When your body is working full tilt, totally depleted of vitamins and working to maintain oxygen to your muscles it is demanding and competing against your brain for attention.
So the question has been asked; Does it Shut Your Brain Down or go into low autopilot mode during Long Distance Bike Riding? Interesting question indeed, well lets analyze this.
This question was posed recently by a gentleman who has done much bicycle riding; both short and long distances.
In his observation he noted that the shorter bike rides were pleasurable and he remembered thinking and enjoying himself.
During the long bike rides he noted he only remembered the pain, hard work and felt as if his brain had just turned off? And maybe it did somewhat, as it competed against the body for oxygen.
His comment about the brain shutting down during long bike rides is interesting? Hmm? Well maybe that is so, although also realize the body is sped cardio vascularly too; I mean your oxygen is needed by your body right, so you brain has to share.
In my own observations I am not sure I can shut down my mind, it works at extremely high-rates of speed you see? I cannot turn it off if I wanted too, I use to think I wanted too, now I kind of enjoy its abilities, creativity and ability to problem solve.
So in my observations I wonder about this, although physiologically it makes sense what he is saying.
Also if the brain waves slow down that allows for different types of thought and the fluctuations are indeed worthy too to the process of thinking.
And some people think better under stress and realize that the oxygen will get there, it will find a way, and just maybe a long-distance bike ride might get some cobwebs out who knows? Please consider all this in 2006.