How do you motivate yourself to cycle again?

JesseD

4 years ago I was 2 stone heavier than i am now and even though I thought of myslef as a cyclist in reality I definately was not.

One day i thought lets just go for a ride, no Garmin, no route planned just go out, get lost a bit and stop somewhere for coffee, so i did.

I loved it, yes I was slow and wheezy up anything longer than a railway bridge but it was fun which is what it was meant to be.

Roll on 2 years and I am racing again, have a coach, have joined a club and am winning stuff, however I still like to go out without a computer telling me my power/HR/speed etc and just ride for the fun of it. In fact i recently bought a second hand cross bike which is a riot to ride, so now i go and get lost off road instead.

cycleclinic

Positive thinking. The weather does not put me off. Last wednesday I knew the weather was going to be rubbish so I cycled into work on the race bike knowing at 4pm when it would be tipping down I would be riding over to RAF honnington (25 miles I think) race and ride home. I did that came 8th and got so wet I would have drier being a fish. I loved it though.

Motivation comes from within. There used to be a time when I was a teacher and the summer holidays came I did not ride much no motivation. I was a teacher that was the problem and I was not happy.

Now I am happy, I ride to work everyday that improves my mood and got me used to be an all weather rider rather than a fair weather rider.

So if you struggle getting out stop seeing cycling as lesuire look at it as transport. Ditch the car and get around by bike. Seriously it changes everything. Well it did for me, although many people have structured there life around the car which makes change difficult.

Cycling is not about being fast or wearing the right kit having a fancy bike. It is all about what turning the pedals does, clearing the mind by making you focus on what you are doing rather than the other stuff of life. commuting in a city may not be as much fun but it beats driving or sitting on a crowded train.

dannbodge

Sign up for a sportive
Set some goals

meursault

When I'm blasting down a hill, it feels like I'm on summer holidays when I was a kid. What better motivation than that?

I even got a punishment pass today by a white van man, and I didn't give a reproductive event, I was enjoying myself so much.

navrig2

Find some riding buddies and commit to a regular time and prepare yourself for some pi$$ taking when to make excuses.

luv2ride

I certainly empathise with the OP. I love cycling, but there are times I can sit on the end of the bed, Look out of the window at perfect cycling conditions and talk myself out of going out. When i do force myself into my kit, I'm enjoying myself within 5 mins of heading out.

A couple of things strike me; I'm lucky enough to have a few bikes, including a single speed gravel bike. When I've got bored of the "same old routes" I pull that bike out and do an off-road dash to Avebury along the Ridgeway. It always tends be a bit of a test, but having only one gear means you just have to get on with it - very liberating when you feel a bit stale. I also always surprise myself at how well I go. Best 9f all though, it's FUN 8) The other thing is mixing routes. My memory is like a goldfish so there are often times I've forgotten how to get to places and I rediscover them! Again, a bit of adventure / fun...

I'm now seriously thinking of commuting a day or two days a week (17 miles each way), as others have suggested. I used to do this but stopped after a promotion (where I seemed to have to take a heavy laptop everywhere with me). Work are issuing smaller laptops, and I'm trying to be more brutal with separating home/Work time, but it ain't easy. I also work from home on Fridays, idea being I'd do a Sprint at lunchtime or be all ready to go at 16:30 or so. It simply doesn't happen, and I'm convinced I work much more intensely at home so, as you, am cream crackered by finish time and often just can't face a ride.

So, try mixing up routes and/or get a cx/gravel bike to mix your riding. It can make a big difference....good luck!

N0bodyOfTheGoat

I've personally found it much harder going out for larger rides by my standards (30-50 miles) since the regular summer sunshine finished in late June, until then I looked forward to getting up at 0530 and being on the way to the South Downs by 0700. We've had such a prolonged overcast period that my SAD symptoms have already been kicking in, struggling to get up at 0550 on a work day and 0700 on a day off.

But more recently, my hip joint muscle niggle (piriformis?) has been a concern since the end of July, not being sure what to do for the best... I've ended up doing less miles; rides at a lower intensity; dropped my saddle a fraction; trying not to spin at 110+rpm; stretching when I get in from a ride etc.
It's still there, but far less painful than it was (lot more pain off bike than on), so I chanced a longer ride on Sunday. It just feels a bit strange going (especially out on the Cube) and not chasing PBs!

cycleclinic

do it (the commuting). If you have stuff to carry no bother. Get a bike for commuting that means one with a rack to which you put good waterproof panniers on. In those I carry everything. I have had a desktop in there, a joeblow booster... mostly I carry on monday lunch for the week and clothes e.t.c.

