How do you motivate yourself to cycle again?

axisofweasel

Been there, done that and got the t-shirt.

After a few seasons of living like a monk, training and racing I ended up hating my bike. Was just flogging myself on it as I "needed" to. Eventually sacked it off, hung it up and chilled for a few months. I was/am a member of a club, eventually I got an invite for a Sunday coffee run and finally wanted to ride again. No numbers, no zones just talking crap and eating cake. Few months later I was back to racing cross this time and actually enjoying it.

Having a target helps sometimes, but other times it just adds stress to something that should be fun!

Quins

Just get back on it, or sack it. Don't over think it. the hardest thing about any consistent training that I've done is getting out the front door, it's all in the mind. I've had a lay off recently and wasn't looking forward to getting back on my bike as I've missed club runs for months. So I set my gear out the night before and started chipping away, commuting to a station 12 miles away (couple of times a week) , then started running the 1+ mile to and from the station on the other days and been getting up early on Saturdays to throw in 30 miler before breakfast and helping out with the house move packing again. Post house move I hope to be back to normal ish routine, back out with a lower group at club , enjoy the company and breakfast, build it back up to my old group. I've added another incentive, told a friend that I would ride the London Paris for her myeloma charity next May.....

ben@31

axisofweasel wrote:

Been there, done that and got the t-shirt.

After a few seasons of living like a monk, training and racing I ended up hating my bike. Was just flogging myself on it as I "needed" to. Eventually sacked it off, hung it up and chilled for a few months. I was/am a member of a club, eventually I got an invite for a Sunday coffee run and finally wanted to ride again. No numbers, no zones just talking crap and eating cake. Few months later I was back to racing cross this time and actually enjoying it.

Having a target helps sometimes, but other times it just adds stress to something that should be fun!

I know what you mean. I think we sometimes put ourselves under too much pressure to perform, to the point where it's no longer fun.
Instead you should have some rides where you don't look at your speed or times, but just get out and cycle at a pace thats comfortable. Some people don't realise a "recovery ride" is supposed to be deliberately slow and low power.
I had the ironic scenario where I was saving myself for a really long ride and thinking there's no point in doing a short ride today when I could save myself for a long ride tomorrow, but then I wouldn't have the weather or when it dried up there wasn't enough time before dark. So instead of short rides, I ended up doing absolute nothing for a week or two.
Don't get me wrong, sometimes its good to cycle "efforts" or where you get a good work out or you have an epic day that gives you a sense of achievement. But it's not the be all and end all, every single ride. It's a fine balance between over doing it and not under achieving.

haydenm

Being an adult child I get very obsessed with things. My suggestion would be to get obsessed with something else for a bit which you don't struggle to motivate for (preferably something which compliments cycling) so you can pretend it's training. That way when you get your cycling motivation back on a sunny Saturday you can just pick up and go. I find after a few goes round I realise which things I'm properly 'addicted' to and my lapses in motivation are only temporary...

fudgey

Ill disagree slightly. OK on my lunch rides i bust my balls going as hard as I can, but the last few weekend rides I have done with a mate its been head up looking around enjoying the scenery and not caring about speed with a coffee stop thrown in and just chatting all the way around.

Horses for courses tho

Padang

1) get a cycling friends
2) get a strava account
3) get a beautiful bike

cubedean

I've been going through peaks and troughs of wanting to ride and not being able to motivate myself recently.

At the moment getting out on my bike has been a great help for me getting through some tough times mentally, just making sure everything is out ready for me to just put it on as soon as I get in from work and just to has really helped.

I also found that not planning a route and doing something on a wim has helped keep it 'exciting' and fresh really.

This has pushed me to make the decision to purchase myself another road bike so I can get more distance in during the same amount of time.......any excuse eh

rumbataz

cubedean wrote:

At the moment getting out on my bike has been a great help for me getting through some tough times mentally, just making sure everything is out ready for me to just put it on as soon as I get in from work and just to has really helped.

I also found that not planning a route and doing something on a wim has helped keep it 'exciting' and fresh really.

I've kind of tackled this by investing in a leisure bike. One of my passions is car detailing so I wanted a bike that I can spend time on modding and detailing. I managed to get a cracking deal a few weeks ago - basically a cruiser bike at half price. Now I can just ride in any clothing I want to, whenever I want with zero preparation.

The bike is so easy and effortless to ride, and the riding position is bolt upright so you can see the world around you. I just go out for random rides when the sun is out and that endorphins rush is back!

Then when the weather is bad I'm using my car detailing products to keep the bike shiny and bolting rubbish onto it.

