>Question: Why does Lance Armstrong ride?  Answer: Because he's highly  

>inefficient at storing energy in the form of fat and HAS to engage in  

>unbelievably unpaleo endurance activities to burn off the unbelievable  

>carb-laden paleo diet he's consuming.



Hi again Jim. Uhm... could it be that Lance rides because he, like me, find it the most enjoyable physical activity there is? Although I understand what you're getting at, I don't believe that what you state is his primary motivation.



For instance, I have been working on a project in a small town about 30 miles away from where I live for a bit more than a year. Because of time constraints, I cannot ride the entire distance to the client and back. Instead, I drive part of the way and then ride for 10-15 miles to and from most days. It's not because I feel I need to do it to burn calories or condition my heart or any other "reasons", it is simple because I enjoy it. It's wonderful to get out and breathe fresh air (yes, in southern Idaho we still have some fresh air :), feel the blood pumping, get past that initial sluggishness in the legs. It just feels good. Maybe I'm addicted to the "rider's high", but there are a lot worse things to get addicted to.



My strength workouts pretty much mimic yours - I follow a HIT protocol a few days per week. But, contrary to my riding, I do those workouts because I feel I "have to", and thank God they are of very short duration or I would never get them done. During the warmer months my weight training workouts suffer (mostly out of disinterest), but during the cooler months I do much the same as you - hop on a bike and pedal about 5 miles to the gym, do the workout, pedal back home.