The panniers do slow me down but that a good thing commuting is not racing also the hills get longer in time and therefore it is better training on the days I want to try a bit harder.

the one thing riding alot does is it makes you more awake. It also means you tire less easily. Therefore the ride home stops after a while being a problem. I work far too much yet I am never tired for the ride home so long as I eat. So commuting does change everything.

17 miles is a good a distance to commute a bit over an hour. Give it a year you will find you arrive at work and you will wonder why other people drive. This is why I am leaving the rear tyre on my car flat. I should fix it but there is no where I have to go currently in it so if I leave I cant use it.

Finding off road ways to commute is fun too. It makes an nice change.

nitrousoxide you are doing the right thing. The worst thing you can do when riding is chase PB's anyway they get in the way of the fun. I know my garmin can tell me when a segment is coming up so I am glad I do not know how to set it up otherwise I would end up trying to get PB's or KOM's. lower the intenstity of a ride is just fine. It is what your hip allows. I hope it gets better soon.

rumbataz

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions. I shall definitely take up some of them.

I've just returned from a 2-hour leisurely bike ride in the sun. It was the slowest I've ever ridden my bike, but I didn't care at all. Totally on a high right now!

Someone earlier mentioned SAD symptoms - this is something I suffer from and the prolonged overcast/rainy weather in the last 2-3 months has kind of got me down a bit to the point where I've just talked myself out of going for a bike ride and stayed in and ate a couple of bags of Hula Hoops or something instead. However, I was determined to ride today and I'm glad I did. Thanks, once again, for the encouragement.

ben@31

- Pick a nice sunny evening with not a cloud in the sky
- Forget trying to beat Strava segs and what others are doing
- Dont worry about your speed, just cycle at your own pace
- Have a flexible route where you can make it shorter or longer
- No stress, no hassle, just you doing your own thing
- Stop off somewhere if you want
- Going out for a short ride is better than not going out at all and keeping putting it off.

Then the fun of cycling will come back to you.

It might be hard to get out the door, but you'll come back thinking that was enjoyable.

Once you do this a few times and then get into a routine of getting out, it becomes easier to stay motivated. My problems occur if I break that routine, its hard to get going again.
Recently I had a slack period, maybe it was a subtle change in diet making me feel more tired on an evening?

yiannism

Pretty much my self during the summer. Here in Cyprus you have to be on the saddle around 6:30, so i usually prefer to sleep. Then i wonder if ive lost my love for cycling. That until i get back on it. Start talking about it, making plans for the new season, and i am finding that i want it even more than before. Soon i plan to make an other bike a gift to my self, so i guess i will feel guilty if i dont ride it.

ben@31

YiannisM wrote:

Pretty much my self during the summer. Here in Cyprus you have to be on the saddle around 6:30, so i usually prefer to sleep. Then i wonder if ive lost my love for cycling. That until i get back on it. Start talking about it, making plans for the new season, and i am finding that i want it even more than before. Soon i plan to make an other bike a gift to my self, so i guess i will feel guilty if i dont ride it.

Hello Yiannis, is it now too hot in Cyprus to cycle in the middle of the day?

I still have good memories of cycling there at the start of the year. It's much better for cycling than the UK in January and February

yiannism

ben@31 wrote:

YiannisM wrote:

Pretty much my self during the summer. Here in Cyprus you have to be on the saddle around 6:30, so i usually prefer to sleep. Then i wonder if ive lost my love for cycling. That until i get back on it. Start talking about it, making plans for the new season, and i am finding that i want it even more than before. Soon i plan to make an other bike a gift to my self, so i guess i will feel guilty if i dont ride it.

Hello Yiannis, is it now too hot in Cyprus to cycle in the middle of the day?

I still have good memories of cycling there at the start of the year. It's much better for cycling than the UK in January and February

It is! we usually start at 6:30 at the morning and we do rides around 65km without lots of elevation just to avoid the heat, but heat is the smaller of our problems. Is the humidity who is killing us. You cant breath. In January i love cycling in Cyprus, the winter months i am doing my biggest elevations, like climbing at Olympos at Troodos. Its also a great time for MTB too. (Usually at Saturday's i do road biking and Sundays MTB CX).

