How do I rekindle the love?
Discussion
I took up road cycling in about 2010 and loved it. Started on a genesis then upgraded to a carbon Dolan. Did the Wales velothon 3 times, generally rode a couple of times a week and watched cycling on europsort etc. Bought a nice ridley fenix around 2019(?), rode it about 3 times, and stopped.
This was partly because of major house work, meaning free time was even shorter and getting the bike out was a faff. But there were problems building before that. I'd ridden local routes loads, also got to the point with my fitness whereby I wasn't 'good' but a ride of less than 30miles (circa 2 hours) seemed not worth the effort of getting kitted up for. There was a feeling to push mileage up so that a 'normal ride was 50, or 60 miles, but that starts to seriously impact family time.
If I did go out, it would be do the ride, check strava to see if I was 0.1mph quicker average . Not fun.
Has anyone else gone through similar and how did you get the love back? Perhaps I need to wait until spring? Or is finding new routes the way? Perhaps I need to do shorter routes and go faster and harder and not worry about stats so much?
I used to enjoy training towards the velothon, so perhaps booking more spirtives is one way. I have 3 kids, but youngest is now 9, so they don't demand time, like they used to, so I'm probably bit more free to go off occasionally
This was partly because of major house work, meaning free time was even shorter and getting the bike out was a faff. But there were problems building before that. I'd ridden local routes loads, also got to the point with my fitness whereby I wasn't 'good' but a ride of less than 30miles (circa 2 hours) seemed not worth the effort of getting kitted up for. There was a feeling to push mileage up so that a 'normal ride was 50, or 60 miles, but that starts to seriously impact family time.
If I did go out, it would be do the ride, check strava to see if I was 0.1mph quicker average . Not fun.
Has anyone else gone through similar and how did you get the love back? Perhaps I need to wait until spring? Or is finding new routes the way? Perhaps I need to do shorter routes and go faster and harder and not worry about stats so much?
I used to enjoy training towards the velothon, so perhaps booking more spirtives is one way. I have 3 kids, but youngest is now 9, so they don't demand time, like they used to, so I'm probably bit more free to go off occasionally
Edited by covmutley on Monday 1st February 23:32
Edited by covmutley on Tuesday 2nd February 07:30
Definitely think Strava et al is a mixed blessing. Segment hunting etc is fun to start with but plateaus / slowdown in progress is inevitable as you allude.
To some degree perhaps consider your motivation - I enjoy running in the mountains so tolerate running around town so I’m fit enough to enjoy the stuff I actually WANT to do, if that makes sense. Events/ races are great for that too.
Keeping training varied doesn’t have to mean new areas - different length intervals for example mean that you’re testing a different part of your performance on a rolling basis so you should see progress (eg week 1 10x800 week 6 10x200 means by the time you get back around to them something should have changed) I’m thinking more about running here but you get the idea
Also important to be doing it cos you enjoy being on the bike - challenge of the climb, thrill of the downhill.
Spending lots of money on new bits of kit regularly helps too, always got something new to test
To some degree perhaps consider your motivation - I enjoy running in the mountains so tolerate running around town so I’m fit enough to enjoy the stuff I actually WANT to do, if that makes sense. Events/ races are great for that too.
Keeping training varied doesn’t have to mean new areas - different length intervals for example mean that you’re testing a different part of your performance on a rolling basis so you should see progress (eg week 1 10x800 week 6 10x200 means by the time you get back around to them something should have changed) I’m thinking more about running here but you get the idea
Also important to be doing it cos you enjoy being on the bike - challenge of the climb, thrill of the downhill.
Spending lots of money on new bits of kit regularly helps too, always got something new to test
This was me up to a couple of years ago. Building houses, having kids all took up my time. Just as it was all finishing, Covid struck.
I was doing some short rides with the kids last year but nothing consistent. Started watching some YouTube stuff again and it's given me a taste to go out and test my fitness but to enjoy the ride too. I think it's a combination of doing the same roads from the house over and over. Eventually you just get used to the scenery.
