Not being in the right frame of mind to ride

[simon.r]

I've just returned from a very slow 17 miles and every revolution of the pedals was a struggle. No physical reason - near perfect weather conditions, a nice route and a great bike.

But for some reason I just couldn't switch on mentally. Bizarre. Every so often I struggle to motivate myself to go out, but when I actually get out I nearly always enjoy myself.

Not this evening though. Ah well, there's always tomorrow.

 

[Mrs M]

We all have "off" days, don't worry about it

 

[NorthernDave]

You get days like that.
If it's a one off, don't worry about it.

 

[jonny jeez]

Don't stress it. I get this a lot too.

If it helps, when I feel like that I take off the helmet, put on a tee shirt and shorts and take a really slow ride through the parks to a coffee shop, just to enjoy the feeling of being on a bike rather than dreading the thought of exercise, distance or effort. Keep it under 10mph...fix that as a rule...and just pootle about smelling the roses of life.

Allow yourself the opportunity to realise how free riding allows you to be and soon enough you"ll long to get back to the harder riding.

Good luck.

 

[simon.r]

Don't stress it. I get this a lot too.

If it helps, when I feel like that I take off the helmet, put on a tee shirt and shorts and take a really slow ride through the parks to a coffee shop, just to enjoy the feeling of being on a bike rather than dreading the thought of exercise, distance or effort. Keep it under 10mph...fix that as a rule...and just pootle about smelling the roses of life.

Allow yourself the opportunity to realise how free riding allows you to be and soon enough you"ll long to get back to the harder riding.

Good luck.

Yep, agreed. I can feel a ride on the Pashley coming on tomorrow. That always makes me smile

 

[Mrs M]

Yep, agreed. I can feel a ride on the Pashley coming on tomorrow. That always makes me smile

Snap
Footering about to go on the road bike annoys me, clothes, shoes, etc.
Just get on the Pashley and enjoy it

 

[jonny jeez]

Yep, agreed. I can feel a ride on the Pashley coming on tomorrow. That always makes me smile

Perfect, I tend to dust of the single speed for the same reason. I have a secret crush on the pashley princess (I know, I know, the princess is the "girls" one) and have always wanted one for just this kind of day, they're perfect, they even have a built in lock for the coffee stops and a basket for your book.

enjoy.

 

[ianrauk]

Don't feel it? Then don't ride.
Save it for another day.

 

[fossyant]

I've just returned from a very slow 17 miles and every revolution of the pedals was a struggle. No physical reason - near perfect weather conditions, a nice route and a great bike.

But for some reason I just couldn't switch on mentally. Bizarre. Every so often I struggle to motivate myself to go out, but when I actually get out I nearly always enjoy myself.

Not this evening though. Ah well, there's always tomorrow.

Just enjoy what you can.

My mental motivation is there, physical not. My back is fubar'ed. I took a good day last week, and did two hours plodding about on the MTB, quite hard stuff, but I spent a bit walking, where my bike was capable of doing the down hill. I was the slowest down a section as I walked, shat myself about crashing (broken spine in Nov). I was down the bottom on Strava on the descent, but compared to 40 something out of 800 riders out of a climb and I wasn't trying a little earlier...

Crap happens, and sometimes it's not a good day. I can't ride like I used to, but at least I am getting out a bit. It's just 10% what I was doing, but that little bit is actually better than the whole !

It's about enjoying yourself. I was a serious roadie, I have a tonne to learn about climbing a hill off road. You can't apply power like you do on a road, you have to ease off... WTF.. that's alien !!! I'm riding more off road now, but it's a huge learning curve.

Don't give up, just enjoy it.

 

[Dec66]

Biorhythms.

You don't hear much about them these days, but I reckon there's something in it.

Mañana.

 

[jonny jeez]

Biorhythms.

You don't hear much about them these days, but I reckon there's something in it.

Mañana.

I think I have their second album.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Well - at least you can get out.

Major health scare a couple of weeks ago (all ok) but lot's of residual pain plus I have to take some tab's with crappy side effects for a while = no cycling.

Not been on my bike for nearly three weeks. Fed up and thinking of sneaking a quicky in at the weekend although I'll end up with a bollocking off of Lovely Wife if I do.

My cycling year was going well up to three weeks ago.

Stay positive and ride on through the gloom!

 

[Dec66]

I think I have their second album.

"I Can't Be Arsed To Ride" being the difficult third album, I guess?

 

[ColinJ]

I've just returned from a very slow 17 miles and every revolution of the pedals was a struggle. No physical reason - near perfect weather conditions, a nice route and a great bike.

But for some reason I just couldn't switch on mentally. Bizarre. Every so often I struggle to motivate myself to go out, but when I actually get out I nearly always enjoy myself.

Not this evening though. Ah well, there's always tomorrow.

I am like you - sometimes struggling to get out, but nearly always enjoying it once I have made the effort.

In my 27 years of adult riding, I think I have only failed to enjoy a ride 3 or 4 times, except where injury, illness or freak bad weather have caused problems.

I got to the top of a local hill once and could have carried on and done my planned route, but the cycling mojo just wasn't there. The hardest part of the route had already been tackled, but I realised that my heart was not in it. I had too much on my mind and wasn't relaxing so I got off my bike and sat on a roadside bench for a while, enjoying the views ...

After 10 minutes of that, I hopped back on my bike and freewheeled all the way back down the hill to Hebden Bridge, which you can just see in the valley in the centre of the picture. A hot bath and a mug of tea soon cleared my head.

I went out and did the planned route the next evening and really enjoyed it.

 

[ayceejay]

I know the feeling. If you do this for a living suck it up and call it character building otherwise don't sweat it - with the energy you saved today you will be all over it tomorrow - relax.