CiB

You could do what I did, and just let it fall by the wayside. I still like it and still do the occasional 20-50 mile outing occasionally cos I've still got a bike worth riding, but I'd proved to myself that I could ride 20 miles to work and back again many days per week without it being an issue. I did the 5000+ miles a year gig, the 100+ milers to the in-laws and the 60+ mile rides to my parents' place and the longish evening & weekend rides for the hell of it and loved every minute.

Now? CBA tbh. Our office closed, I work at home now most days and don't have a motivation to find a 3 hour window to dress up, do a decent ride then warm down, shower and return to day clothes. Weekends are so busy with stuff and instead of spending spare dosh on bikes I spend it on hi-fi again, and love it. And wine.

Live your life as you see fit. I fully expect to get the urge to ride properly again one day but a mix of Naim + Merlot & Malbec wins at the minute. We're only here once; enjoy it while it lasts.

Luv2ride wrote:

When I've got bored of the "same old routes" I pull that bike out and do an off-road dash to Avebury along the Ridgeway.

Just saw this. Me + wife are currently walking The Ridgeway in stages. It's fun; it's a big effort - 12 miles on foot feels like 100 on the bike, and takes about as long. But it's fun, and enjoyable. Things change; go with it.

rnath

I live in London (also work from home), and I when I go through a phase of "cycling ennui" I'll just hop on the bike in non-lycra clothing (well, apart from a pair of bibs under my jeans and a cycling cap), leave the tech at home and just go pootling off into town for an hour or two and just see where I end up. Not being in "proper cycling" mode means there are no commitments or targets - just ambling along on your bike. Always reminds me of what I fundamentally love about riding a bike...

reacher

CiB wrote:

You could do what I did, and just let it fall by the wayside. I still like it and still do the occasional 20-50 mile outing occasionally cos I've still got a bike worth riding, but I'd proved to myself that I could ride 20 miles to work and back again many days per week without it being an issue. I did the 5000+ miles a year gig, the 100+ milers to the in-laws and the 60+ mile rides to my parents' place and the longish evening & weekend rides for the hell of it and loved every minute.

Now? CBA tbh. Our office closed, I work at home now most days and don't have a motivation to find a 3 hour window to dress up, do a decent ride then warm down, shower and return to day clothes. Weekends are so busy with stuff and instead of spending spare dosh on bikes I spend it on hi-fi again, and love it. And wine.

Live your life as you see fit. I fully expect to get the urge to ride properly again one day but a mix of Naim + Merlot & Malbec wins at the minute. We're only here once; enjoy it while it lasts.

Luv2ride wrote:

When I've got bored of the "same old routes" I pull that bike out and do an off-road dash to Avebury along the Ridgeway.

Just saw this. Me + wife are currently walking The Ridgeway in stages. It's fun; it's a big effort - 12 miles on foot feels like 100 on the bike, and takes about as long. But it's fun, and enjoyable. Things change; go with it.

I wouldn't take up a career as a motivational speaker if I was you

shimanobottombracket

see above wrote:

I wouldn't take up a career as a motivational speaker if I was you

Why? Nothing about her post incites suicide.

bobmcstuff

rumbataz wrote:

I work from home at the moment and get frustrated that I'm not out and about. Then when the working day is over (usually around 4.30pm as I start work at 7.30am) I just feel exhausted!

I've just started doing long evening walks again and that may help me to get cycling again. I've spent hours upon hours tweaking and cleaning my bikes over the summer, but I just haven't actually used them.

I ride only for leisure and get a real buzz from cycling. It's just the hurdle of getting changed, donning my helmet and getting on the bike that I'm finding a struggle at the moment. Once I'm pedalling, I love it!

One observation, if you're exhausted after working 7.30 - 4.30 from home you might want to look at sleep and diet etc., as I think that's a bit much (unless it's in your head!). Either that or a double espresso at 4.15pm

As other people have mentioned try and remove the barriers - get your kit out ready to go in the morning so when you're finished work it's right there waiting.

Frank Wilson

I suppose what you have to factor in is that a lot of people took up cycling on a whim as it was becoming fashionable and they were lead by others.

