My motivation is seriously flagging

[ColinJ]

I packed the cycling game in for 5 years -tiredness added to getting bored with the same routes and lousy weather just got too much.

Nowadays I take it a lot easier and try and mix it up a bit - variety is the spice of life Peanut!

We just have to put up with bad weather, but wearing suitable cycling kit can at least help make riding in it less unpleasant.

My favourite routes were becoming slightly boring because I rode them so frequently. I discovered that tackling them in the opposite direction made them seem completely unfamiliar. That effectively doubles the number of routes available to me and helps to stave off boredom.

 

[vernon]

By the time I set off on my annual summer cycling tour at the start of August I'll have not ridden any of my bikes for a month. I'm confident that the tour will happen because even though I'm lounging around in Turkey and will only have around 18 hours back in Leeds between my arrival back from here and leaving for Portsmouth to get a ferry to St. Malo, everything is set up:
Tickets are bought and seats booked six weeks in advance of the tour.
My panniers are packed and have been for the past three weeks.
My tent is checked out and sorted a fortnight ago.
My bike has been serviced and checked over.
All I need to do is load up and pedal to the station.
The only thing that I don't prepare is the fine detail of the route I'll be found somewhere in the Loire Valley and my ride finishes at Beaune.

I'd not ridden for the last two weeks I spent in Leeds because I was busy getting getting drunk on two consecutive weekends and had lots of evening commitments in between them.
It's simply too hot to cycle in Turkey besides, I have my brother's quad and a hire car to play with.

On motivating myself to ride when I don't have distractions, I use Audax rides both organised and DIY permanents of 100km. I enter as many locally organised ones as I can well in advance and submit entries for DIY rides in batches and mark them in my Google calendar. The night before a ride I bring my bike into the house, prepare my drinks and food and load the saddle bag. On the morning of the ride I put on my cycling clothes - mentally I'm then committed to going for a ride else I'd look a prat wearing them for the rest of the day.

It's worked for 22 weekends this year and I'm committed to fourteen consecutive days in France in August.

I'd not get hung up on your weight - I'm around 300lbs and not counting down and only use it as an excuse to avoid Audaxes with AAA ratings above 1.

 

[Lisa21]

Peanut I really felt the same thismorning and could quite happily have gone back to bedBut knowing how good id feel after, and how much id enjoy it once id started, I made myself go out-with the plan that id just pootle and see where it took me,no route or distance decided on,and that if I got to the end of the road and still couldnt be a**ed id come back home
Iv just got back in now feeling really glad I did it and thouroughly enjoyed myself.It wasnt a long ride-just over 17 miles, but ALL up bl***y hills and against the wind (ffs) but if time allowed I could quite happily take myself off and do it all again
I have about 27 different routes,all varying in type from flat to very hilly,and all leading off from oneanother so I can make loops as long or as short as I want,and as ColinJ suggested,doing them backwards effectively doubles your amount of routes and staves off the monotony

My problem when I feel like that is,unless its really sunny,actually leaving the house. Once im out I love it

 

[peanut]

We just have to put up with bad weather, but wearing suitable cycling kit can at least help make riding in it less unpleasant.

My favourite routes were becoming slightly boring because I rode them so frequently. I discovered that tackling them in the opposite direction made them seem completely unfamiliar. That effectively doubles the number of routes available to me and helps to stave off boredom.

surprising how different things look the other way round isn't it I have so many fabulous riding loops its such a waste if I don't make the most of them.

four years ago I wasn't sure if I would ever walk again and here I am complaining about lack of motivation to ride.

 

[peanut]

My problem when I feel like that is,unless its really sunny,actually leaving the house. Once im out I love it

Thank you Lisa like you I have lots of fabulous cycling routes . My problem is simply I am not enjoying my cycling anymore. I don't want to go out. If the truth is known i probably don't want to do anything . Its motivation I lack not routes

 

[marinyork]

Peanut, I'd keep up with trying to organise CC rides. I think there are people interested for different bits of the country, there are so many people in the Bristol area on this forum. It is just CC informal rides clubs and events suffers from being one section. Really it needs separate CC branches for mouseketeers, fnrttc, yorkshire, lancs, somerset and so on.

 

[ComedyPilot]

Peanut, I am about 16st, so just a little lighter than you. I have given up on the scales, and now look at size. All my shirts are hanging off me, as are the waists on my jeans. My thighs and calves are very toned, so I know it's working, but I need to keep up the pressure.

I just keep telling myself, "Slowly, slowly, catchy monkey"

I am in this for the long-term goal of getting weight off and keeping it off. I am trying hard not to do the dreaded flash in the pan routine of losing loads quickly then putting it all back on again.

I have had a brilliant weekend cycling. Rode 25 miles all in on Friday to watch the circuit racing in Beverley. Slouched on the sofa yesterday for Ventoux, and have been out (in the car) today marshalling for the East Yorks classic.

I really want to go out now, but need to spend a bit of QT with the family.

It's all about balance.

