You Feel Like You’ve Got Superpowers

Exercise always feels nice, of course, whether it’s playing a game of pickup football or going for a run. But when you cycle for a practical purpose — i.e. for transportation, to get from point A to point B — there’s an additional thrill. It gives you a radical sense of self-reliance. Travelling such long distances entirely under your own steam, distances that easily rival the ones that typically require a car or a train has a Promethean quality. You feel like a minor demigod.

After you’ve travelled a serious distance on a bike, it’s hard to feel down on yourself.