"Is it feasible to reduce carbon emissions by increasing cycling?

[Tetchytyke]

Moderator note: Split from

The future of flying - Electric planes or bans on flying?

Some way to go yet then. Hopefully that will eventually be sorted but maybe there will be a need for a temporary suspension of flights for a few years while we wait for suffiicently large battery powered aircraft. Not just carbon but (probably) water vapour is (much) worse at altitude too...

www.railforums.co.uk

That being said, the majority of car miles are due to long trips, so even if you reduced the short journeys, which would have many positive effects, you wouldn't reduce the millage to the same degree.

About 20% of all car journeys are under one mile, about 68% are under five miles. The average car journey is about 8 miles- and that’s taking all the 300-mile trips into account. Take those short trips out of the equation and you lose a lot of emissions.

 

[Bletchleyite]

About 20% of all car journeys are under one mile, about 68% are under five miles. The average car journey is about 8 miles- and that’s taking all the 300-mile trips into account.

Yep, those are the journeys where cycling works well if suitable safe facilities are provided. And the 15 minute city concept (not a conspiracy) shortens some further. Of course some British places are hilly (e.g. Lancaster and Durham might be ideal cycling cities were they not, being very small and quite high density), but for hills there are e-bikes.

Take those short trips out of the equation and you lose a lot of emissions.

Not only that, but they're mostly urban trips with the car not properly warmed up, so are by far the most polluting trips.

 

[mi_z]

Cycling is ideal for journeys between about 1 and 4 miles for most people (under a mile and getting the bike out and locking it up takes longer than walking). Ten miles is for the superfit and time-blessed.

For rural residents, park and ride at urban fringes is probably the best plan where a decent* bus service isn't viable.

* Hourly 0700-2300 ish is probably the limits of a genuinely useful rural/interurban service - below that and it becomes a distress purchase for most.

You certainly don't need to be superfit to cycle 10 miles. If that's the current attitude then the fitness of people in the UK is very low. Also, urban cycling is much slower than rural cycling because of all the traffic lights (caused by cars). So a 4 mile cycle in the city would be much slower than in the countryside.

Cycling on country lanes is fine, we could drop the speed limit if it's that bad,

No they are more lethal than city cycling. Dropping speed limits is all well and good but people have to abide by them. The Netherlands has separate tracks in rural areas (which you can walk on too).

 

[Bletchleyite]

You certainly don't need to be superfit to cycle 10 miles.

You do if you don't want to arrive in a bucket of sweat.

If that's the current attitude then the fitness of people in the UK is very low.

It is true that the fitness of people in the UK is, on average, very low.

I would consider myself fitter than average but wouldn't cycle 10 miles as a serious mode of transport. I sometimes do it for enjoyment, but that's very different from doing it in the dark and rain to get to work and when knackered to get home. I did once cycle commute daily, and do miss it a bit, but that was about 5.5 miles and as long as I'd want to do.

Cycling is an ideal short distance mode of transport, as the Netherlands demonstrates. I think it's quite unhelpful when cycling fans try to push it for purposes it's not well suited for on a mass basis, even if it might be for them.

No they are more lethal than city cycling. Dropping speed limits is all well and good but people have to abide by them. The Netherlands has separate tracks in rural areas (which you can walk on too).

It depends what we're talking about. I wouldn't cycle on the A421 (which is why I don't cycle to visit my friend in Buckingham) but can get part way there on perfectly decent quiet lanes.

However I do agree - all A and B roads with no reasonable alternative* should have a segregated cycle facility of at least Milton Keynes Redway standard (shared path, minimum width 2m, smooth tarmac surface).

* I see no particular need to cycle on the A5 dual carriageway through Milton Keynes because the "old A5" Watling St has a cycle facility throughout, for instance. Indeed had MK been started maybe 10 years earlier it would almost certainly have been a motorway just like the almost-equivalent M58 - see also why Merseyrail stayed with BR and the T&W Metro didn't. But the shortest non-main-road route from MK to Buckingham is via Winslow, which is quite a bit further and involves more hills and an unsurfaced path for the first half.

 

[Bald Rick]

Ten miles is for the superfit and time-blessed.

