

Dan, these videos are knocking it out of the park. Really good stuff. Thank you.

I cycled seriously’ish when I was young. But then navy, career, … and when I did have time for two wheels I spent it mostly in motorcycles. I’ve always owned a bicycle, but use was sporadic until 2021 when a very drunk man in a very large pickup truck ended my motorcycling days.

Desperate to do something on two wheels again (after my fractured knee recovered) I bought a mountain bike and loved it. That lead to a road bike as well and in November 2024 I rode with four friends around the island of Taiwan while incorporating the wuling kom climb. I’m not very fast, I’ll be 60 this year, but I’m hooked. I train hard, I keep signing up for stupidly difficult rides, and I think I just like the suffering. Something something difficult childhood something. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Anyway, I really appreciate you looking at the human side of this sport. And the human side of ourselves. We only get so many trips around the sun and we are all trying to figure it out.

Great video. I am 76 years old and my best bike was recently stolen. That made me think that if I could, I would give cycling away but I can’t or I’ll die. Lex (Australia)

I'm puzzled. Dan started his story as a racer. What happened to riding bikes as a kid for fun, with friends, etc.? Did he never ride for fun? Before GPS computers there were cyclometers with wheel magnets. Before that, nothing! No data to obsess over. Maybe Dan isn't old enough to know that era.

It’s a combination of the process and freedom of exploration that makes people cycle. Great video