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Thanks!
dimspace said:...but i also look at a lot of cylists, and their mental state and wonder if i had been anywhere near half decent if i would have coped with it, or more importantly, would i have coped without it...
i think there is definately something in the pysche that makes a man want to punish himself physically, rider hundreds of miles a week, thousands of miles a year, often by themselves..
there is also definately, something in cycling for those suffering from anxiety, or depression, or other non physical illnesses...
dimspace said:at the moment cycling is one thing i really do enjoy, im virtually back to my old self, but it is constantly there, but cycling is the one time i can actually feel completely myself (although strenous cycling brings its own problems, breathing associated with breathlessness, leaves your brain thinking, am i just knackered, or is this a panic attack...)
.. but also that the bicyle at the moment is my saviour..
BikeCentric said:The people I ride with are definitely guilty of being ruthless Type A personality Sociopaths with a side helping of extreme masochism, but aside from that are quite normal.
RTMcFadden said:Those are the people I work with. That's why I ride alone.
RTMcFadden said:Those are the people I work with. That's why I ride alone.
flicker said:The other cyclists are crazy, I am normal!
But he did have big problems with his wife, right? Of course problems with wife might have something to do with guy riding bike all the time?craig1985 said:Rene Pottier (winner of the 1906 TdF) found out in 1907 that whilst he was out winning the Tour, he went out and hung himself in his work basement.
broken chain said:Yes it is an obsession,masochistic to a degree(climbing 14 1/2mile 35 degree hills is not everyones idea of a Sunday stroll)habit forming,but at the end of the day when I check my pulse rate and its at 39 bpm this 57 year old body says thanks
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pedaling squares said:35 degrees is 70%, no wonder you have such a low BPM!
Funny thing is, I can't think of more relaxed, less obsessive people than the guys I ride MTB with. The rides are hard, but not ridden at race pace. The guys are relaxed, easy, and never dwell on problems at work or at home. None of them mess with the bike unless something breaks, then they just find a way to work around the problem.
Now the guys I ride the roads with on Saturdays, many of them are pretty obsessive. Obsessed with competition, obsessed with image, obsessed with the problems of the previous week, obsessed with tinkering with the bike and how it fits them. Always trying to find perfection, and always punishing themselves physically.
Both have their advantages and I enjoy riding with all of them. I have no idea why the difference or if it is just characteristics of these two particular groups. But it is interesting to observe.
broken chain said:Yes it is an obsession,masochistic to a degree(climbing 14 1/2mile 35 degree hills is not everyones idea of a Sunday stroll)habit forming,but at the end of the day when I check my pulse rate and its at 39 bpm this 57 year old body says thanks
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hulkgogan said:I think one needs to make the distinction of whether riding 20 hours a week is normal (no it is not) with whether it is a mental disorder (unlikely).
Also do cyclists have a higher propensity for mental disorders than the general population (I haven't heard of any studies)? And if they do, is it because cycling causes mental disorders or cycling attracts people who have mental disorders?