It really isn’t! I am by no means super fit, but a 10 mile bike ride is really nothing, and certainly not one to work up a sweat unless you are trying hard.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It really isn’t! I am by no means super fit, but a 10 mile bike ride is really nothing, and certainly not one to work up a sweat unless you are trying hard.

You are fitter than average by definition of making that post.

You will not sell 10 mile cycle rides to the mass general public. Cycling is best for 1-5 mile or so trips in flat places (or on e-bikes where it is not flat) - it's in essence a range increasing "aid to pedestrianism"*. That's what the Dutch use it for, and the Dutch know everything there is to know about utility cycling and should simply be copied verbatim on the matter. Hardly any Dutch people are making cycle journeys of that length on a daily basis - they cycle to the local shops, to the station/tram stop etc - it's all short trips on a comfortable, basic traditional bicycle designed for riding slowly in normal clothes.

Even ignoring the fitness, cycling 10 miles at a non-sweat-producing speed takes between 45 minutes and an hour, which you're simply not going to sell against a 20 minute (at most) car journey.

* Actually legal precedent exists to call it that which is why wheeling a bicycle through a red traffic light or across a pedestrian crossing isn't illegal!

 

[mi_z]

You do if you don't want to arrive in a bucket of sweat.

Do you though? Sweating depends on your exertion not on the distance you cycle. Would you say walking 1 mile vs 3 miles has an impact on sweating? And just from the cycle, obviously the weather may make you sweat regardless. Though the breeze does help with sweating. The minimum effort required to cycle is akin to walking, so if you don't push too hard you won't really sweat. You'll just be slower.

The problem in the UK is that when you cycle with cars you are naturally motivated to cycle faster to "keep up with them" and avoid conflict. That disappears with cycle paths.

 

[Krokodil]

You certainly don't need to be superfit to cycle 10 miles.

No, but you do however have to build up to it. After several years of barely looking at a bike I started cycling to work again. 3.5 miles each way in a slightly hilly area. To begin with I would struggle with the return journey but it didn't take long for my strength to rebuild. Bear in mind that I'm a conductor who had only just stopped working slam-door stock so I was certainly used to lots of walking.

Start by getting people to cycle the mile to the shops. Then gradually persuade them into longer and longer rides.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Start by getting people to cycle the mile to the shops. Then gradually persuade them into longer and longer rides.

Or accept, as the Dutch do, that the bicycle is the perfect mode of transport for journeys of about 1 to 5 miles, and provide high quality public transport (and secure cycle storage at its stations) for the longer stuff!

 

[mi_z]

You are fitter than average by definition of making that post.

You will not sell 10 mile cycle rides to the mass general public. Cycling is best for 1-5 mile or so trips in flat places (or on e-bikes where it is not flat) - it's in essence a range increasing "aid to pedestrianism"*. That's what the Dutch use it for, and the Dutch know everything there is to know about utility cycling and should simply be copied verbatim on the matter. Hardly any Dutch people are making cycle journeys of that length on a daily basis - they cycle to the local shops, to the station/tram stop etc - it's all short trips on a comfortable, basic traditional bicycle designed for riding slowly in normal clothes.

Even ignoring the fitness, cycling 10 miles at a non-sweat-producing speed takes between 45 minutes and an hour, which you're simply not going to sell against a 20 minute (at most) car journey.

* Actually legal precedent exists to call it that which is why wheeling a bicycle through a red traffic light or across a pedestrian crossing isn't illegal!

The Dutch have problems of their own. They have the highest cycling rates (because of their infrastructure) but as a country they still drive too much, and not much is done to discourage that. See e.g. http://www.aviewfromthecyclepath.com/2023/04/whats-gone-wrong-with-road-safety-in.html

 

[Bald Rick]

You are fitter than average by definition of making that post.

You will not sell 10 mile cycle rides to the mass general public. Cycling is best for 1-5 mile or so trips in flat places (or on e-bikes where it is not flat) - it's in essence a range increasing "aid to pedestrianism"*. That's what the Dutch use it for, and the Dutch know everything there is to know about utility cycling and should simply be copied verbatim on the matter. Hardly any Dutch people are making cycle journeys of that length on a daily basis - they cycle to the local shops, to the station/tram stop etc - it's all short trips on a comfortable, basic traditional bicycle designed for riding slowly in normal clothes.

Even ignoring the fitness, cycling 10 miles at a non-sweat-producing speed takes between 45 minutes and an hour, which you're simply not going to sell against a 20 minute (at most) car journey.

