Why?

Why, with so many other options, would a supposedly sane adult spend hours riding a bicycle? Kids ride bikes, after all. And besides, cycling is often hard work, painful, even, and is frequently considered an activity for skinny, lycra-clad geeks.

So why bother?

Mainly, because cycling is fun. But people willing to incorporate habitual cycling into their lives find rewards far greater than mere fun. The health benefits of cycling are numerous, and often, a cyclist is so busy having fun that she won't even realize that other factors are simultaneously in play.

There's nothing quite like the feeling of freedom one experiences while floating along on two wheels. Just think back a moment to the wide, joyful grin on your young face as you turned those first pedal strokes sans assistance. Suddenly, a whole new world was available to you, courtesy of your shiny bike. The thing is, absolutely nothing has changed since those carefree days. You may be older, busier, and wiser, but those free and easy moments still await.

Imagine once again feeling the sun in your face as you pedal quickly along the twists and turns of your local bike path, your speed causing a hair-parting breeze. And maybe the climbs are a little harder than you remember, but now you have gears to help your cause. And keep in mind that with each climb, they get a little easier. And of course, nearly every climb rewards your effort with a gravity-filled, speedy descent; just you and a streamlined machine zipping downhill as fast as you dare. Yes sir, cycling is a stone groove!

But as you ride, things start to HAPPEN. For one thing, you'll build muscle and lose fat. Cycling is a proven way to attain weight loss. According to the League of American Bicyclists, in one hour a 150-pound cyclist burns 410 calories just by pedaling at 12 miles per hour. A 200-pound cyclist can burn 546 calories at the same rate the equivalent of a lean steak dinner with baked potato and broccoli. Our 200-pound friend can burn off 1638 calories just by riding 12 MPH for one hour 3 times a week. Now just imagine if this same cyclist rode more than 3 times a week, or for longer than one-hour periods. That's quite a potential for weight loss, not to mention a dynamite set of legs.

Cyclists also live longer! It's true. A 14.5-year study conducted in Copenhagen, Denmark, found that cycling an average of 3 hours per week decreased risk of mortality by nearly 40%. The same study also

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