If you're pushing numbers all the time you'll eventually reach a plateau. It's ok if you have a goal in mind but unless you're making progress that can also tail off.
For me, this year will be about adventure and enjoying the rides. I don't have to do big rides to enjoy them. I'll drive out for 20-30 mins to get away from usual roads and see new places. Im going to plan some off road routes, Im even looking to buy a new MTB to ride harder terrain.
For the moment I'm motivated by seeing my fitness return on zwift. Once the weather improves, I'll get out on the road again.
I was doing some short rides with the kids last year but nothing consistent. Started watching some YouTube stuff again and it's given me a taste to go out and test my fitness but to enjoy the ride too. I think it's a combination of doing the same roads from the house over and over. Eventually you just get used to the scenery.
If you're pushing numbers all the time you'll eventually reach a plateau. It's ok if you have a goal in mind but unless you're making progress that can also tail off.
For me, this year will be about adventure and enjoying the rides. I don't have to do big rides to enjoy them. I'll drive out for 20-30 mins to get away from usual roads and see new places. Im going to plan some off road routes, Im even looking to buy a new MTB to ride harder terrain.
For the moment I'm motivated by seeing my fitness return on zwift. Once the weather improves, I'll get out on the road again.
I ride four 'structured' sessions per week and one 'club ride'.
I was finding the same - so the first thing I did was to stop having the Garmin on my bars for the club ride and just enjoy being out on the bike. That includes stopping to photos etc.
What I've recently found is I'm now the guy saying I cba to do the next climb how about a different route. I've reasoned it's because I'm getting sick of hurting myself every single time I go out on the bike. Coffee rides need to be coffee rides for me now, not smashfests.
I've also picked up mountian bikes again - which has sadly served to remind me how much I enjoy it more than the road bike. I'm not in the least bit interested in times and speeds - its purely fun factor.
To the extent I've considered sacking off road and selling the TT bike.
Cut the numbers out. Deliberately avoid riding at 100% and go exploring.
I was finding the same - so the first thing I did was to stop having the Garmin on my bars for the club ride and just enjoy being out on the bike. That includes stopping to photos etc.
What I've recently found is I'm now the guy saying I cba to do the next climb how about a different route. I've reasoned it's because I'm getting sick of hurting myself every single time I go out on the bike. Coffee rides need to be coffee rides for me now, not smashfests.
I've also picked up mountian bikes again - which has sadly served to remind me how much I enjoy it more than the road bike. I'm not in the least bit interested in times and speeds - its purely fun factor.
To the extent I've considered sacking off road and selling the TT bike.
Cut the numbers out. Deliberately avoid riding at 100% and go exploring.
Swapping road to mtb (trail) is something I have been thinking. I live just outside Cardiff so have easy access to good trails.
My oldest son is 12 and showing interest in mtb.
We did a day a day at Afan valley back in November which we both enjoyed- although think he had visions of doing massive jumps and hadn't thought he might have to peddle hard to get to the top of a hill.
I guess nothing to stop me riding a hard tail around the local lanes either. It will be slower, but I can think if a few off road sections to throw into a ride
My oldest son is 12 and showing interest in mtb.
We did a day a day at Afan valley back in November which we both enjoyed- although think he had visions of doing massive jumps and hadn't thought he might have to peddle hard to get to the top of a hill.
I guess nothing to stop me riding a hard tail around the local lanes either. It will be slower, but I can think if a few off road sections to throw into a ride
covmutley said:
Swapping road to mtb (trail) is something I have been thinking. I live just outside Cardiff so have easy access to good trails.
My oldest son is 12 and showing interest in mtb.
We did a day a day at Afan valley back in November which we both enjoyed- although think he had visions of doing massive jumps and hadn't thought he might have to peddle hard to get to the top of a hill.