* Actually legal precedent exists to call it that which is why wheeling a bicycle through a red traffic light or across a pedestrian crossing isn't illegal!

For what it’s worth I agree with you, that Joe and Joanna Public are not going to swap to bikes at all, let alone for 10 mile trips. We simply don’t have the infrastructure or the weather.

To pick up on the fitness point though - I may well be fitter than average (pretty sure of that) but certainly not super fit, and you definitely don’t need to be super fit to cycle 10 miles!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Do you though? Sweating depends on your exertion not on the distance you cycle. Would you say walking 1 mile vs 3 miles has an impact on sweating?

I'll absolutely be more sweaty if I've walked 3 miles than 1, yes. 1 mile (for me) is barely enough to warm up. And if your body temperature is elevated for 3 times as long you'll produce 3 times as much sweat.

And just from the cycle, obviously the weather may make you sweat regardless. Though the breeze does help with sweating. The minimum effort required to cycle is akin to walking, so if you don't push too hard you won't really sweat. You'll just be slower.

And your ten-mile ride will take an hour and a half.

No normal person will accept a journey that slow, which is why the Dutch correctly don't push cycling for that purpose. There are interurban paths, but unlike urban ones they're not exactly heaving. That doesn't mean there aren't people who cycle 10 miles to work, of course there are, but they're in the relative minority of fitter, typically younger people (40s and below), and proportionally are much more likely to be male for some reason I don't quite get.

The problem in the UK is that when you cycle with cars you are naturally motivated to cycle faster to "keep up with them" and avoid conflict. That disappears with cycle paths.

It doesn't entirely as you want to get there this week. And because most employment starts at somewhere between 8 and 9am, you don't want to be getting up too early!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Sep 2023 ==

For what it’s worth I agree with you, that Joe and Joanna Public are not going to swap to bikes at all, let alone for 10 mile trips. We simply don’t have the infrastructure or the weather.

To pick up on the fitness point though - I may well be fitter than average (pretty sure of that) but certainly not super fit, and you definitely don’t need to be super fit to cycle 10 miles!

You don't need to be superfit, but you do need to be reasonably fit. Of course doing it will get you fitter, but you'll not want to do it in the meantime unless your employer has shower facilities!

 

[Krokodil]

Or accept, as the Dutch do, that the bicycle is the perfect mode of transport for journeys of about 1 to 5 miles, and provide high quality public transport (and secure cycle storage at its stations) for the longer stuff!

Quite a few people would consider five miles to be a long bike ride, which is why they need to be built up to it.

It would help if public transport were better set up for bikes, bearing in mind that the bike may be needed for both the first and the last leg of the journey. Rural buses should have racks mounted on them like they do in Switzerland. Provision on British trains is appalling too.

 

[Bantamzen]

Or accept, as the Dutch do, that the bicycle is the perfect mode of transport for journeys of about 1 to 5 miles, and provide high quality public transport (and secure cycle storage at its stations) for the longer stuff!

Not where I live, unless you like cycling up and down very steep hills just to get to the Co-op. Though I do accept its a bit of an outlier..

 

[Bletchleyite]

Quite a few people would consider five miles to be a long bike ride, which is why they need to be built up to it.

It would help if public transport were better set up for bikes, bearing in mind that the bike may be needed for both the first and the last leg of the journey. Rural buses should have racks mounted on them like they do in Switzerland. Provision on British trains is appalling too.

It is a pity we left the EU before they introduced the legal requirement for all new trains to carry a minimum of six bicycles. However, I think the hire schemes have done a lot for many people who want to make a shorter cycle journey at their destination - I very often do this in London - and are perhaps better than trying to carry a bicycle for every passenger on a peak-time London commuter train.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Sep 2023 ==

Not where I live, unless you like cycling up and down very steep hills just to get to the Co-op. Though I do accept its a bit of an outlier..

E-bikes remove hills, to be fair. But yes your part of the world is far hillier than most of the UK is - London norf ov da Rivva is fairly flat for instance, and so is much (but not all) sarf ov it too. As is most of south Manchester (but north is a bit hilly).

But there are places in the UK where you could literally just copy the Netherlands - most of East Anglia for example.

 

[mi_z]

And your ten-mile ride will take an hour and a half.

