Excuses To Ride vs Excuses Not To Ride
We’ve all done it. You wake up one day and just don’t feel it. The urge to get out and ride is just gone! It might be because of a hard ride the day before, or a stiff head wind. Perhaps the ride ahead is long, hilly or hot. At what point do you start making excuses not to ride?
Touring cyclists face this on almost all epic rides. Loneliness, believe it or not, is the most common excuse (driven mostly by fatigue and not taking proper rest days). Like hitting The Wall in a marathon, they push through it. A few hours in the saddle and they’re back to themselves again.
For commuter cyclists, it is much the same. The pride of getting in a workout, without taking time away from family, friends or work, suddenly becomes a chore. It’s cold. It’s Monday. It’s work! You might even just get tired of being the only one (special clothes, cleaning up, changing…).
What if you could eliminate all those hassles? What if no ride were too hilly? What if you could dress for your destination and just leisurely enjoy a relaxing ride or commute? An e-bike gives you these options on any ride.
One of the greatest revelations, since I started riding an e-bike, is just how often I was making excuses not to ride. That’s hard to accept for a guy that normally rides 7k miles per year. I have often felt an overwhelming urge to get out on my bike. I didn’t realize how often I made excuses not to ride. Why not take the bike to church, the corner store, to meet with friends or out to dinner? Just how often had I been carrying my bike, to ride bikes?
You can still get out and really go at it whenever you please. An e-bike isn’t an either/or proposition. Greg Lamond still rides traditional bikes, but commutes on an e-bike. I have a collection for themed rides, challenging longer rides or S48 tours. I just realized, most of my rides are exploring rail trails. I need to add a single speed to the stable (if I ever get my leg fixed).
The difference with an e-bike is that you have a choice. Even on your laziest days, or the days you have to hurry, you can turn up the boost. You’ll still burn calories instead of money. My daily commute is only five minutes longer on the e-bike vs the car. That alone is $1300 per year saved (the fact that we’ve now eliminated a car is considerably more).
With an e-bike, driving or mass transit are no longer your only options. Suddenly, you are making excuses to ride instead of excuses not to ride. Climb a wicked hill to meet with friends. Take the long way or stop for coffee. Every ride can be an adventure.
I recall a former employer’s invite to join him and some of his friends after work. I got the call on my way home. It had been a hard day. It was hot and I was dressed like a clown. Needless to say, it was really too late by the time I reached home, showered and changed. For me, to then drive, defeated the purpose of my cycling.
If you already have an e-bike, I challenge you to consider some of these possibilities. Your investment doesn’t have to be just a toy, exercise or an excuse to get outside. If you are already a cyclist, but don’t have an e-bike, I encourage you to consider the possibilities. What if you were making excuses to ride instead of excuses not to ride?