Solo Riding Motivation

bigbeezer

Hi folks,

what do you use to motivate yourself to go on solo training rides?
i am finding it very hard to do so and my fitness is suffereing as a result,don't want to let all my hard work this summer go to waste.

cheers

Pross

The suffering fitness and big gut is what inspires me to get out, if I only went on group rides I'd be even worse! I'm quite happy cycling alone as I can pick and choose where I go and get some exploring done on smaller roads.

danowat

Never really thought about it TBH, I just get out there and ride, solo or otherwise, probably do about 98% of my riding solo.

Why is it difficult to motivate yourself for solo rides?

dodgy

I do more than 99% of my riding alone, it's been a long time since I rode in company! Makes me wonder if I've become stronger while solo riding (no drafting), how I'd stack up against others in a club ride.

softlad

my preference is usually to train alone - especially on long rides. I don't need any motivation to go out riding - what I lack is the motivation to get my work done before I can go out....

bigbeezer

don't know what it is,i seem to ride harder when with someone,maybe it also has to do with riding the same route all the time? do you guys go every day or every other day? what is your usual training run mileage?

cheers

Airwave

The adrenalin can take over when your riding with others,if your the competitive type.That can be good thing or not so good if your intending to take it easy.I do a lot of riding on my own.Which means a lot of the time i can suit yourself as to what i do.I do lots of different training&just out all day loops from 20miles up to 120miles.Get to know all your local roads&lanes then you can mix it up so your not doing the same thing over&over.Biggest motivation is loving just riding your bike, then it's easy.

dreamlx10

how I'd stack up against others in a club ride.

You'd get humped most likely.

dodgy

dreamlx10 wrote:

how I'd stack up against others in a club ride.

You'd get humped most likely.

I honestly don't think so.

BlackdownBuzzard

Go to a cyclo-cross race ?

I find racing always reminds me what I go out and cycle for. Peaks up motivation massively

Bronzie

Join a club so you don't have to train alone all the time or get a Garmin and go explore some unknown lanes.

Pross

dreamlx10 wrote:

how I'd stack up against others in a club ride.

You'd get humped most likely.

and you've based that scientific judgement on what exactly? The best riders I've known have spent the vast majority of their training riding alone and tend to ride club runs on their easy days.

softlad

bigbeezer wrote:

don't know what it is,i seem to ride harder when with someone,maybe it also has to do with riding the same route all the time? do you guys go every day or every other day? what is your usual training run mileage?

cheers

I will usually ride 5 days out of 7. usually between 30-70m, depending on weather, or how I'm feeling. Living on the coast means my available route choice is about 50% less than someone who lives inland (ie, I can't head west without falling into the sea) and the terrain is pretty unforgiving around here, which can make you feel a bit jaded at times, but so long as you keep mixing up the rides a bit it's never a problem...

andyrr

I do a fair bit of solo riding and the motivation is not necessarily less for getting out of the door - problem can be that when riding with others of a similar level everyone tends to like to be seen to give the other guys a hard time so the session will be hard. Solo it's your own perception of how hard you can/want to ride that sets the level. It's a little too easy to ride a hill at a level that you know you'll get to the top of in an ok state, with others the quicker guy will try to be first, others will then try to hang on his wheel etc. You need to force yourself to go harder than you sometimes want to, attack that hill and stuff blowing up 3/4 the way up, just go hard.
Also if you have a favourite route then try to do it quicker, do it in reverse even if the hills are steeper, wind less in your favour etc mix it up a bit.
If you plan to go out tomorrow then get your gear all ready to go the night before, get the energy drinks ready in the fridge, commit to doing it and then have something else that you're going to do later that day, if you have a favourite post-ride food then have it ready for when you return.
I've found that having an ipod seems to distract me from the pain - stick some new tunes on it.
Check out some different places to ride on a map even if the distance if a big challenge.
Do you race ? If so then think of everyone else training like a madman whilst you are lookign to shirk it - plan the session in advance and when you set off remind yourself that you want to get back having achieved that session's goal.
Just some thoughts.

bigbeezer

thhnks for the feedback lads

Toks

bigbeezer wrote:

Hi folks,

what do you use to motivate yourself to go on solo training rides?
i am finding it very hard to do so and my fitness is suffereing as a result,don't want to let all my hard work this summer go to waste.

cheers

you'll have to set yourself some objectives or challenges
1. I'm gonna ride for 60 mins today or I'm gonna ride from A to B
2. I'm gonna try to ride a total of 6 hours this week and if I do I'll treat myself to XXX
3. Find a popular training loop where there are plenty of other cyclist and tag along (in London, when suitably motivated I can ride in Richmond Park for a couple of hours partly because there are other cyclists there)
4. Find a long term challenge - e.g. sportive and build towards it
5. Change you thinking and tell yourself its the best way to train.

dodgy

softlad wrote:

bigbeezer wrote:

don't know what it is,i seem to ride harder when with someone,maybe it also has to do with riding the same route all the time? do you guys go every day or every other day? what is your usual training run mileage?

cheers

Living on the coast means my available route choice is about 50% less than someone who lives inland (ie, I can't head west without falling into the sea)

First time I've seen someone else mention this point. I live just about at the nortwest tip of the Wirral, and for me it's even worse as I have sea to the North, West and East. Consequently all my rides of 30 miles or more must start out South East and come back North West! Even worse is that you can't plan your rides based on the wind, I would prefer to head out into a headwind and enjoy the tailwind on the way back but I don't get the choice.

dreamlx10

I honestly don't think so.

