Boredom

[yello]

I find myself enjoying the comments on this thread. Comments such as this...

I tend to watch & listen to the world - the birds, the flowers, insects, watching for the signs of spring (now very definitely here (honest)).

...which a few people have made now. I think I'm enjoying them because I think I'm a bit lost with my riding at the moment and these comments are a reminder to me. It's easy to get too focused on speed or distance or heart rate or whatever (great if that's your thing, don't get me wrong) and lose sight of the world around you.

I got into cycling via cycle touring (I rode a bike before then but I didn't call myself a 'cyclist', if you know what I mean. I just rode a bike). I fell in love with cycling because I could drift around, largely unnoticed, as a kind of voyaging voyeur. Sometimes I forget that.

Re conversations - I cycle toured a great deal with my younger brother (now sadly passed) and we'd either ride in contented silence just watching... or natter away! And we'd talk some rubbish too. One conversation sticks in my mind; we debated which was better, jelly babies or gummy bears. I don't remember an outcome, I suspect there wasn't one, but it doesn't matter - I can't now see jelly babies without thinking of him

 

[billy1561]

I've never had an issue with being bored on my bike. Tired yes, never bored. Newer scenery is always interesting. Even on my 'boring' commute yesterday i saw a buzzard in town centre!

 

[Deleted member 1258]

The only time I get bored is on the turbo, on the commute I'm too busy watching whats going on around me, out on a morning or day ride I've got the countryside and the wild life to look at if I'm alone, if I've got company I'm normally to busy talking.

 

[swede54]

I go riding so I don't have to think about anything else.

 

[compo]

Against all my previous convictions, I have just finished loading over 4 hours worth of opera MP3's onto my phone Walkman function. I will give it a whirl tomorrow on quiet roads. Trouble is people will think I am crazy because I will just not be able to listen without joining in.

I take peoples points about looking at all the things around me but this is Essex for heaven's sake. All trees look the same, as do birds, cows in fields look the same, as do horses. (I did stop and photograph some highland cattle a couple of months ago). There is only so much interest in looking at old houses as I go past. I very much have a mindset like the traveller in "An Idiot Abroad" I am just not easily impressed.

Thinking about it I think I may be doing too much riding and am just getting stale. I have already done over 100 miles this week and have another 70 planned between tomorrow and Sunday. I think maybe a week off the bike would be beneficial. It's plenty of time before Dunwich so I don't need to rush and risk overdoing things.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

The routes I ride, I very rarely see pedestrians and neither are there many cars. Guess I could holler at cattle though

At least the cattle aren't prejudiced against cyclists. Cyclist? Motorist? Who cares, I'll just keep chewing the cud, thanks.

I also agree with what ColinJ said: I generally pick a route with enough scenery to keep it interesting, and haven't had major boredom even on the day-long rides.

 

[Sunny Portrush]

I just hum the Mission Impossible theme as I think it makes me go faster too!

 

[coffeejo]

It's not just about the scenery, it's the road itself: the small details that test you or thrill you, from corners to the rhythm of negotiating familiar potholes to the feeling you get when you freewheel up a hill after beasting it down its counterpart, from lung-burning blasts along busy A roads to more composed pootles along narrow country lanes.

 

[mark st1]

Against all my previous convictions, I have just finished loading over 4 hours worth of opera MP3's onto my phone Walkman function.

VforVengedetta had some weird headphones the other week that dont actually go in your ears he can explain the science of them seemed pretty good for cycling though.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

VforVengedetta had some weird headphones the other week that dont actually go in your ears he can explain the science of them seemed pretty good for cycling though.

Conductive headphones, perhaps?

 

[snorri]

I always keep a few trinkets in my panniers, and when I feel a slight dip in excitement levels I just stop pedalling for a bit get out the trinkets and peddle them for half an hour or so.

 

[mark st1]

Conductive headphones, perhaps?

Could well be mate i dont know he mentioned something about resonating or something like that.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Against all my previous convictions, I have just finished loading over 4 hours worth of opera MP3's onto my phone Walkman function. I will give it a whirl tomorrow on quiet roads. Trouble is people will think I am crazy because I will just not be able to listen without joining in.

I take peoples points about looking at all the things around me but this is Essex for heaven's sake. All trees look the same, as do birds, cows in fields look the same, as do horses. (I did stop and photograph some highland cattle a couple of months ago). There is only so much interest in looking at old houses as I go past. I very much have a mindset like the traveller in "An Idiot Abroad" I am just not easily impressed.

Thinking about it I think I may be doing too much riding and am just getting stale. I have already done over 100 miles this week and have another 70 planned between tomorrow and Sunday. I think maybe a week off the bike would be beneficial. It's plenty of time before Dunwich so I don't need to rush and risk overdoing things.

the point is they are not all the same - learn to ID them if you can't already. Take a leaf home with you in a jersey pocket...
pay attention to the smaller details. watch for which trees are starting to leaf. catkins are now out - usually hazel. great to take note of for the autumn. I love watching for beech trees because I love beech nuts, but each beech tree only produces nuts about every 3 or 4 years, though they still produce the beech cast each year. At this time of year the colours in the new leaves are wonderful and if they catch the sun, enjoy it whilst you can. With no leaves on the trees you can see how the trees have formed, weathered & survived over the years - the big ones, aok/beech/sycamore etc are great for this. They host amazing numbers of insects & mammals including some rarities. little things like a some extensive flooding in a field suddenly 'draining' overnight are an indicators that the trees around that area have suddenly 'woken' - clues to watch next. Watch out for the buzzard posts, the woodpecker knocking posts etc - much easier to spot at this time of year... I could go on, but it will fill up CC and bore the life out of everyone else here...

Even little things like identifying the bird that nearly flew into you can keep your mind occupied whilst cycling...

 

[Venod]

I don't get bored on rides except into a relentless head wind, what I do get that annoys me is a song going round my head that I can't get rid of and no idea why that particular song has appeared in my head, its not the same song on every ride sometimes its a song I like sometimes its ***te.

 

[tiswas-steve]

I don't get bored on rides except into a relentless head wind, what I do get that annoys me is a song going round my head that I can't get rid of and no idea why that particular song has appeared in my head, its not the same song on every ride sometimes its a song I like sometimes its ***te.

I get this a lot too, one particular gem that I couldn't get out my head was "The Bananasplits" theme.
All together now.... One banana,two banana,three banana, four !!