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Two years ago, Reynolds was turning 30 and ending a serious 4-year relationship with singer Alanis Morissette. He and a good buddy were just 2 weeks into a cathartic motorcycle journey across Australia when the friend crashed. (Fortunately, he was okay.) Reynolds shrugs; there will be other trips. "I like hopping on a bike and taking off because it's become so difficult to get lost nowadays," he says. "We're constantly connected to information and stimulation. On a bike, there's none of that. It would take an extremely talented imbecile to send a coherent e-mail from a motorcycle at 80 mph."
For this summer, Reynolds has set his sights on Alaska, riding the Top of the World Highway on his new Paul Smart Ducati with his brother and the friend who wiped out in Australia. Nervous? Hell, no. "There's an old expression: There are two kinds of riders—those who have gone down, and those who are going to go down," he says. "I've already gone down a few times."
source:menshealth.com
I love the fact that when you're on a motorcycle, riding a motorcycle is the only thing you're doing."
Los Angeles traffic is not typically known for its restorative qualities. But 10 years ago, when Ryan Reynolds first rode a motorcycle on the congested interstate, he knew he'd found bliss. The Canadian actor cruised the center shoulder of the highway while the rest of the suckers were crawling. "For the first time, I could reach anywhere in 20 minutes," he marvels.
It wasn't long before zoning out on a bike also symbolized another kind of freedom. "I love the fact that on a motorcycle, riding a motorcycle is the only thing you're doing," he says. No multitasking, no texting, no rolling meeting in the back of the Benz. Just riding. "I'm not a speed freak pushing the bike at top speeds all over the city. I just like to cruise."
His old Triumph Bonneville doesn't beg for attention with a loud engine or blinding chrome. His leather jacket, T-shirt, and jeans are just as understated. "You can just go about your business in a low-profile way," he says.
It's a welcome contrast to dodging the paparazzi with bride Scarlett Johansson, or preparing for a rolehas had to add 20 pounds of muscle for Blade: Trinity, explore the emotions of loss in Fireflies in the Garden, and train in swordplay for the upcoming X-Men Origins: Wolverine. "Shooting a movie isn't a job so much as it is a mission," the 32-year-old actor says. "I develop tunnel vision when I work." Riding is his escape. "You have to be able to bring your heart rate down, and then recharge," he says.
source:menshealth.com
