You can get massive endorphin high from cycling hard and up hills. It's really hard to describe unless you've done it. I believe this is the same rush some runners get. Road bikers tend to go for this sort of high, mountain bikers often get in to the downhill. I am a bit weird in that I prefer uphill to down and usually ride a mountain bike.
One thing I would recommend is, once you're out of traffic or are confident of staying on the edge of the road and not being hit by passing traffic, try playing some trance or other high energy music through headphones. You don't need a special iPod or expensive headphones, just a regular smartphone in your pocket (if like me you remain unconvinced about doing the lycra thing) and in-ear headphones threaded through your shirt will do it. This isn't just a random recommendation: by adding high energy music, I find that my subconscious regulation of breathing changes and I am able to more accelerate my metabolism both more quickly and to a further point.
Source: During my first startup in southwest China I used to leave the office about 4 or 5pm and cycle up a Himalayan mountain at high speed before retiring to social drinking. Through the wonders of cycling I managed to lose a lot of weight and maintain high energy despite heavy drinking :) Also used to do whole day group or solo rides on the weekends, sometimes both days, usually with more off-road.
I've also done (usually month long) cycle tours around southwest China, France, Romania, and Taiwan.
A couple of years back, while living in the Hollywood hills of LA for a year, I got a bit in to road biking .. the mountains north of eastern LA are fantastic for weekend rides. Unfortunately I'm living in Bangkok now, no chance to cycle but a huge private pool to enjoy, and plan to hit southwest China on a regular basis to visit the squirrels in my favoured cycling environment: high altitude Himalayan pine forest. Ahh, nature and exercise are so life affirming :)
Where in SW china were you doing your cycling? And what kind of startup were you doing that allowed you to be there? (NB I just moved back to SF after a year and half in Kunming)
Startup: My own, since there was nobody doing anything there that required my skills I simply made my own project. China-focused multilingual hotel reservation system, with integrated global SMS, digital fax, from-scratch diskless Linux-based VOIP call center.
One thing I would recommend is, once you're out of traffic or are confident of staying on the edge of the road and not being hit by passing traffic, try playing some trance or other high energy music through headphones. You don't need a special iPod or expensive headphones, just a regular smartphone in your pocket (if like me you remain unconvinced about doing the lycra thing) and in-ear headphones threaded through your shirt will do it. This isn't just a random recommendation: by adding high energy music, I find that my subconscious regulation of breathing changes and I am able to more accelerate my metabolism both more quickly and to a further point.
Source: During my first startup in southwest China I used to leave the office about 4 or 5pm and cycle up a Himalayan mountain at high speed before retiring to social drinking. Through the wonders of cycling I managed to lose a lot of weight and maintain high energy despite heavy drinking :) Also used to do whole day group or solo rides on the weekends, sometimes both days, usually with more off-road.
I've also done (usually month long) cycle tours around southwest China, France, Romania, and Taiwan.
A couple of years back, while living in the Hollywood hills of LA for a year, I got a bit in to road biking .. the mountains north of eastern LA are fantastic for weekend rides. Unfortunately I'm living in Bangkok now, no chance to cycle but a huge private pool to enjoy, and plan to hit southwest China on a regular basis to visit the squirrels in my favoured cycling environment: high altitude Himalayan pine forest. Ahh, nature and exercise are so life affirming :)