Mountain Biking - what keeps you going?

you are out there, riding, you are tired. what keeps you going? what makes you pedal through the pain? what drives you?

why don't you just say "i'm done" and stop?

seriously, i really want to know what keeps you going.

20+ years of riding you just get use to the pain, when it happens. I can't remember what I did when I first got into cycling.

Legs go numb, and you just keep going. I cross-train, try to stay in good shape...

For long rides, big breakfast centered around LOTS of eggs, and CLIF bars on the trails. Very sugary with simple carbs, break down fast so it doesn't sit in your stomach and delivers energy fast.

I CAN'T quit until I get back HOME! All I can do is take a BREAK!

But, giving UP... I don't think I can live without riding. I never got that burned out.

There have been more than a few rides when I wondered WTF I was doing out there, instead of just heading home; but I just never was able to turn my back on my set goal -- I kept going and rode through it. A couple rides were cut short due to extreme pain, but I was always ready to get back out there within a couple days.

This is a good topic, pablo. Should get a lot of interesting answers/tips.

I'm a pretty slow rider, so if I'm with someone, keeping up is my motivation. If I'm by myself, I think of how much better it will feel to know that I kept going rather than giving up.

meth

^^ THAT's why you moved out in the sticks, eh?

seeing another rider up ahead and trying to catch them..if thats not possible just thinking about the workout im getting.

seeing another rider up ahead and trying to catch them..if thats not possible just thinking about the workout im getting.
That can be a motivating force in me, even on not-so-good days. I'm happy to report that I usually succeed, even against multiple riders drafting one another. Although I did get dropped by a girl once on a hill:o

hoping that the pain makes me stronger for the next time.

Most of the time I set a short term goal of getting to the next point where I can pedal easier, start a downhill or pass another rider. If none of those work, I get angry 'n mean and tell myself suck it up cupcake 8) On more grueling rides I pace myself so there is a bit left in the tank if I have to go all out for short bursts.

Your body can recover faster than you think. Unless your heart is stroking out, muscles are massively cramping up or something else physically prevents you from continuing, the best thing to do is keep moving and work through it.

It used to be ego and not wanting anyone in front of me. Now its about keeping father time in check. I want the nurse that occasionally takes my BP to be impressed. My my had a series of Heart Attacks in her 60's. I want the heart and C/V system running well. My recovery from my recent "health problems" were attributed to having a good C/V conditioning. MTB BIKING is the primary source of my physical health. It also helps the mental, what little I have.

I'm always just so freakin happy to be on the trails, to keep going is just the only option! I'm ridiculously competitive, but I've learned to swallow that while riding. Chasing or trying to impress other riders usually makes me attempt to ride beyond my limits, making me slower.

Eat right, never pass up a chance to better yourself, and have fun. Stopping will never cross your mind.

thanks everyone for responding so far. another aspect of it...what do you do to make you not quit? Noodle gave a great explanation of what he does. my friend told me while he is riding, he would be embarrassed to quit, and he is really competitive and will not allow himself to stop, because he doesn't want to be embarrassed.

it fascinates me, how some people are so driven, and others can just let it go. it seems that some people actually thrive on the pain, and the pain makes them ride harder, whereas pain makes my brain say "hey, let's not do this." i'm trying to figure out how to make my brain like the pain, and want more.

I actually think I'm addicted to cycling.

I mostly ride alone and am on my own resources to complete a ride safely. My view is that it's good to test your limits, but important to have a pretty good knowledge of what they are beforehand. Sudden illness and accidents do happen, but in most cases, reaching your physical limit with miles of trail ahead and darkness looming is the result of less than optimum judgement in selecting your ride. If I'm trying out a new ride that I know will test my abilities, I'll start with plenty of time, food, and water.

I've been a competitive runner for years. I love it, but everything I do is for the end goal of performance. That makes every time I get on my road bike a cross-training workout. But mountain biking is different. I don't do it to be a better runner. I do it because it's a ****load of fun. I get my "dig deep and push through the pain" kicks from running. I don't need to get them mountain biking. And that just makes almost every ride a blast. And the few that aren't...I just pack it in and call it a day, no pressure.