I guess nothing to stop me riding a hard tail around the local lanes either. It will be slower, but I can think if a few off road sections to throw into a ride
This is what I always suggest, go old school, find an OS map online (I think street map had the overlay) hunt the bridle paths, mountain biking is far more fun and social, especially trail centres like Afan and Cwmcarn. The long climbs are an ideal opportunity to chat... Maybe look at the uplift place near the Forest of Dean when it reopens which takes you to the top, the big downhill routes are all “rollable” but you can get big air if you’re brave enough...My oldest son is 12 and showing interest in mtb.
We did a day a day at Afan valley back in November which we both enjoyed- although think he had visions of doing massive jumps and hadn't thought he might have to peddle hard to get to the top of a hill.
I guess nothing to stop me riding a hard tail around the local lanes either. It will be slower, but I can think if a few off road sections to throw into a ride
Plus there’s a velodrome at Newport! ;-)
I got fed up with the idiotic close passes on the road- I have enough of those on my commute.
I sold the TT bikes and bought a second hand e-MTB.
I‘ve kept my steel Merckx for training rides with my sons, but 90% of my leisure/training riding is on the e-MTB and I’ve never been happier.
I sold the TT bikes and bought a second hand e-MTB.
I‘ve kept my steel Merckx for training rides with my sons, but 90% of my leisure/training riding is on the e-MTB and I’ve never been happier.
I completely get where you're coming from. Do you have anyone you can ride with? A big part of cycling is the social aspect for me. Admittedly this is a bit limited at the moment but it's still an opportunity to spend some time with a mate. I get a bit fed up with the local rides so use those as training and generally mid week solo efforts and then plan longer more varied rides for the weekends.
During the first lockdown, I got a bit bored cycling on my own for too long.
Until recently, I was getting a bit frustrated if my mates didn't want to/weren't able to go as fast as I wanted to but I've changed my mindset to think of these rides as more relaxed and social i.e. coffee and cake stops. We don't dawdle and I'm not suggesting I'm a speed machine but I used to get annoyed if longer rides were below 17/18mph ave when really, what does it matter?
During the first lockdown, I got a bit bored cycling on my own for too long.
Until recently, I was getting a bit frustrated if my mates didn't want to/weren't able to go as fast as I wanted to but I've changed my mindset to think of these rides as more relaxed and social i.e. coffee and cake stops. We don't dawdle and I'm not suggesting I'm a speed machine but I used to get annoyed if longer rides were below 17/18mph ave when really, what does it matter?
I did quite well (for me) last Summer. Was cycling 2-3 times a week, increasing distances, losing weight and was nice to see progress. Strava can be a double edge sword though and I found I'd get down if my times weren't better than last time, or I'd avoid exploring because I wanted to see how I'd go again on a regular route. Towards the end I stopped using it as often and felt better for it as time on the road is pointless as there's too many variables affecting it and it spoils my enjoyment. Riding on different routes helped a lot too. I'm in Swansea so there's plenty of cycle routes that are great for road bikes.
covmutley said:
Has anyone else gone through similar and how did you get the love back? Perhaps I need to wait until spring? Or is finding new routes the way? Perhaps I need to do shorter routes and go faster and harder and not worry about stats so much?
I used to enjoy training towards the velothon, so perhaps booking more spirtives is one way.
You’ve got the answers here. Ditch the bike computers, strava, power meters, and go back to riding rather than measuring. Pick a point to ride to, ride there ride back. Ride on feel - keep your cadence high and your rate of perceived exertion around 7. Enter an event or two to give your rides a purpose. I used to enjoy training towards the velothon, so perhaps booking more spirtives is one way.
Edited by covmutley on Monday 1st February 23:32
Edited by covmutley on Tuesday 2nd February 07:30
Focussing on numbers, whether it’s strava or power or average speed while you ride sucks the joy out of it. Been there, done that. Riding without the head unit on the bars was the best thing I did.
