28 Inspiring Cycling Quotes

What inspires one rider to get out on 2 wheels and take on the world might not be motivation for another. We all have our own reasons for riding and for giving cycling a good part of our life.

Many love the bike health benefits which inspire them to keep fit. Others’ bike ride benefits and inspiration may come from the freedom that cycling allows.

Whatever pushes you to ride, you may find an extra bit of encouragement to cycle in one or more of these 29 inspiring cycling quotes:

1. “The bicycle is the noblest invention of mankind.” — Nobel prize winner, William Saroyan
2. “As long as I breathe, I attack.” — French cyclist, Bernard Hinault
3. “It never gets easier, you just go faster.” — U.S. cyclist, Greg LeMond
4. “When my legs hurt, I say: 'Shut up legs! Do what I tell you to do!'” — German cyclist, Jens Voigt
5. “Toleration is the greatest gift of the mind; it requires the same effort of the brain that it takes to balance oneself on a bicycle.” — U.S. political activist, Helen Keller
6. “Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the human race.” — British author, H.G. Wells
7. “When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking.” — British author, Arthur Conan Doyle
8. “The bicycle is a curious vehicle. Its passenger is its engine.” — U.S. cyclist, John Howard
9. "When you ride a bike and you get your heart rate up and you’re out, after 30 or 40 minutes your mind tends to expand; it tends to relax.” — [former] U.S. President George W. Bush
10. “Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of riding a bike.” — John F. Kennedy
11. “Don’t buy upgrades, ride up grades.” — Eddy Merckx
12. “Crashing is part of cycling as crying is part of love." — Belgian cyclist, Johan Museeuw
13. “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.” — U.S. author, Ernest Hemingway
14. “The bicycle is just as good company as most husbands and, when it gets old and shabby, a woman can dispose of it and get a new one without shocking the entire community.” — U.S. writer, Ann Strong
15. “It is the unknown around the corner that turns my wheels.” — German touring cyclist, Heinz Stücke
16. “Whoever invented the bicycle deserves the thanks of humanity.” — British MP Lord Charles Beresford
17. “The bicycle has done more for the emancipation of women than anything else in the world.” — U.S. women’s rights activist, Susan B. Anthony
18. “Bicycles are almost as good as guitars for meeting girls.” — Singer, songwriter and guitarist of the Grateful Dead, Bob Weir
19. “As a kid, I had a dream — I wanted to own my own bicycle. When I got the bike I must have been the happiest boy in Liverpool, maybe the world. I lived for that bike. Most kids left their bike in the backyard at night. Not me. I insisted on taking mine indoors and the first night I even kept it in my bed.” — John Lennon
20. “Learn to ride a bicycle. You will not regret it if you live.” — U.S. author and humorist, Mark Twain
21. “Life is like a 10-speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use.” — Creator of the Peanuts comic strip, Charles M. Schultz
22. “When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — U.S. author, Elizabeth West, US author
23. “Melancholy is incompatible with bicycling.” — U.S. book editor, James E. Starrs
24. “When your legs scream stop and your lungs are bursting, that’s when it starts. That’s the hurt locker. Winners love it in there." – Australian triathlete, Chris McCormack
25. “You can’t get good by staying home. If you want to get fast, you have to go where the fast guys are." – Multi-sport athlete, Steve Larsen
26. “Cyclists see considerably more of this beautiful world than any other class of citizens. A good bicycle, well applied, will cure most ills this flesh is heir to." – Dr. K.K. Doty
27. “A bicycle ride around the world begins with a single pedal stroke." - Scott Stoll
28. “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime. Teach a man to cycle and he will realize fishing is stupid and boring." - Desmond Tutu 

If you’re new to riding or again inspired to get out riding, think about cruising on one of sixthreezero’s cool cruiser bikes. The sixthreezero Teal Single Speed Women's 26" Beach Cruiser Bike and the sixthreezero Scholar 3 Speed Women's 26" Beach Cruiser Bike make for a pretty beautiful ride.

Join our Journey Club to uncover new and exciting ride locations around the globe.