Route boredom relief

nax-ian
nax-ian Posts: 209
edited November 2009 in Road beginners
What to do when you get bored with riding the same routes/loops?
Finished

Comments

  • sheffsimon
    sheffsimon Posts: 1,282
    Ride different ones.
  • Ride your loops the other way, can make quite a difference, but as per the other poster, find new ones.
    I just stick a map in my back pocket and ride, its amazing the new places you find within a 50 mile radius of where you live.
    "BEER" Proof that god loves us and wants us to be happy
  • Mister W
    Mister W Posts: 791
    I bought a Garmin Edge 605 and started planning routes on bikeley.com. I now have a folder on my laptop full of interesting routes of varying lengths and difficulty. The benefit the Garmin has over a map is that you don't have to stop and get the map out of your pocket to check where you are.
  • nax-ian
    nax-ian Posts: 209
    guys I live on an island!! Only got so many roads/tracks.
    Finished
  • Slow Downcp
    Slow Downcp Posts: 3,041
    Can you get an island hopper ticket and try out different islands?
    Carlsberg don't make cycle clothing, but if they did it would probably still not be as good as Assos
  • FeynmanC
    FeynmanC Posts: 649
    Imagine that you're somewhere else, racing imaginary foes, sprinting to the line so you get on the podium with the lycra clad lovelies.

    A few weeks of that and you'll soon find you've moved to another location - albeit a secure one with padded walls :wink:
    us0.png
  • CHRISNOIR
    CHRISNOIR Posts: 1,400
    I was in Skiathos last month and noticed quite a few cyclists fully kitted out and riding pretty good bikes and I thought then, 'There's only one road on this island - must get boring'.

    I'll probably get banned for suggesting this but would it help to get a mountain bike? Skiathos may have only had one road but there were miles of lovely mountain tracks.
  • nax-ian
    nax-ian Posts: 209
    Chris N too bad you didn't come here, could have chatted about life int' 'dale. Lived there until I was 25, now I know the weather you've got to ride in maybe I'll shut up about riding the same roads/tracks ( this is a clue to me already having a MTB).
    Good to hear "The Baum" is still going, read that on a different post.
    Finished
  • will3
    will3 Posts: 2,173
    Hire dancing girls to line the route
  • FatLarry
    FatLarry Posts: 209
    Get a Garmin and race against your "virtual partner"
  • Pay for some of us to come over and we will ride with you :lol:
  • BTW what route do you use? As I have had a look on Google Earth and some nice rides there m8
  • peanut
    peanut Posts: 1,373
    some good ideas here.
    You could take your bike 20-30-40-50+ miles from home by train coach, bus etc and cycle home from strange places. Reckon that would be exciting. :D
  • I use an ipod, or race myself and try and beat my times e.g. up that hill. It does eventually get boring. Alternatively, find some dudes to cycle with who have good chat. I break rides up with a pub stop for a refuel as well as I also have limited routes where I currently am.
  • Barteos
    Barteos Posts: 657
    Get a cyclocross or a mountain bike with touring tyres on and explore some non-technical tracks in local woods.
  • peanut
    peanut Posts: 1,373
    I feel real guilty now :oops: I am strugling to get out on the bike once a week at the moment.

    I have dozens of fantastic routes here from dead flat to 20% including 2x climbs used for Nat hill climbs and an excellent 5mile and 10 mile TT
    I have made 12x loops which would be 24 reversed . :roll:
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    CHRISNOIR wrote:
    I was in Skiathos last month and noticed quite a few cyclists fully kitted out and riding pretty good bikes and I thought then, 'There's only one road on this island - must get boring'.

    I'll probably get banned for suggesting this but would it help to get a mountain bike? Skiathos may have only had one road but there were miles of lovely mountain tracks.

    No MTB references allowed, you know that. Im reporting you to Reddragon. :wink:
  • CHRISNOIR
    CHRISNOIR Posts: 1,400
    Nax-ian wrote:
    Chris N too bad you didn't come here, could have chatted about life int' 'dale. Lived there until I was 25, now I know the weather you've got to ride in maybe I'll shut up about riding the same roads/tracks ( this is a clue to me already having a MTB).
    Good to hear "The Baum" is still going, read that on a different post.

    Everyone else but me manages to escape, don’t they? There’s numerous ex-Dale residents scattered over this forum and they all sod off to exotic climes. Great to hear from a former Baum dweller as well!
  • Nax-ian wrote:
    guys I live on an island!! Only got so many roads/tracks.

    Nothing else to do but get a bigger island.
  • geoff_ss
    geoff_ss Posts: 1,201
    Nax-ian wrote:
    guys I live on an island!! Only got so many roads/tracks.


    Most posters on here live on an island, too. It's just that ours is a bit bigger than yours :lol: All that warm sunshine must get boring, I guess.

    Geoff
    Old cyclists never die; they just fit smaller chainrings ... and pedal faster
  • Aggieboy
    Aggieboy Posts: 3,996
    Mix up your training a bit and get one of these, you're in the ideal place!!


    5.jpg
    "There's a shortage of perfect breasts in this world, t'would be a pity to damage yours."
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    He'd be buggered if he gets a puncture on that!!
  • Nax-ian wrote:
    What to do when you get bored with riding the same routes/loops?

    Reading that your choices are limited, how able are you to make the most of what you have. Whilst I have many more choices than you, I tend to do the same route as it enables me to compare my progress (or lack of). I divide the route into sections, which have certain markers - eg, first section marker is usually reached at 19 kph, anything above that is a bonus. There are other markers along the route, which I can measure my performance by. Alternatively, I use a flat section to see how long I can maintain my highest speed, and/or on an uphill section select a higher gear than usual and see if I can maintain that for as long as possible.

    This is all done accompanied by music - does help keep the tedium at bay.
    The ultimate cruelty of love's pinions
  • Nax-ian wrote:
    What to do when you get bored with riding the same routes/loops?

    Reading that your choices are limited, how able are you to make the most of what you have. Whilst I have many more choices than you, I tend to do the same route as it enables me to compare my progress (or lack of). I divide the route into sections, which have certain markers - eg, first section marker is usually reached at 19 kph, anything above that is a bonus. There are other markers along the route, which I can measure my performance by. Alternatively, I use a flat section to see how long I can maintain my highest speed, and/or on an uphill section select a higher gear than usual and see if I can maintain that for as long as possible.

    This is all done accompanied by music - does help keep the tedium at bay.
    The ultimate cruelty of love's pinions