That's a very slow speed. In the city I could see that because of traffic lights, but if you are free to cycle without stopping then 10miles / hour is easily doable for most people. Pootle speed. And if you are in the city then you aren't driving much faster either.

I am very prone to sweating, but I cycle with large panniers so don't wear a backpack. That's the biggest contributor to sweat gone. Most people I see cycling don't do this so maybe that's the problem. I cycled ~12.5 miles (in London) recently to visit someone about in 1 hour and 15 min.

Edit: getting people to be active in day-to-day journeys would help a lot to slow mobility issues as they age. It's a shame but at a certain age, if you haven't maintained it, once you lose it it's very hard to get back.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I am very prone to sweating, but I cycle with large panniers so don't wear a backpack. That's the biggest contributor to sweat gone. Most people I see cycling don't do this so maybe that's the problem. I cycled ~12.5 miles (in London) recently to visit someone about in 1 hour and 15 min.

Unless they specifically enjoy cycling, most people won't accept a journey of that length taking that long, so I'm afraid you're onto a loser there. Even many cycling enthusiasts won't accept getting up an hour earlier to allow for that on the way to work every day.

 

[Krokodil]

We simply don’t have the infrastructure

That's certainly the case for pretty much every aspect of the UK, whether it is transport or sewage.

or the weather.

The Netherlands is wetter than half of the UK.

However, I think the hire schemes have done a lot for many people who want to make a shorter cycle journey at their destination

Yes, they're useful, but cities generally have good public transport coverage for that last mile anyway. Hence why I mentioned rural buses. Regional and IC trains really do need better provision.

 

[mi_z]

Unless they specifically enjoy cycling, most people won't accept a journey of that length taking that long, so I'm afraid you're onto a loser there. Even many cycling enthusiasts won't accept getting up an hour earlier to allow for that on the way to work every day.

As I said the alternatives aren't much faster. Driving would have been apparently 1 hour, and public transport 1 hour 5 min. I think the exercise, the free travel, and the enjoyment is worth the extra few mins. Maybe it's just me that finds it more pleasurable to cycle than sitting in a car or on a train but I doubt it.

 

[Trainbike46]

Do you seriously expect there to be protests in the streets because people can't bag a bargain flight to Malaga any more?

No, you'll get a press release from IAG, maybe a bit of placard-waving from the pilots' unions and then it'll all blow over. The number of people whose vote would be influenced by it will be miniscule.


That's certainly the case for pretty much every aspect of the UK, whether it is transport or sewage.

The Netherlands is wetter than half of the UK.


Yes, they're useful, but cities generally have good public transport coverage for that last mile anyway. Hence why I mentioned rural buses. Regional and IC trains really do need better provision.

A scheme like in the Netherlands (OV-fiets), where the railway offers hire bikes at most stations, which can be hired for a reasonable price for a 24 hour period, does make the railway easier to use for many journeys, as it makes the final leg from station to destination (and back) easier. I personally think that scheme works much better than the tfl cycle hire scheme (which is useful too!)

 

[Bletchleyite]

As I said the alternatives aren't much faster. Driving would have been apparently 1 hour, and public transport 1 hour 5 min. I think the exercise, the free travel, and the enjoyment is worth the extra few mins. Maybe it's just me that finds it more pleasurable to cycle than sitting in a car or on a train but I doubt it.

It's certainly not just you, but you are certainly in the overall minority. Most people would choose the car of those options, where they can sit and relax in a comfortable seat listening to their choice of music.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Sep 2023 ==

A scheme like in the Netherlands (OV-fiets), where the railway offers hire bikes at most stations, which can be hired for a reasonable price for a 24 hour period, does make the railway easier to use for many journeys, as it makes the final leg from station to destination (and back) easier. I personally think that scheme works much better than the tfl cycle hire scheme (which is useful too!)

Personally I prefer the TfL or Lime etc style schemes because they offer one-way journeys without having to worry about securing the bicycle. Indeed within Milton Keynes I only use them for one-way journeys where I've done something else the other way, as for a return trip I'd use my own bike!

For commuters, there's also the option of keeping a bike at the destination station, typically an older, less nickable one. Loads of people do that in London even with the hire schemes in place - the line-up of bikes at e.g. Marylebone is huge.

