In Tucson, where I live, cycling is a sub-culture! It is SO strong here, it is amazing. We have so many "biker,s" doing races, doing the mountain trails and the city streets. All our streets are bike friendly and we have SO many out on the weekends they invade restaurants after rides in fill them up!
These people are in great shape and have biked together for years, some of them.
The university here also has a program for bikers that attracts students from all over.
You can always ride her, the weather is always good, no rain and other than three months in the summer when it is hot, it's the ideal exercise. I'm not into cycling myself but I know plenty who are, we dance, go for a coffee and run into each other at all sorts of places!

It IS very good for those, as orchid says, that have burnt out other muscles from other sports or aerobics which was never very good for you!

Myself, exercise is hurting my body and has the opposite effect. I just launch into dancing with no warm up to save my muscles from over use. I am naturally flexable so I can do the splits whereever I am without a warm up. My doctor told me to stop warming up long ago to spare my muscles.

Cycling is rewarding, I know that. It is also a way to socialize in a healthy, rewarding manner.

dancer