I honestly do.

softlad

dodgy wrote:

Even worse is that you can't plan your rides based on the wind, I would prefer to head out into a headwind and enjoy the tailwind on the way back but I don't get the choice.

that's probably the main issue round here - the prevailing winds are mostly W or SW, so more often than not you are heading home into the wind....all good training though..

nax-ian

Talk about restricted ridin, I live on an island!! But I am blessed with about 8 months of sunshine per year.
Beezer, get yerself a new ride, I find that always helps to get me out.
Now I've started road ridin I've set myself 2 or 3 hill climb TT's which I tackle about every 2 months.
And I started trail running in between ridin to keep the cardio up.

dodgy

dreamlx10 wrote:

I honestly don't think so.

I honestly do.

Get a grip fella I don't go out on club rides, but I do occasionally pass (yes - overtake) the local club run. I'm an experienced cyclist, been pounding the roads for less years than many, but enough to know of roughly where I stand in the pecking order.

Stop being such a grouch ffs.

craker

The Garmin idea is not such a bad one, if you've got one of those models that gives you a virtual partner it gives you someone to race.

I'm about 10% faster on my commute when I've got the GPS virtual partner on. Or if there's someone not too far in front to try and get past. Without that competition I find it hard to really put my legs into it.

I've done my commute enough times now to know what gear I should be in on the big hill, and I'll be in a bigger (faster) gear if I decide to make an effort. But I'm only training for tomorrow's commute.

Thick Tester

I've heard it all now.

If you are not motivated to ride a bike then sell the damn thing as you're in the wrong sport. Racing is about pain and pain is the sum total of suffering.

If you cannot bring yourself to suffer then there is no hope for you.

Listen to the little voices inside your own head and let them tell you that every pedal stroke is worthwhile - is your shmgarmin going to tell you that or do you expect it to boss you around bootcamp style?

Folk have trained hardand ridden faster for years without technology simply by watched and maps and all they believed is was brute force and mental strength. If you have those and the belief then you have the ability to crush your opponents with a mere stare at their inferior legs.

You should all take yourselves off for a seven hour ride sans technogly and contemplate this.

jgsi

You posted this in AmRace.
Can you give us a little clue as to why you are feeling your up to now hard earned fitness has a 'sell by date'?
I have had the pits of a so called race season... all my own fault, I know.. but kicked off b y breaking my hand in March.....
Now I have to sit down and write myself a small programm to get thru into 2011 and step up a gear to have a decent next season... of course it means just getting out and doing it.

richard205

I think bigbeezer is describing what i feel also.

Only recently got into the road thing and i love it, but find it hard to keep pushing on.

I know im capable (what i regard as being at least) of doing decent mileage eg, 100 miles but find its more of a mental thing.
eg, on a recent 100 miler i did around 50miles on my own, these were some of the hardest miles i did down to being on my jack jones. And when i was really suffering i had to mentally beast myself. In my example it was 'if lance can do it with cancer, i can bloody well do it now'
It got me up the hill.

When i'd met up with another rider i found the 10 or so miles went a lot quicker and the pace was pretty much the same.

Sometimes the pain is made just that little bit easier when you've got someone else around.

Toks

To the OP, just get out there and ride. We posters promise to mock, ridcule, tease, cajole, encourage, motivate and inspire you to continue to ride your bike. If you can take it up properly Cycling really is a beautiful sport. I'm just pisssed I didn't start till I was 38 years old. All those miserable years I wasted hobbling (bad ankles and knee) through sunday league and five a-side football matches :twisted: when I coulda been on my bike :evil:

bigbeezer

richard205 wrote:

I think bigbeezer is describing what i feel also.

Only recently got into the road thing and i love it, but find it hard to keep pushing on.

I know im capable (what i regard as being at least) of doing decent mileage eg, 100 miles but find its more of a mental thing.
eg, on a recent 100 miler i did around 50miles on my own, these were some of the hardest miles i did down to being on my jack jones. And when i was really suffering i had to mentally beast myself. In my example it was 'if lance can do it with cancer, i can bloody well do it now'
It got me up the hill.

When i'd met up with another rider i found the 10 or so miles went a lot quicker and the pace was pretty much the same.

Sometimes the pain is made just that little bit easier when you've got someone else around.

spot on mate

Toks

bigbeezer wrote:

don't know what it is,i seem to ride harder when with someone,maybe it also has to do with riding the same route all the time? do you guys go every day or every other day? what is your usual training run mileage?

cheers

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12729196&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

SBezza

You need to ask yourself why am I out riding, if it for a pure fitness thing, then try and make it fun, perhaps get a MTB and do some off road riding.

Also don't always use the same route, take a map, and go exploring.

I do all my rides alone, and I never have motivation issues to get out on the bike, then again I race, so my training is for racing, and perhaps that keeps my motivation high. I think you need some goals to achieve, then it will seem more motivating to reach those goals.

Joining a club is a good idea if you want company, but unless you have a really fast group, you will not get the same training as a solo ride will give you.

richard205

For me its that i dont have an event to aim for until next year. When i was training for the 100 miler i had a goal to aim for and there was something tangible at the end. ie if i didnt train for it, i wouldnt get my time and/or i wouldn't complete it.

Dont know if you bigbeezer also have this problem.

I do enjoy going out on the bike even on my own, my own pace. But i'm out everytime on my own and it grinds a bit.

Have thought about joining a club, can manage around 17-18mph average on the roads of essex so dont know if im fast enough to be a member. And like Toks also wish i'd carried on with my riding as I would be a good strong rider.

bigbeezer, shame you are up the other end of the country mate.

Bronzie

richard205 wrote:

Have thought about joining a club, can manage around 17-18mph average on the roads of essex so dont know if im fast enough to be a member.

For most club runs, certainly at this time of year, you'll be fine.