Friday, 5 August 2016

Endocannabinoids, freedom, fitness or beer? Why do you ride?

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After decades of riding bikes, I can’t give you a single reason why I keep turning the pedals. But I can list a few.

I remember laughing at the question of an elderly woman seated next to me on a plane after I explained my job testing bikes and gear. “You mean you have to ride all those bikes?” she asked with concern. “Have to? I get to!”

Why ride a bike?

It makes me feel good. An array of scientific theories have come (and some have gone) as to why exercise makes us feel better — endorphins, serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, even endocannabinoids (yes, related to cannabis) — but I’m not really concerned with the chemistry behind it, just the end result: I almost always feel better when riding and after riding than I did before.

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Exploring and engaging with the world. As a kid, a bike was a ticket to freedom. It still is. Sure, you can get there faster in the protective encasement of a car, but that is missing the point.

Beer and reality. I’m 40. At this point in the game, I have three options: stop drinking beer, buy larger jeans every so often as my waistline expands, or just exercise regularly. I’m too Irish for the first and too cheap for the second. And hey, riding bikes is fun.

You can read more at BikeRadar.com



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