Cycling: is there a spiritual side to it?

[grantoury]

I'll offer this. Years ago I was talking to a psychologist who happened to be cyclist commuter (Brompton fanboy if you must know, fold up pedals etc.) about this, and the supposedly therapeutic nature (spiritual?) of just cycling. His view was that cycling is so incredibly complex and unnatural for a human being, it requires the brain to focus much more on motor like functions and the rest shuts down.

It made a bit of sense to me, and got me thinking about the million calculations the brain must be going through to simply balance and steer.

It is a thought, but then people have similar experiences walking. Which is a balancing act but one that should come naturally.

 

[Bcxbcx]

I'll offer this. Years ago I was talking to a psychologist who happened to be cyclist commuter (Brompton fanboy if you must know, fold up pedals etc.) about this, and the supposedly therapeutic nature (spiritual?) of just cycling. His view was that cycling is so incredibly complex and unnatural for a human being, it requires the brain to focus much more on motor like functions and the rest shuts down.

It made a bit of sense to me, and got me thinking about the million calculations the brain must be going through to simply balance and steer.

I used to race xc/dh/enduro, i was shit, so just for fun, but some of the best rides I had it felt like I wasn't even doing it. Its hard to describe, almost like I was watching it on TV, or I was playing a computer game.
I always thought of it as being "in the zone", but it sounds a bit like what the psychologist was saying, focused on one complex thing, everything else shut down.

 

[Woz]

I used to race xc/dh/enduro, i was shit, so just for fun, but some of the best rides I had it felt like I wasn't even doing it. Its hard to describe, almost like I was watching it on TV, or I was playing a computer game.
I always thought of it as being "in the zone", but it sounds a bit like what the psychologist was saying, focused on one complex thing, everything else shut down.

The "flow" state was mentioned earlier.

On a personal level, riding can be anything from totally mundane and not engaging to something fully immersive. I don't believe there is a spiritual side to cycling, nor a spiritual side to life as a whole.

 

[Imlach]

nor a spiritual side to life as a whole.

He says until the Lidl smut mag gets delivered and he spots a few absolute bargain bottles

 

[MattiThundrrr]

He says until the Lidl smut mag gets delivered and he spots a few absolute bargain bottles

Spirits vs spiritual.

 

[Imlach]

Spirits vs spiritual.

Spiritstual