BlackWidow13 said:
Focussing on numbers, whether it’s strava or power or average speed while you ride sucks the joy out of it. Been there, done that. Riding without the head unit on the bars was the best thing I did.
I feel the same, had a few rides not were recorded recently... but then I have a tail wind on a section I know well & the traffic lights stay green, go for it, this could be the KOM, nail it, bit further, wow, that should be it... oh rollocks I didn't record it 
Sounds to me like you got a bit set in your ways, and if the ride wasn't an improvement somehow on the previous one, you lost the motivation.
I'm lucky enough to be able to go off road within 2 minutes of leaving the house, I live in the South Downs. Ok, so it isn't as wild as the Highlands, or the Lakes, I'm never more than 10 miles from a road (probably rarely more than 2!) but it is fantastic to get away from everything. I regularly see deer, sometimes owls and badgers, I take a lot of photos, I sit and drink the views in. I have the computer on the bike and I log all the usual data, but off road, I rarely worry about segments; if it has pissed it down the night before, I ride through the puddles slowly, not hammering it to keep the average speed up. The trails change with the season and the weather, I actually prefer it around -1 off road, the mud vanishes or is solid, so you don't get covered in cack and you don't lose half your energy turning a wheel that can't grip. I'm not interested in jumps, I've never been to a trail centre, I've hardly ever put the mtb in the car to ride somewhere else. The first lockdown I discovered lots of new trails, I've found new ways of getting to work, some of the trails may have petered out or become footpaths, which can cause problems with walkers, but if you smile and say sorry I got lost, it normally isn't an issue. You don't need a fancy expensive bike, mine's a ten year old hard tail, I still have 26" wheels and a triple crankset, but it does the job!
I also ride a lot on the road, I try to keep the variety in these. I commute to work, so weekend rides I will try and go the opposite direction. I use some of the commutes to do intervals, I try and do one or two interval sessions a week for three weeks, then change the type of interval.. I also allow myself recovery rides, the Garmin is on but I ignore it. Riding to heart rate outside I find very hard, the zones are small and to stay in the zone takes a bit of thought and knowledge of how your body is coping on the day.
I'm lucky enough to be able to go off road within 2 minutes of leaving the house, I live in the South Downs. Ok, so it isn't as wild as the Highlands, or the Lakes, I'm never more than 10 miles from a road (probably rarely more than 2!) but it is fantastic to get away from everything. I regularly see deer, sometimes owls and badgers, I take a lot of photos, I sit and drink the views in. I have the computer on the bike and I log all the usual data, but off road, I rarely worry about segments; if it has pissed it down the night before, I ride through the puddles slowly, not hammering it to keep the average speed up. The trails change with the season and the weather, I actually prefer it around -1 off road, the mud vanishes or is solid, so you don't get covered in cack and you don't lose half your energy turning a wheel that can't grip. I'm not interested in jumps, I've never been to a trail centre, I've hardly ever put the mtb in the car to ride somewhere else. The first lockdown I discovered lots of new trails, I've found new ways of getting to work, some of the trails may have petered out or become footpaths, which can cause problems with walkers, but if you smile and say sorry I got lost, it normally isn't an issue. You don't need a fancy expensive bike, mine's a ten year old hard tail, I still have 26" wheels and a triple crankset, but it does the job!
I also ride a lot on the road, I try to keep the variety in these. I commute to work, so weekend rides I will try and go the opposite direction. I use some of the commutes to do intervals, I try and do one or two interval sessions a week for three weeks, then change the type of interval.. I also allow myself recovery rides, the Garmin is on but I ignore it. Riding to heart rate outside I find very hard, the zones are small and to stay in the zone takes a bit of thought and knowledge of how your body is coping on the day.
I feel like I'm at the age and routine where my times are only going to decrease, and have stopped fighting that. Perfect can be the enemy of the good, so anything that gets me on the saddle is a win.
