YMMV but the reason I bike to work (and have been biking to work for the past 7 years) is because I enjoy the experience of going as hard as I can, heart pumping, asphalt rolling fast under my wheel while taking turns fast, feeling wind in my hair. You won't see me smiling (while passing you at 25mph) just like you won't see someone at the gym smiling when pushing heavy weights, but I prefer my commute to the alternative of driving stuck in traffic. Because for me the alternative isn't "bike relaxed, take in the nature", that's just too boring and slow and it doesn't hold any interest to me.
So you people need to stop being judgy. I won't judge someone because they ride a crappy looking bike in crappy clothes so don't judge someone for riding a fancy looking bike in lycra (which btw is very comfortable athletic wear, you should try it). Everyone is having fun in their own way, they have their own motivations for doing some of the same things. Just because I put a lot of effort (and money) into my biking it doesn't mean I don't enjoy it, it's my favorite part of going to work.
Did you mean to reply to me? I think I was clear that what I said was without judgement. I genuinely don't understand the perspective of the people who grimace all the time while riding. If you get off on passing people, ok. And it really is ok, there's nothing wrong with feeling competitive. That's not what it is about for me, and I both bike and lift, and push myself hard. I just enjoy the process and the camaraderie.
I race motorcycles. I don't get joy out of it, I get satisfaction and a feeling of achievement. I get a feeling of ultimate focus for 15 minutes. Nothing compares to it. I can't imagine processing the experience as an emotion, that would require taking focus away from the knife edge of going fast but not fast enough to crash. My good friend races with me and he says it's the most fun thing ever, he's grinning in his helmet. We are doing the same thing, we are getting something positive from it, but we have completely different ways we experience it.
I think you and the person you're replying to may just be defining "enjoy" differently. To me, enjoying something just means you like doing it for some reason or another, not necessarily that you're on cloud nine throughout.
I wouldn't say I'm on cloud nine. But if I'm out for a ride, and things are working like the should, no leg stiffness, balance isn't off... It really does make me happy enough to smile. And that in turn makes my effort feel lightened. It is so much more enjoyable than the approach I took when I was in my 20's, which was more of the no pain/no gain variety.
I can absolutely get euphoria while pushing myself to the limit (I don't bike or wear Lycra, though.) I don't know if I have the free energy to smile in those moments...
So you people need to stop being judgy. I won't judge someone because they ride a crappy looking bike in crappy clothes so don't judge someone for riding a fancy looking bike in lycra (which btw is very comfortable athletic wear, you should try it). Everyone is having fun in their own way, they have their own motivations for doing some of the same things. Just because I put a lot of effort (and money) into my biking it doesn't mean I don't enjoy it, it's my favorite part of going to work.