 

[Trainbike46]

Personally I prefer the TfL or Lime etc style schemes because they offer one-way journeys without having to worry about securing the bicycle. Indeed within Milton Keynes I only use them for one-way journeys where I've done something else the other way, as for a return trip I'd use my own bike!

For commuters, there's also the option of keeping a bike at the destination station, typically an older, less nickable one. Loads of people do that in London even with the hire schemes in place - the line-up of bikes at e.g. Marylebone is huge.

fair point, but the purpose of the railway cycle hire scheme is for people to have access to a bike in towns where they don't live, and most of those journeys are returns back to the train station

 

[Bletchleyite]

fair point, but the purpose of the railway cycle hire scheme is for people to have access to a bike in towns where they don't live, and most of those journeys are returns back to the train station

They are, but then the bike has to be kept safe in central London all day rather than someone else being able to use it, so it's both less efficient and has a higher risk of theft.

 

[Trainbike46]

They are, but then the bike has to be kept safe in central London all day rather than someone else being able to use it, so it's both less efficient and has a higher risk of theft.

For london the TfL scheme is indeed probably better

For less urban locations (including outer london), a railway run cycle hire scheme that is easy to use would be a really good thing

 

[Bletchleyite]

For london the TfL scheme is indeed probably better

For less urban locations (including outer london), a railway run cycle hire scheme that is easy to use would be a really good thing

FWIW Merseyrail tried it and it didn't really work. A small fleet of dockless share bikes is probably going to be better in most settings.

 

[Krokodil]

A scheme like in the Netherlands (OV-fiets), where the railway offers hire bikes at most stations, which can be hired for a reasonable price for a 24 hour period, does make the railway easier to use for many journeys, as it makes the final leg from station to destination (and back) easier. I personally think that scheme works much better than the tfl cycle hire scheme (which is useful too!)

That takes care of many locations, but there's still a need to travel with one's own bike, particularly on rural lines.

FWIW Merseyrail tried it and it didn't really work. A small fleet of dockless share bikes is probably going to be better in most settings.

I hadn't heard about that, could you please expand?

Whatever gets introduced needs to have a proper dock for when its not on hire. Escooters scattered across the street are a real PITA, particularly for those not mobile enough to step over or move them.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I hadn't heard about that, could you please expand?

The scheme was called "Bike & Go" and was a near direct copy of a similar Dutch scheme. Here's one article on it:

Bike & Go railway bike hire scheme to be shut down in Scotland, Merseyside and East Anglia

The Bike & Go bike hire scheme which operates from a number of Abellio stations is to be closed down at the end of September because it is “not self-sufficient”. The Scotsman reports that bikes outside ScotRail stations are being rented on average once a month.The Bike & Go scheme suffered a...

road.cc

Bike & Go railway bike hire scheme to be shut down in Scotland, Merseyside and East Anglia​

Each bike in Scotland was being used around once a month

by Alex Bowden

Fri, Aug 30, 2019 16:59
7


The Bike & Go bike hire scheme which operates from a number of Abellio stations is to be closed down at the end of September because it is "not self-sufficient". The Scotsman (link is external) reports that bikes outside ScotRail stations are being rented on average once a month.
The Bike & Go scheme suffered a rather wobbly launch in 2015 with the website falsely showing there were “0 bikes currently available” at the first two Scottish locations on the first day.
Take-up was also underwhelming and the scheme currently has only 2,000 members.
The 103 ScotRail cycles were rented an average of 122 times per four-week period over the last year.



The story was similar outside Merseyrail stations. In 2016 we reported that bikes there were seeing just one user every six days during the busiest month of the year.


A Bike & Go spokeswoman said: “Unfortunately, the number of rentals and members since it was introduced in 2014 meant the scheme was not self-sufficient and the decision has been made to close Bike & Go across the UK.


"Current Bike & Go customers will be contacted on 31 August and given a one-month notice period to make alternative travel arrangements and information on refunds.


"Secure cycle cages will remain at stations to be used by cyclists to store their personal bikes as part of an ongoing commitment to reducing carbon emissions across the UK."


A ScotRail spokesman said: “Bike & Go was part of our commitment to cycling provision for customers.


“We have engaged with Transport Scotland other key stakeholders regarding the closure of the scheme and outlined ScotRail’s ongoing commitment to cycle provision at stations.


