That's an interesting question Mark and my answer is a personal one. I've been dealing with a weird and as-yet-undiagnosed health issue for some time that unpredictably impacts my cardio performance. I generally have bad days and okay days, with the occasional good day sprinkled in. This means that going for a big pedal ride with my buddies can be stressful because I don't know what to expect. Of course I'm working my heart and lungs on an eMTB but the impact of my issue isn't generally bad if I can keep my heartrate lower, which is rarely possible climbing under my own power around here if I want to stay with the group.
So a nice element for me is knowing I can go for a ride, put in some miles and get a decent workout and do some downhill without being in the red zone and unable to move faster than a snail's pace. So from that perspective, I ride more and my enjoyment is increased as well, and probably more so than if I wasn't dealing with this. This also means my riding ability has been positively impacted because of longer rides and more downhill time.
Jan. 19, 2022, 12:35 p.m. - Cam McRae
That's an interesting question Mark and my answer is a personal one. I've been dealing with a weird and as-yet-undiagnosed health issue for some time that unpredictably impacts my cardio performance. I generally have bad days and okay days, with the occasional good day sprinkled in. This means that going for a big pedal ride with my buddies can be stressful because I don't know what to expect. Of course I'm working my heart and lungs on an eMTB but the impact of my issue isn't generally bad if I can keep my heartrate lower, which is rarely possible climbing under my own power around here if I want to stay with the group. So a nice element for me is knowing I can go for a ride, put in some miles and get a decent workout and do some downhill without being in the red zone and unable to move faster than a snail's pace. So from that perspective, I ride more and my enjoyment is increased as well, and probably more so than if I wasn't dealing with this. This also means my riding ability has been positively impacted because of longer rides and more downhill time.