In pretty much the same way that lots of folk bought records by Queer and D Bowie but probably don't listen to them anymore.

fat daddy

I work 7:30 to 16:30 .... but from an office.

I get up between 4-5am every day to either Zwift, Lift weights or go out on the road (its dark in the winter, light in the summer and both in the spring and autumn

I get back for 6:30 in time to wake the kid up and empty the dish washer .... I leave at 7ish to cycle to work leave at 16:30ish to cycle home

On Tuesdays I do a 7am club ride and get in to work at 9

am I worn out ??? ..... hell yeah ..... I go to bed at 10pm every night and sleep like the dead ! .. it also stops me drinking weekdays as I couldn't mix drink with that without dying.

My tip ?? ...... early morning caffine ! ... get it wrong though and you will end up on the toilet, timing is the key

reacher

If you ask me you can't motivate people to do anything it has to come from themselves you can't tell someone how to have the desire to do something that's hard for them to do

rollemynot

In past years I had a May Sportive to focus my early months training, it would then fall off a cliff with no focus or motivation - all my rides were solo.

This year I gave the May Sportive a miss and joined a more leasurely but more demanding ride for June, more importantly I signed up with a mate. We kept one another going for training... the upshot is my volume is higher than ever and we are now chasing a mileage for the end of the year. If he goes out solo I need to keep up etc.

I am certain going in to next year I will be the fittest I have ever been.

My answer was find a similar ability cycling buddy and feed of each other's enthusiasm.

Hopefully you find yours.

rollemynot

Rollemynot wrote:

In past years I had a May Sportive to focus my early months training, it would then fall off a cliff with no focus or motivation - all my rides were solo.

This year I gave the May Sportive a miss and joined a more leasurely but more demanding ride for June, more importantly I signed up with a mate. We kept one another going for training... the upshot is my volume is higher than ever and we are now chasing a mileage for the end of the year. If he goes out solo I need to keep up etc.

I am certain going in to next year I will be the fittest I have ever been.

My answer was find a similar ability cycling buddy and feed of each other's enthusiasm.

Hopefully you find yours.

Oh and zwift has been excellent for a quick 60 mins session

CiB

reacher wrote:

I wouldn't take up a career as a motivational speaker if I was you

good advice mate, I've got no intention.

Point was that hobbies should be fun, not something to be a martyr to. If our chum here is finding it hard to motivate himself, there's nothing wrong with having a break or even finding a new one to indulge in.

svetty

CiB wrote:

Live your life as you see fit. I fully expect to get the urge to ride properly again one day but a mix of Naim + Merlot & Malbec wins at the minute. We're only here once; enjoy it while it lasts.

Ha! Naim addiction and wine appreciation have a lot in common with bikes . All are hobbies where you convince yourself that spending more gets you an enhanced product and thus upgradeitis applies. In reality it's the process that's the pleasure and not the product.

Not that I'd turn down a 552 if you offered me one:)

fudgey

The wife wants a divorce.

That's spurred me onto get out the house in the evenings for an extra ride, although saddle sores have become a literal pain in the ass but I just get on with it.

ayjaycee

Speaking personally, I'm just coming back to the bike after an enforced nearly two months off due to a bad crash and, after the first couple of weeks (when I was in too much pain to worry about it), I really started to miss the riding and couldn't wait to start again. That said, it's amazing how quickly you start to lose fitness when you get towards the slightly more 'advanced' years and I am finding that I have to push myself on rather than just packing up and going home when I feel tired a lot earlier in a ride than before. Also, I wasn't really expecting to have some mental issues to contend with as a result of the crash - hopefully, they will fade in time.

bianchimoon

get yourself dropped off 50 miles from home and tell them "no matter how much I cry/complain/change my mind, do not pick me up".. then ride home. I sometimes think the leaving the house is the hardest bit

kingstongraham

bianchimoon wrote:

get yourself dropped off 50 miles from home and tell them "no matter how much I cry/complain/change my mind, do not pick me up".. then ride home. I sometimes think the leaving the house is the hardest bit

And do this so you have a tailwind.

rumbataz

KingstonGraham wrote:

And do this so you have a tailwind.

A while back I was seriously thinking of changing my username on here to 'headwind'. This is because no matter which direction I cycle in, I'm always cycling into a headwind!