I used to really enjoy going on a long, comfortable bike rides.
The feeling you have on a bike, with no walls to encase you, no combustion engine to power you, no windshield to protect you, it is a liberating feeling.
The trick to make enjoyable for me was removing any expectation of performance.
Once there was a performance expectation, the mindset turned from pleasure to accomplishment. The need to achieve a specific pace, maintain a certain wattage, or to cover a prescribed distance eroded away at the mental escape.
When I remember those rides, another reason that I found enjoyment was because without all the protection, it allowed me to fully invest my awareness of the surroundings.
This can also be true when running, however, I often ran around busier streets and more congested environments.
And that is why I no longer ride bikes.
The idea of riding on the open roads no longer provides inspiration and enjoyment.
Cycling on a Kentucky country road provokes fear of others. Primarily the fear of a driver who is going a bit too fast, reading a few too many texts and trying to take the next photo for their Instagram. All the while, being surrounded by walls, engines and windshield, but without any awareness at all.