I think it just depends how you’re wired. Different people have different triggers. I find it harder not to ride than to ride, to be honest, but you may be different. Some people get off on suffering, some people like the challenge of setting PBs over loops. For me it’s just being on the bike and the escapism and the freedom and being in the moment and trying to appreciate what’s around me.
You’re really lucky living where you do, the road riding there’s just stunning, well, if you like climbing it is and the Dales are easily within striking distance. I don’t know what makes you tick, it sounds a bit like you expect road bikes to be ‘easy’ to ride, which they’re not, or rather they’re different to mountain bikes, you don’t get to rest much and you can get giddy with the sheer speed of them.
But really, you need to give it a chance – two miles is nothing. Go and ride it properly and with an open mind. If you still hate it, ask yourself honestly, why that is. I never much liked my road bike, then someone told me it was a ‘monstrosity’ and I realised that she was, in a sense, quite right. It was the only bike I didn’t like riding. It was harsh and fitted me badly and had no soul, no ‘thing’. I ended up buying a much nicer road bike and it completely changed the way I saw road riding.
Blah…