Do you find it difficult riding regularly - one day off

NDawn

At the moment, I haven't been out much on my bike. At work I tend to have 1 day then back in work, this tends to look like

Sat - Work
Sun - Off
Mon - Work
Tue - Work
Wed - Work
Thur - Off
Fri - Work

Sundays I tend to go out on my road bike, but more often than not I have family commitments so that tends to be a lost day.
Thursdays are typically used for food shopping/washing/drying/cleaning the flat which takes up half the day leaving me with the afternoon typically. And due to not having a car, I usually have to add an extra few hours onto any potential trips out on my MTB.

Been finding it difficult recently, working 40 - 45 hours a week with 1 day off to get out and about. Do other people have the same issues? Some days after all the jobs are done I just flop onto the sofa and find it very difficult to get up and go, which annoys me as I love getting out.

But hopefully more staff at work and shorter week, 38 hours, should mean I get a bit more time.

MissBint37

Drink a can of MTFU

I work 50+ hour weeks, have a house to look after and am extremely active on every day off, in fact I never sit down other than at work!!!
It's all in your mind...you can do whatever you want....once you get out, you will feel better!

cee

45 hours is not that bad...Its the minimum i work in a week.

I tend to spread my house jobs out over weekdays, so that on my actual days off, I can spend one doing a big job..i.e. garden etc...

then get a full day off for riding.

shopping is ordered online and delivered on weekday evenings.

So basically...don't save up all of your chores for that thursday....get through them mon-wed after work and have more of your free time to yourself.

welshkev

i ride to work 2 or 3 days a week then i try and get out for a 'proper' ride 1 evening and 1 day a weekend but with a 9 month old baby and working 40 - 50 hr weeks it can be tough

kaytronika

I only ride Saturdays... Barely see the wife as it is so I can't do Sundays.

I try to supplement it with exercise bike in the week... and a ride round the park if the weather is fine occasionally. But that means dealing with Croxteth's dimmest.

homers_double

Start night riding, not only is it awesome but it'll solve your problems.

MacAndCheese

I can find the time, it's just finding the time without p*ssing the girlfriend off at the moment! I work a 'normal' 5 day week, her new shifts mean she has a weekday and sunday off, so Sunday is the only day we get to spend together and my local club rides are normally sunday morning!

Other than that I usually get out one week night and a quick blast on Saturday.

vengeance111

im starting to ride less, but not because of work and stuff, its because all my trails are getting boring
however i am building a huge dh track at the moment with everything a mtber could ever want

VWsurfbum

homers double wrote:

Start night riding, not only is it awesome but it'll solve your problems.

This ^

I do a minnimum of a 60 hr week every week, i also have two children a dog and a wife that all demand attention, i do 1 or 2 midweek evening rides and 1 sunday ride.

I cant wait until my girls are old enough to come riding with me and the dog during the week. 8)

El Capitano

homers double wrote:

Start night riding, not only is it awesome but it'll solve your problems.

This.

Also, can you not ride to/from work? 90% of my riding\training is done on my commute. I have road bikes I use for this, but also intersperse this with the NRS and XTC and take in a few trails/fireroads/bridleways on the way home.

.blitz

VWsurfbum wrote:

I cant wait until my girls are old enough to come riding with me and the dog during the week.

blitz jr (then aged 12) was mildly freaked at the prospect of going night riding on Cannock Chase but literally after a few mins he was hooked. Now at 14 all I see of him is a pool of light floating along the trail as he clears off. Good times.

NDawn: Organise & prioritise, try not to get bogged down with trivia.

cat_with_no_tail

VWsurfbum wrote:

homers double wrote:

Start night riding, not only is it awesome but it'll solve your problems.

This ^

I do a minnimum of a 60 hr week every week, i also have two children a dog and a wife that all demand attention, i do 1 or 2 midweek evening rides and 1 sunday ride.

I cant wait until my girls are old enough to come riding with me and the dog during the week. 8)

Almost identical to my situation, except we dont have a dog.

VWsurfbum

Cat With No Tail
get a dog then , i can whole hartedly recomend them, sometimes its the only sense i get living with 3 girls

spongtastic

It's now nearly 4pm Thursday and I've already worked 41hrs. I should be on 37hrs so in effect I don't have to work tomorrow.

I find time to go out. Missed lunch time today because it was raining really hard, had no jacket and no seat covers to stop my muddy harris ruining the car seats, so I'll get up at 5.00 tomorrow and do an hour or two locally.

Then on Saturday or Sunday I'll be up before the kids and dog walkers.

When it gets darker and the plebs stay in doors I'll start doing more evenings.

What I don't get is the chance to go out with groups of riders which I realising I sort of miss.

delta5

It can be hard getting out regularly with work, family, and plenty of other stuff to do - I used to only get out once or twice over weekends, so my cunning plan this 'summer' has been to make the (sometimes heroic) effort (sometimes) to get out around 5:30 am - do a quick 10 or 15 miles xc, and if it's a weekday, back home by 7:15, shower, breakfast, off to work by 8:30.
The biggest hassle is the weather, and having to get to bed earlier which chops time out of the evening. It takes missionary zeal to get out of a warm comfy bed and head off into the gloom all bleary-eyed and creaky. It also only works during school holidays - in term-time I do the school run so I'd have to get up at about 4:30 . . and I don't need a viking ride that badly!
When I do manage to get up, the rewards are many . . . apart from a few hardcore dog-walkers there's no-one around; the air is cool, dawn is breaking and it's usually beautiful - loads of birds, dew on the grass, sun streaming through mist on the ponds; and it's a fantastic way to start the day, knowing I've already ridden 15 miles, and I'm more alert and productive at work.
Mid-summer evenings are also great - if its clear and dry I might get out around 8:30pm and be back around 10:30pm. Not something I can manage regularly, but I really enjoy the vibe at that time - different animal activities and sounds, its peaceful, and the terrain looks strange (is this the same trail I rode this morning . . ? :shock: ) which can be fun.
So far using this approach I've generally been able to get out 4 - 5 times a week - and one week I even saw the sun rise, set, and rise again - three brilliant rides in 24 hours
I'm planning to keep riding well into autumn but really not looking forward to that dark and dismal stretch from Nov to Feb. Might have to get some lights and decent winter gear. Or find something else to keep me fit . . .

delta5

spongtastic wrote:

What I don't get is the chance to go out with groups of riders which I realising I sort of miss.

+1 broccoli

jay12

during the holidays i ride everyday :P and when school is on i try to ride as much as possible. basically since i got my kinesis i have been to delamere every saturday