Motivation?

cabbage1879

How do people on here motivate themselves to get out on the bike?

I've been cycling over 20 years, done a few club races in my early 20s but then i found alcohol and loose women.

Thing is my ability has never really changed or indeed got better. I can cycle 50-100 miles if i really wanted to at a decent enough pace, but truth be told i really can't be arsed heading out on my bike.

The last month or so has seen me away on various weekends pishing money up against a wall after getting hammered, and while the weight has slowly crept back on i still can't be annoyed riding the bike.

Am i alone in that?

I know if i go out i'll enjoy it, but it's that initial act of getting ready and getting on the bike that puts me off. I know it sounds daft, but i'm actually thinking of jacking it all in at the minute as i have a nice bike that in reality doesn't get used often enough for me to have it.

spinndrift

Deciding to LEJOG motivated me for this June from when I decided I was doing it in November but after I'd done it I didn't touch the bike for a month.

My next ride is Paris - Blackpool next June so I guess having something to train for is the best motivation I can find.

P_Tucker

Well, if you don't enjoy your hobby, its time to get a new hobby. FFS

neilo23

cabbage1879 wrote:

How do people on here motivate themselves to get out on the bike?

I've been cycling over 20 years, done a few club races in my early 20s but then i found alcohol and loose women.

Thing is my ability has never really changed or indeed got better. I can cycle 50-100 miles if i really wanted to at a decent enough pace, but truth be told i really can't be arsed heading out on my bike.

The last month or so has seen me away on various weekends pishing money up against a wall after getting hammered, and while the weight has slowly crept back on i still can't be annoyed riding the bike.

Am i alone in that?

I have similar problems. When I started I dreamt of winning the Tour and after quickly realising that that wouldn't happen I did lose a lot of motivation. What did I have to aim for?

I tend to have phases: 2 months of living like a monk, riding almost every day, training like a maniac and then getting fed up of being at home in the evenings on my own.

I suppose setting goals is the best way of motivating yourself.

I know if i go out i'll enjoy it, but it's that initial act of getting ready and getting on the bike that puts me off. I know it sounds daft, but i'm actually thinking of jacking it all in at the minute as i have a nice bike that in reality doesn't get used often enough for me to have it.

cabbage1879

P_Tucker wrote:

Well, if you don't enjoy your hobby, its time to get a new hobby. FFS

Very simplistic view there Tucker.

Thanks for that :P

cabbage1879

joe2008 wrote:

Am i alone in that?

No, walk down your high street and have a look at the lard on show.

I get that, cheers. :P

neeb

How do people on here motivate themselves to get out on the bike?

Thing is my ability has never really changed or indeed got better. I can cycle 50-100 miles if i really wanted to at a decent enough pace, but truth be told i really can't be arsed heading out on my bike.

You've almost answered your own question. Your ability won't get better if you don't get out often enough and/or push hard enough when you are out. Once you have reached a level of fitness when you begin to see significant improvements however, then part of the motivation becomes not losing that again. In my case, I really get a buzz out of cycling when I'm fit and feel strong, and I hate having to go through the process of regaining fitness over many weeks when I have lost it a little. Nothing worse than pushing as hard as you can and still feeling slow because you are out of condition...

So the trick is getting there - once you are there it is easier to stay there. Same goes for any physical condition or habit, it's always easy to keep doing what you are used to doing.

Bronzie

Have a target event to train for...................or take up darts.

rajMAN

No, your not alone in that. Much the same for me I can't be ar**d to get out either!

Lack of motivation is not something that gets talked about much, but maybe after 20+ yaers riding I don't think its anything suprising. I like riding in hot weather and this summer well, enough said on that score. Maybe we should start a group for all those that can't be ar**d. It wont matter if were spread about the globe as we won't be getting together to ride coz we can't be ar**d!! 8)

freehub

I don't need to motivate myself, it's automated.

Anonymous

Chuck Norris wrote:

I don't need to motivate myself, it's automated.

OP, I know what you mean.

By the time you get a misses and children you have a lot of strings tugging for your attention.

This year has been rubbish for my cycling, I have a new bike, I've been desperate to get out, but what with one thing and another (families/house stuff) I haven't manged to keep up the fitness levels I achieved last year. So I'm left feeling pretty demotivated, cos once I was better than I am now.

What's the answer? Haven't a clue mate, but let me know if you come up with anything.

ut_och_cykla

From a fitness point of view - it needs to be like brushing your teeth - regular and often even if sometimes you forget toothpaste or just brush the fronts for 5 seconds. And if cycling doesn't do it for you find something that does.
If its for a specific goal - get one and do it!
And if you are trying to find motivation to cycle after 20 years - think back 20 years - what got you out cycling then - mates? lovely countryside? getting away from problems? Are those even vaguely relevant now? perhaps/perhaps not but maybe you've just grown apart from cycling.

cabbage1879

RichardSwt wrote:

Chuck Norris wrote:

I don't need to motivate myself, it's automated.

OP, I know what you mean.

By the time you get a misses and children you have a lot of strings tugging for your attention.

This year has been rubbish for my cycling, I have a new bike, I've been desperate to get out, but what with one thing and another (families/house stuff) I haven't manged to keep up the fitness levels I achieved last year. So I'm left feeling pretty demotivated, cos once I was better than I am now.

What's the answer? Haven't a clue mate, but let me know if you come up with anything.

I'm only back on the bike this year after the death of my mother last year and a serious medical complaint after that. Needless to say last year was a bit shitty, and trying get back has been hard to say the least. Th 1st few weeks were great mainly because i never thought i'd be able to turn the cranks again, but since then it's been downhill. My average speed hasn't got about 15mph all year, 2 years ago it was 17/18mph and everything was a piece of piss.

No idea what the answer is either, maybe i should just be grateful for where i am at the minute and moaning...

ut_och_cykla

Don't beat yourself up over your performance compared to how it used to be. Give yourself time. Ride to enjoy riding - whether its to the pub or further afield. You've had a rubbish year, been ill and lost an important family member. Did you really expect better of yourself? Be kind to yourself (but don't over indulge) and give yourself time. You'll get there. One day it will say 'click'

cyco2

Sometimes less is more....Try a different type of cycling, say off-road, and do some looking around instead of knocking off the miles. My motto is ....Speed or distance is not essential.

nottscobb

If you want to get yourself back to your original fitness you need to set yourself smaller short term goals. Only having one big goal way off in the future will be depressing as it will seem like you're not making any progress.

I had similar issues when I got back into cycling a while back but realised I needed to go back and work out what it was about cycling that I enjoyed so I just got out and rode my bike in different places - different routes, different terrain, some on road, some off road. It turns out that once back in the swing of it, I enjoy it all when I just let myself enjoy it and don't analyse it too much

HiMoz

I'm always excited for the next ride so motivation never really comes into it. Never really understand questions like this!