Yes, I know, it's not 'proper cycling' and will be open to ridicule, but it makes me feel good and that's all that matters at the end of the day.

crescent

I don't compete in races or TTs but I do get involved in a bit of friendly competition on our club Strava "league". I sometimes find that, if I'm close to the top of the leaderboard, I become a bit obsessive about going further, higher, faster etc to try and win it for the week. It's a bit of fun with some minor goal setting, nothing more. However, much as I enjoy the banter and friendly competition, the majority of the time I am nowhere near the top and will always make a point of going out at least once a week with no agenda - no route, no targets, no Garmin - it is always very enjoyable and reminds me why I love cycling so much. Something else that works for me is getting away to the sun at least once per year and cycling abroad - the likes of Mallorca or France have such an attractive cycling culture that it can certainly help you find your mojo again.

cubedean

rumbataz wrote:

cubedean wrote:

At the moment getting out on my bike has been a great help for me getting through some tough times mentally, just making sure everything is out ready for me to just put it on as soon as I get in from work and just to has really helped.

I also found that not planning a route and doing something on a wim has helped keep it 'exciting' and fresh really.

I've kind of tackled this by investing in a leisure bike. One of my passions is car detailing so I wanted a bike that I can spend time on modding and detailing. I managed to get a cracking deal a few weeks ago - basically a cruiser bike at half price. Now I can just ride in any clothing I want to, whenever I want with zero preparation.

The bike is so easy and effortless to ride, and the riding position is bolt upright so you can see the world around you. I just go out for random rides when the sun is out and that endorphins rush is back!

Then when the weather is bad I'm using my car detailing products to keep the bike shiny and bolting rubbish onto it.

Yes, I know, it's not 'proper cycling' and will be open to ridicule, but it makes me feel good and that's all that matters at the end of the day.

But what's 'proper cycling'? Surely as long as you enjoy riding a bike it doesn't matter. I guess there are also so many commuting/casual cycling clothing items now....just probably overpriced.

rumbataz

^ There seem to be quite a few Do's & Don'ts on here if you want to conform to 'proper cycling'!

stormsedge

I sign on for a Metric century or Century challenge ride every couple of months (reasonable drive time considered) in order to have something to prepare for on the horizon. I'm never going to be fast, but clicking one off every so often and getting the t-shirt keeps me motivated to ride. Planning a challenge ride with a buddy is an even greater motivation...while not competitive necessarily, it causes me to try my best to make it a good ride for both of us.

cubedean

rumbataz wrote:

^ There seem to be quite a few Do's & Don'ts on here if you want to conform to 'proper cycling'!

I've broken them on my ride today.....MTB helmet and fox jersey whilst out on the roadie :shock: :twisted:

daniel_b

I have had moments of extreme demotivation before, and these always used to be when one of the Grand tours were on.

I loved watching them, but somehow their apparent effortless ability to cover enormous miles day after day, served to discourage me from getting on the bike!

I have not that issue this year though, and that I do believe is down to training hard, and for having an event to train towards.
I'm a numbers man, so combine that with FTP figures, and hitting power targets (Seeing definitive and measurable progress), and I'm raring to go to keep my fitness up, improve, and critically not lose momentum.

Going out now is always a pleasure, weather withstanding, as although I am not incredibly powerful, I am the most powerful I have ever been, and hence it feels the best it has ever felt to ride a bike.

I LOVE that feeling of going out on a longish ride, and still having power in my legs for the way back, or for hills as they crop up.
Also recently, I have started doing shorter rides, and actually targeting some Strava segments - one in particular is for the event I have coming up, but others are just local ones that I ride regularly, but maybe as part of a 50 miler - where as now I might cover 20 miles, or even less, take it easy for large chunks of it, and then sprint full out over a segment, or just give it full beans - I have a top 10 already, and several top 100 times, which in itself (for me) is motivation for me to continue.
Then it becomes more of an interval type workout, where you go hard and then recover, and I find that pretty enjoyable.
That then also allows you to sit up\freewheel and enjoy the scenery, as well as getting some proper training efforts in - something nice about doing them out on the open road as well - much as I advocate and genuinely enjoy turbo work.

keef66

If I want excitement I'll ask my Garmin Touring to suggest a round trip route for me. Often I'll end up riding on roads I've never seen before, and occasionally doing a bit of cyclocross mid ride when it insists a field is a suitable habitat for a carbon road bike with 25mm tyres.

The best ride is frequently the one after a holiday; I'm all rested and recouperated, all muscular tension soothed away by a week in the sun and loads of swimming in warm water, and glycogen stores at 105%. I feel pretty epic.

luv2ride

keef66 wrote:

The best ride is frequently the one after a holiday; I'm all rested and recouperated, all muscular tension soothed away by a week in the sun and loads of swimming in warm water, and glycogen stores at 105%. I feel pretty epic.

^This
Happened to me at the weekend having just got back family holiday Mallorca. Was rearing to go, not least as i was "banned"from cycling whilst away due to this being family time, not "me" time weather was blissful, roads around Pollenca all seemed to have been resurfaced, and the kids didnt wake up before 11am so chances are they wouldnt even have known id been out! I did mentally struggle with the enforced cycling ban, given the perfect cycling environment. That said, I was well rested on my return and bagged a load of Strava PB's on 1st ride back...