“This includes ongoing work with commercial cycle hire schemes to locate cycle hire facilities at our stations.”


Ian Maxwell, of Spokes, the Lothian cycle campaign, said: “The scheme was not user-friendly, the bikes were too heavy and it was superseded in Edinburgh by the Just Eat Cycles scheme.


“If there are other hire schemes, I’m not sure ScotRail are the best people to run them. The priority should be more bike parking at stations, and in the right place.”


Jim Densham, campaigns and policy manager for Scotland for Cycling UK, said: “It is disappointing the scheme is being scrapped when other bike share schemes are popping up in our towns and cities.


“We need to find a way for all these different bike rental systems to work together as a national scheme, to make it much easier for people to use any of them as part of their journey.”

 

[Trainbike46]

The scheme was called "Bike & Go" and was a near direct copy of a similar Dutch scheme. Here's one article on it:

Bike & Go railway bike hire scheme to be shut down in Scotland, Merseyside and East Anglia

The Bike & Go bike hire scheme which operates from a number of Abellio stations is to be closed down at the end of September because it is “not self-sufficient”. The Scotsman reports that bikes outside ScotRail stations are being rented on average once a month.The Bike & Go scheme suffered a...

road.cc

And the Dutch scheme is run by NS, which at the time was the parent company of Abellio, so the fact that it was available at Abellio TOCs was almost certainly not a coincidence

 

[JohnMcL7]

I took up cycling 12 years ago now when I had to do a number of short trips every day for the dog and it's certainly possible to reduce emissions, I've reduced my use of the car by over 75% now as pretty much all my shorter trips I can do by bike. It's not just reducing emissions but reducing emissions in built up areas as well as reducing congestion and improving health at the same time.

Also in terms of feasibility, unlike an electric car it's extremely cheap to get started with cycling and saves you money over a car as well long term with much lower running costs.

As I said the alternatives aren't much faster. Driving would have been apparently 1 hour, and public transport 1 hour 5 min. I think the exercise, the free travel, and the enjoyment is worth the extra few mins. Maybe it's just me that finds it more pleasurable to cycle than sitting in a car or on a train but I doubt it.

I think there's many cyclists the same as you and I certainly am. It's a downside in a way to cycling that I really don't like spending time in the car at all now particularly for longer trips, I've had some fantastic 10-12 hour cycles whereas after spending a few hours on a drive I've had enough. I did wonder why but then I think it's simply driving is stressful and you need to be 100% all the time whereas cycling de-stresses me and is relaxing instead.

A couple of years ago my Mum was after a portable DAB for Christmas but it wasn't in stock anywhere nearby, it felt wasteful taking the car just to get this little device so took the bike instead for the 100 mile round trip. It was one of the nicest cycles I've had, it was great to get away from the busy built up areas since it was at Christmas time and just had a lovely quiet cycle through back roads seeing a pretty sunset on the way back. It's the sort of experience people think you are nuts for but I really wish you could bottle up the experience on rides like that so others could appreciate it.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I think there's many cyclists the same as you and I certainly am. It's a downside in a way to cycling that I really don't like spending time in the car at all now particularly for longer trips, I've had some fantastic 10-12 hour cycles whereas after spending a few hours on a drive I've had enough. I did wonder why but then I think it's simply driving is stressful and you need to be 100% all the time whereas cycling de-stresses me and is relaxing instead.

This rather depends on the driving and the cycling. Cycling in central London is definitely an adrenaline sport, even with improved facilities. I enjoy it, but there's nothing whatsoever relaxing about it. Whereas driving on the motorway can be fairly relaxing and driving country lanes is just, well, nice.

A couple of years ago my Mum was after a portable DAB for Christmas but it wasn't in stock anywhere nearby, it felt wasteful taking the car just to get this little device so took the bike instead for the 100 mile round trip. It was one of the nicest cycles I've had, it was great to get away from the busy built up areas since it was at Christmas time and just had a lovely quiet cycle through back roads seeing a pretty sunset on the way back. It's the sort of experience people think you are nuts for but I really wish you could bottle up the experience on rides like that so others could appreciate it.

Now that's a dedicated cyclist. Which is great, but this sort of enthusiasm for cycling (and exercise) won't ever be able to be projected onto the wider population. 100 miles would kill me off to be honest.