 

[peanut]

On motivating myself to ride when I don't have distractions, I use Audax rides both organised and DIY permanents of 100km. I enter as many locally organised ones as I can well in advance and submit entries for DIY rides in batches and mark them in my Google calendar. The night before a ride I bring my bike into the house, prepare my drinks and food and load the saddle bag. On the morning of the ride I put on my cycling clothes - mentally I'm then committed to going for a ride else I'd look a prat wearing them for the rest of the day.

It's worked for 22 weekends this year and I'm committed to fourteen consecutive days in France in August.

I'd not get hung up on your weight - I'm around 300lbs and not counting down and only use it as an excuse to avoid Audaxes with AAA ratings above 1.

thanks Vernon actually I use a similar method myself.

I have pre-booked some Audax and a charity ride but most of them are simply too hilly for me as its Exmoor and Dartmoor
Like you I get the bike ready in advance and then when the afternoon comes at a certain point I say to myself right I'm going out.

if I go immediately and put my cycling gear on i'm ok . I'll go out.
If I get distracted its a lot easier to keep finding something else to do and then its too late to go out. like today.

I've worked out that if I just commit to riding a hilly local route of 10 miles a day I'd complete more miles than I currently do weekly .

I think part of the problem is the hassle of getting kitted up.

 

[peanut]

Peanut, I'd keep up with trying to organise CC rides. I think there are people interested for different bits of the country, there are so many people in the Bristol area on this forum. It is just CC informal rides clubs and events suffers from being one section. Really it needs separate CC branches for mouseketeers, fnrttc, yorkshire, lancs, somerset and so on.

I think you are right but the problem is no-one looks in the rides section . Everyone seems to hang out in Cafe or P&L I found last time it would be weeks before any interest was shown in the rides .

I was a little anxious about my weight and difficulty on the hills. I can bomb along on the flat 25-30mph+ but a few hills will completely finish me off and i blow up trying to keep up with everyone else. A lot of CC'ers said they were beginners and the next thing is I see they have just completed 360 miles over a weekend

I thought about trying to organise 2x rides in South Somerset for August. A night time ride and a ride to the South or North Somerset coast and back .
I might try again thanks for the encouragement

 

[marinyork]

Different groups have different speeds. The CC rides I've been on have been faster than CTC or local cycling organisation rides I've been on (even famous members who don't claim to be that speedy). I think you'd be fine with those sort of speeds. I don't think a lot of the people in beginners are anything like beginners when compared to normal people that cycle.

 

[peanut]

yeah but you went out the other night and did 130= miles for crissakes....... I don't do that much in a month
Things that experienced and fit cyclists like you think are really easy can be almost insurmountable to unfit riders like me.

last Sunday I got slaughtered by a 60 year old club cyclist weighing 7 stone on a basic hybrid in just 7 miles. Twiddling he rode away from me up a hill in a gusting headwind and by the time i'd got to the top he was completely out of sight.

I was faced with another 35 miles at that pace and I was practically throwing up after 7 miles .

I've given up the idea of joining a local club for the time being

 

[vernon]

and then when the afternoon comes at a certain point I say to myself right I'm going out.

if I go immediately and put my cycling gear on i'm ok . I'll go out.

And there's the root of your problem. Get kitted up first thing and go!

Leaving things to the afternoon gives too much scope for finding displacement activities.

 

[Aperitif]

And there's the root of your problem. Get kitted up first thing and go!

Leaving things to the afternoon gives too much scope for finding displacement activities.

10/10 vernon.
Peanut - unplug the telly and ride, ride, ride!
Take the train to somewhere and ride back...
Ride somewhere and take the train back...
Absorb everything (except the rain and calories at the cakestops) in your path.
Write about it. The mere thought of the opportunity to describe something - on here mostly - will make me ride just a bit, a bit more...
And be laid back - regular rides are habit forming.

 

[Sittingduck]

Peanut

I am probably one of those who really can feel your pain on the hills. People come on here and gripe that they're really overweight because they are 13 stone or something I WISH I was 13 stone! It is very disheartening to see a group dissapear up a hill when you're left puffing and have to stop about a quarter of the way up Need to take that feeling and use it as ammo to help you improve climbing! I am (very slowly) improving my hill climbing performance. Trying to think that every time I tackle a hill I am improving or getting an extra bit of experience Even if it doesn't actually make a lot of difference.

Things like monthly mileage figures have provided an excellent source of motivation for me over this past year. I normally decide the night before that I am going out on a ride the following day (if weekends). I decide upon a distance and a rough route. Sometimes I wake up and can't be arsed but generally find that once I'm out of bed the rest is okay. Better to try and get ready quickly and get dressed, grab some water and get out the door before you have chance to talk yourself out of it! I do get up very early in the week though and find getting up early at weeekends easy, compared to most though. Like the others have said, some goals or targets might help motivation.

Certainly find it very hard to motivate myself to go out for rides later on in the day!


SD

 

[ianrauk]

as op's have said Peanut, try to organise a ride with others. There must be some organised ctc rides in your area which are more often then not non racing rather then touring and pootling rides.

I'm not one for enjoying cycling on my own, after a while I do get bored, and so much enjoy cycling with company. Makes the miles and the hills go by faster and easier. So find a cycling buddy(s).. Keep yer chin up and get out on that bike...