Tips for regaining motivation

phreak

My main two events this year were in Italy and France, with both offering great weather, fantastic road surfaces, friendly traffic and incredible routes and scenery to enjoy.

Now I'm back in London and none of that's on offer. The weather I can handle, but the road surfaces are awful, the traffic we all know about, and the gently rolling routes pretty uninspiring.

Any tips on how to regain some motivation?

Zoomer37

Try looking at yourself in the mirror and just see a big fat bloke. Then notice your going a bit bald on top and also realise your life aint going anywhere and your pretty sh*t at riding a bike. Then amongst the tears and cake put the Rocky 3 album on full blast and get on that bike and go mental.

phreak

I've got a hernia op on Thursday so will be off the bike for a wee while. Kinda hoping that will rekindle enthusiasm. Rode down to Brighton yesterday and it was dull as dishwater. Mile after mile of rolling countryside.

Tom Dean

phreak wrote:

Mile after mile of rolling countryside.

:? sounds nice to me. Why did you bother?

briantrumpet

My motivation comes in different areas:

Charting progress in distances/speeds (spreadsheet)
Creating new routes & exploring roads new to me
Enjoying the commute (cheaper/quicker than driving)
Just enjoying the feeling of being on a nice machine in the proper kit
Looking forward to next summer (it's always going to be better than the current one!!)

I'm not going to say that I'm equally motivated from all of these all the time, and that every ride is equally pleasurable, but there's enough there to get me out most days, even if it's just the saving £25 each week on fuel & parking (I know that's not much in comparison to London, but even that's £1250 p.a. That's definitely a motivation in itself!)

phreak

Tom Dean wrote:

phreak wrote:

Mile after mile of rolling countryside.

:? sounds nice to me. Why did you bother?

Thought maybe a group ride would be nice, just do some riding for the sake of riding rather than training. Just didn't really enjoy it and found myself longing for some proper mountains to tackle.

phreak

briantrumpet wrote:

My motivation comes in different areas:

Charting progress in distances/speeds (spreadsheet)
Creating new routes & exploring roads new to me
Enjoying the commute (cheaper/quicker than driving)
Just enjoying the feeling of being on a nice machine in the proper kit
Looking forward to next summer (it's always going to be better than the current one!!)

I'm not going to say that I'm equally motivated from all of these all the time, and that every ride is equally pleasurable, but there's enough there to get me out most days, even if it's just the saving £25 each week on fuel & parking (I know that's not much in comparison to London, but even that's £1250 p.a. That's definitely a motivation in itself!)

Thanks for the ideas Brian. Commuting isn't really an issue. Doing it in London it isn't ever good for training so I tend to just spin and use it as a recovery ride. Considerably better than riding the train or a bus so no probs there.

My concern is getting in some decent miles this winter. To be on the bike for 5/6 hours, just struggling to find the motivation to do that at the moment.

Tom Dean

phreak wrote:

My concern is getting in some decent miles this winter. To be on the bike for 5/6 hours, just struggling to find the motivation to do that at the moment.

It is still August!

If you can't ride while recovering form your op, make the most of it and enjoy being a lazy slob for a few weeks. The motivation will come back.

phreak

Aye, I know. Expecting most of September off recuperating from the op, so shall see how things are then

amaferanga

Though there are obviously no mountains like they have in France and Italy, there are some great and interesting places to cycle in the UK. Unfortunately you live in perhaps the worst place in the whole of the UK for cycling. I'd feel like a rat in a cage doing laps of Richmond Park with hundreds of other cyclists.

Tom Dean

i.e move to Sheffield. If only

MattMTB

It's difficult after riding abroad!

I found the same thing when I did a couple of motorbike trips abraod. One to the Nurburgring and Belgium, another to the South of France through the Alps and stuff. Before I went over there I used to love popping for a quick blast on the motorbike at any opportunity but after going over there and discovering just how good riding could be I sort of lost interest in the riding over here.

Possibly you could set yourself some targets to do Sportives, C2C, LEJOG or something? Or find some quicker mates who you want to get better than? Or look up some nice towns at increasingly further distances away from your house so you can ride there, grab some lunch and ride back or something?

If I want to do a long ride I sometimes pick somewhere nice to go to and cycle there and get the Mrs to drive there. Meet for lunch and then chuck the bike in the car for the journey home. If you're feeling strong ride it back too.

Maybe buy a new bike or some new gear so you feel guilty if you don't get the use out of it?!

Cheers,
Matt

danowat

Racing is my motivation, obviously doesn't work for everyone, but I'd struggle to get out on the bike if I wasn't training for "something"

stonehouse

I can totally relate to the OP. I rode in Italy last year, took me ages to get used to riding back in the UK, at least on the climbs you have a view to look at rather than a bloody hedgerow all the time. I've been to the Pyrenees this year, so yet more of the same on return although knowing that I could get up a mountain has helped my confidence on the hills here!

Perhaps put together a torture route, but I confess it will never be France or Italy.

briantrumpet

phreak wrote:

My concern is getting in some decent miles this winter. To be on the bike for 5/6 hours, just struggling to find the motivation to do that at the moment.

I'd never plan to do 5/6 hours in the winter, unless it's fabulous weather. Otherwise grabbing rides of 2 or 3 hours if the weather's OK, but the meat and drink of my training will be 1-hourish hard rides. Part of the fun is watching the weather for the windows in the weather, and then planning rides to suit. The last thing I want to do is to feel that the planned rides are going to be a chore - so even in the winter I'll look forward to each ride.

Even with those restrictions I still manage to get about 150 miles a week in (including 50 miles of commuting) .... but I don't worry if it's less. It's enough to keep me in passable form.

twotyred

I'm in the same boat as you phreak. I did my first cycling trip to the continent this year. Fantastic week in France with the Marmotte at the end of it and now feel a massive sense of anti-climax and have the feeling that cycling in Blighty will never be the same again.

Lots of sports people feel like this after a big event and its supposed to be a natural reaction. Apparently its nature's way of setting you up for the next challenge. If we were satisfied completing one challenge there would be no motivation to progress. As I seem to be one of these target driven people I'm trying to decide what my next challenge should be but I think its going to take the thought of either doing the Marmotte again or another big sportive like the Time Megeve or the Maratona or just a good week or so in France or Italy to get get me fully motivated again. Anyway its good to know I'm not the only one feeling like this.

StageWinner

I just buy more bike stuff. Then I can't wait to get out there and try it out!