I think my background in running is what allows me to stuff the pain/exhaustion and keep pushing. There's a 'mental toughness' that I feel like competitive running imparted that I might not have had by biking alone. When you're on your feet, there's no coasting. You can alter your pace but you still have to keep the legs churning in order to get back home. I made up my mind at some point never to let a hill conquer me or make me walk it and became a pretty fair climber in the process. Can't say the same thing for mountain biking. Yeah, sometimes in a group ride I'll try gutting out some climb (not always the easiest decision on a 40 lb. trailbike), just for the bragging rights of saying I did it; other times I'm content to let the hill win and make me finish it pushing. I remind myself there's a fun descent on the other side and I may as well have some legs left to enjoy it :).

I was passed on an uphill section when I first started riding (road) by an older Mennonite woman on a townie wearing a dress, so that is my mental motivation to step it up pansy! I also have a friend who lost his lower leg in the Army and he is a monster on hills. The combination of those two examples are usually enough to keep me going mentally.

Physically, I eat Fig Newtons while riding. I usually eat 3 eggs and oatmeal for breakfast before a big ride. Sometimes I'll throw a banana into my handlebar bag along w/ a granola bar or two.

Dminor's and Zephyr11's comments on how running maximizes one's ability to get the most out of their body during prolonged physical workouts matches my experience as a lifetime runner as well. Running really calibrates you to what a sustainable pace is for a given distance or interval of time.


I don't do it to be a better runner. I do it because it's a ****load of fun. I get my "dig deep and push through the pain" kicks from running.

Same here.

To take an acronym from the roadies... HTFU!

I dig this thread.

HTFU, I think a Mountain Biker first yelled that over his shoulder to some Roadies, I might be wrong! :innocent::innocent::innocent:

thanks everyone for responding so far. another aspect of it...what do you do to make you not quit? Noodle gave a great explanation of what he does. my friend told me while he is riding, he would be embarrassed to quit, and he is really competitive and will not allow himself to stop, because he doesn't want to be embarrassed.

it fascinates me, how some people are so driven, and others can just let it go.

Intriguing... I can understand what your friend is saying. For me, it is not about being competitive as compared to others or their view of me if I bail. It is more internal drive that's telling me to keep moving... like "your committed sukkkah so PEDAL".

^Ditto. I don't care if I'm not faster than everyone I'm riding with, but I at least want to keep up. I feel foolish if I don't because nine times out of ten, the people I ride with don't mtb anywhere near as much as I do, so the only excuse for falling behind is lack of effort.

I'm pretty good at planning my rides for my expected capability. meaning I'm not gonna plan a 70 miler this spring cuz I know 12 and 20 miles are more appropriate to start. I'll do 70 milers this summer. however when I'm on the tail end of an all-day ride what keeps me going is the fact that I can't stop cuz that would mean walking, and even pedaling slowly is better than walking. sometimes my motivation is getting back to my car before dark. I also keep in mind things that reward me like a nice meal or a hot soak in epsom salt and menthol eucalyptus oil with a glass of wine :)

its all about the downhill on the other side of the hill.. youve got to climb it to go down it... and its nice to be able to show off those legs sometimes.

For me getting back into it, is the goal of getting from 295 to 230. I'm 6'2 and a former football player and I want to get back to the shape when I quite playin ball. I can't stand being inside on a treadmill going nowhere.

yeah, its weird. sometimes mentally i want to quit, but my legs just keep spinning like they have a mind of their own.

you are out there, riding, you are tired. what keeps you going? what makes you pedal through the pain? what drives you?

why don't you just say "i'm done" and stop?

seriously, i really want to know what keeps you going.


Saying "I'm done" is all well and good but I still have to get home and even if I'm tired and my legs hurt it's going to be quicker to cycle it than walk it. I might be more inclined to walk up hills and walk sections I'd normally have cycled but one way or another I have to get home.

