NOT JUST HAWKISH, TONY HAWKISH:

Bush, a "biking maniac," loves leaving aides in dust (Julie Hirschfeld Davis, 2/13/05, The Baltimore Sun)

Cancel the cozy days at Camp David, Md. Put away the underused running shoes. When it comes to weekend enjoyment, all President Bush seems to need is some winding trails and a helmet.

And his mountain bike.

Bush recently has been logging scores of miles on a secluded spread in Beltsville, Md., and the rolling hills of Quantico, Va., far from the White House.

"He's become a biking maniac," said Mark McKinnon, his media adviser and frequent cycling companion.

What began as a way for the president to stay fit, after three decades of running ruined his knees, is now his passion.

Besides burning calories at a 1,000-per-hour clip, cycling gives Bush an emotional rush that sometimes surpasses the one he got from running.

"He's obsessed with it," McKinnon said. "He now likes to do nothing but work out on his bike, and he does it with a frenzy that is reserved for people like Lance Armstrong."

Bush's face lights up at the mention of biking, a heart-thumping release from the stress of his job.

"Prayer and exercise are what keeps me going," he told a Great Falls, Mont., man who asked what brand of bicycle he rides.