I've started incorporating relatively unhealthy non-cycling goals. Visiting a new sandwich shop. Taking some beers with me to a new peak to watch a sunset .
Also the three word app seems to have breathed a bit of life into an old group sharing specific off road locations of interest.
I've started incorporating relatively unhealthy non-cycling goals. Visiting a new sandwich shop. Taking some beers with me to a new peak to watch a sunset .
Also the three word app seems to have breathed a bit of life into an old group sharing specific off road locations of interest.
Gareth1974 said:
I really got into Veloviewer explorer tiling last summer, might be worth a look?
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...This is really good fun. Although for me it's a long way to ride (or drive even) to an area where I can claim "new" tiles. Which means I've done no "tiling" during this current "lockdown". But it really does prompt you into exploring the roads less travelled, and ideally you'll want a MTB to get some tiles which don't all necessarily have roads going through them.
This past month or so I've been feeling down too, and lost my cycling 'mojo' somewhere. I've struggled to ride twice a week, and distances haven't gotten past 40 miles, where before I rode a lot around the 50 to 70 mile mark and regularly up to 100+ miles too. Last year I'd have said a 10 mile local loop wouldn't have been worth dragging a bike out of the garage for. Now I'll take it just to turn the pedals for an hour. The weather hasn't helped my mood, nor has the constant ear bending we're all getting from government and mainstream media about Covid-19.
Another thing I did previously when the numbers game became an obsession was to continue to record rides on a GPS, but I did it on a Garmin watch, and made sure the watch screen only showed time of day, like a "normal" watch would. That way I wasn't tempted into silly efforts to boost my average speed or whatever, and I could concentrate on the glorious views in the beautiful Dorset/Hampshire/Wiltshire countryside and on the coast. All that mattered was the next view from the photo-stop at the top of the next hill, and getting home in time for dinner.
I'm lucky in so far as I have a nice carbon fibre road bike, a full suspension MTB, an old hard tail, and a "gravel bike" of sorts. So wherever the road or trail leads, if I haven't got the right bike with me this time, I can come back on it next time to explore new places.
Edited by yellowjack on Tuesday 2nd February 14:35
For 40 years my cycling has always just been about getting out there and enjoying the fresh air and scenery. I've been using Strava for about 6 years and wouldn't be without it, but in all honesty I have no interest in going faster, longer, harder at my ripe old age. I do anywhere between 6000 and 9000 miles a year in all weathers. Outside.
For me cycling is just about that, not measuring myself against myself, or others sat on a training turbo thingy like most of the racing snakes, it's more about the adventure, the fresh air and the exercise...... and always will be !
I care not a jot about wether I went faster or slower than last week, or that my heart rate is higher or lower. For the most part at the ripe old age of 52, I'm just glad to get home and find out my heart is still working !
I ride when I want to ride, if I don't feel like it I don't beat myself up. I'll just open a beer and contemplate rides of old or rides still to come, adventures with mates and lots of cake, coffee and beer stops..........
For me cycling is just about that, not measuring myself against myself, or others sat on a training turbo thingy like most of the racing snakes, it's more about the adventure, the fresh air and the exercise...... and always will be !
I care not a jot about wether I went faster or slower than last week, or that my heart rate is higher or lower. For the most part at the ripe old age of 52, I'm just glad to get home and find out my heart is still working !
I ride when I want to ride, if I don't feel like it I don't beat myself up. I'll just open a beer and contemplate rides of old or rides still to come, adventures with mates and lots of cake, coffee and beer stops..........
Another roadie to MTB rider here. I used to use my road bike 2 or 3 times a week and really did enjoy it. But as time wore on I got bored of impatient drivers, squeezing into Lycra and the tech-snobbery that sometimes came with group rides . I now ride my mountain bike and can just go wherever I please, away from roads, and just enjoy the bucolic surroundings.
I still look at my road bike and think I should get back on but choose the MTB every time.
I still look at my road bike and think I should get back on but choose the MTB every time.
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