I agree with the poster who said sometimes they see another rider and try to catch them. That gives me something to think about other than how my legs are tired.

I cannot help but to think that I will become a better person through perseverance. The size of the battle does not matter.

What keeps me going?
When I ride, my brain does not work like it does when I am not riding. I don't think about anything, I just live in the moment. Everything around me becomes a blur, but at the same time, I am never more aware of my surroundings or my self then when I am riding. The blur carries me through it. I acknowledge every motion of the peddle, the change in the terrain, the grade of ascent / decent but i don't "feel" it.

I ask my self "deep" questions during my rides, and refuse to answer them. I just let them sit in the back of my mind, and let the blur figure it out.

Some call it the "zone"
To me, its just the blur.

It's the wind, rain, dirt, cold weather, hot weather and pain, it all equals the exhilaration I like.

you are out there, riding, you are tired. what keeps you going? what makes you pedal through the pain? what drives you?

why don't you just say "i'm done" and stop?

seriously, i really want to know what keeps you going.

Um...being 3-35 miles from the truck is a pretty good motivator to keep going :twitchy::p:D

Simply going out there and be outside, the surroundings, sun, rain, sweat, even the sound of the chain full of dirt and having that sweet burning feeling in the legs. Some days I go technical, others is endurance etc all depends on the mood, and knowing that happiness is not always fun. Feeling sore the next day and aware that I had a good workout and it was not because I spent 10 hours playing WOW.

Half input = half output

Espresso helps...
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj234/victim_01095/P1010717.jpg

:beer:

Every day I ride is another day I get to ride... it was not so long ago I did not think I'd ever be able to ride again and last year I dusted off the Blizzard and went on some nice 20-30 km XC rides that didn't cripple me too badly.

Every minute on a bike is a gift... you never know what might happen tomorrow.

Used to have a motto when we rode... "go hard or go home".

Now what used to be easy can be hard and I am not ready to go home.

Knowing that I can recover later, may not get on the trail until a few weeks and I need to make the most of 'this' ride pushes me to give it my all... I can think about any burning and pains over the next few weeks sitting at work.

The main reason I don't just stop and give up is that I have to get back to the car so I can get home. That's pretty motivating.

The reason I don't give up on a hill and walk it, is personal achievement and pride. Gotta defeat the hill, gotta get stronger, gotta get better.

I'm pretty good at planning my rides for my expected capability. meaning I'm not gonna plan a 70 miler this spring cuz I know 12 and 20 miles are more appropriate to start. I'll do 70 milers this summer. however when I'm on the tail end of an all-day ride what keeps me going is the fact that I can't stop cuz that would mean walking, and even pedaling slowly is better than walking. sometimes my motivation is getting back to my car before dark. I also keep in mind things that reward me like a nice meal or a hot soak in epsom salt and menthol eucalyptus oil with a glass of wine :)

+1 I just think of the cold beer (or margarita) reward at the end.

my first and really only ridding buddy killed himself. i pull a lot of motivation and energy from the pain and frustration i felt from his death. whenever i ride, i usually keep him in mind. whenever i ride our old favorite trails, i turn into a machine and go like hell.

Keeping the electolytes, fluids and calories in you throughout the ride makes it easier to stay on the trail.

The fun of riding sweet singletrack helps also.

My buddy sitting on my wheel and i keep going until he's breathing heavier than me. :-)

EDIT: and to motivate myself, I just imagine there's a grizzly bear on my tail...

"What keeps you going?"

Today? This insane notion that my too-crippled-to-walk-half-the-time 37 year old self could push my 21 year old friend (he on my other bike,no less) all the way around our trials,donw,AND up :twitchy::roflmao2:

Keep telling myself that I'll take a break after I get to the top(but after you get to the top it's easy to ride so you just keep going), I used to be really fat and won't let it happen again, I'll tell someone else what I'm going to go do(I do what I say I'm going to do and that drives me... The HATE of failure. The list could go on

I'd much rather be on the mountain than... anywhere else I could be on that given day.
I love beating my old PRs, the idea of constantly bettering my self is one of my top priorities.