cranky old dude

My ambition is gone, completely disappeared. It seems to have left for a long tour and forgot to come back.

I have the bikes, oh Lordy do I have the bikes. I’ve got every style, shape and color imaginable. I can race, go on a road trip, go touring or off-road…well I’ve got the bikes to do all that stuff anyway. I just don’t really feel like it right now. The desire just doesn’t seem to be there.

I get excited when I see weather predictions of 50+ degree days, but of course living so near the lake those temperatures are but mere pipe-dreams. The cold air comes rushing in off that water like a freaking freight train! So regardless of how excited and ready to ride I may have been when I went to bed, the next morning is a whole different story. I end up just lazying around the house bellyaching about being cold. I am so tired of being cold. It’s cold out side, it’s cold in my garage, it’s cold in my basement, and it’s cold at work. Did I mention that I’m tired of the cold?

I made it through most of the Winter pretty well and I’ve managed to cycle about 300 miles so far this year, but I fear the flame is finally flickering out. Tomorrow’s commute is supposed to be through thunderstorms with strong winds and I have to swing by the pharmacy on the way home so it looks like it’ll be easier to drive tomorrow. We’ll see how the rest of the week pans out, though commuting has not been so much of a problem as I have to go to work anyway. It’s the leisure rides that I’m lacking the spunk for these days. I'm even having a difficult time staying interested in this and other cycling forums!

I’ve had these spells in the past and they often lead to my eventually becoming engrossed in one of my other, dormant hobbies. So later this Spring when I finally get out of my funk…I’ll either be cycling, working on my model railroad, or detailing and tuning up the old MG. Or maybe we'll just spend the Summer finally doing all the outdoor chores we've been trying to do the last two years...of course if it rains every other day like it did last year, we won't be able stain and paint this year either. Anyway, right now it's a struggle just to crawl out of my nice warm bed.

I am so tired of being cold!!!

alanknm

Patience Grasshopper ! Spring will come .. eventually !

Phil85207

I don't blame you in the least. I couldn't wait to get out of the cold either. I started making plans 10 years before I retired, coming to Arizona for vacations and checking out different areas. I have never regretted the move either. There was a time when I enjoyed the winter sports but the older I got the more of a struggle it was, then it wasn't fun anymore. Then it became torture.

tsl

It's cold by the lake! Pack a bike on the truck and come into the city. I'll ride wid cha.

Got in a nice 27 miles out through horse country around the end of Mendon Ponds Park and back yesterday. Took two nice rides (different bikes) on the same route today. Up to Cobbs Hill, along the north side of Pinnacle Hill, through Highland Park to Mt. Hope Cemetery and back.

But if you prefer flat, we got that too. And it's warmer away from the lake. (You'll remind me of that in July and August.)

oldster

Well,,here, it was 84deg yesterday, , and as we speak its 32, and snowing....if you dont like the weather ,wait till tomorrow...

Bud

cyclinfool

Lenny,

It's not a race or a job, you are not obligated to ride. Wait for the weather and your mood to be right.
Also - as you have relayed to us in the past, your mood generally changes once you get back on the bike.

Northwestrider

It's just a normal cycle that all of us go through to some degree or another, it will not last, the pendulum will swing the other way.

NOS88

How to survive being lost:

1. Don't panic. (It happens to most of us at one time or another.)
2. Don't get down on yourself. (As I said, It happens to most of us at one time or another.)
3. Accept where you are. (If you try to push it and get somewhere else, you're likely to get deeper and deeper into unknown territory, eventually forgetting where you've been.)
3. Pay attention to the details of where you are and make of the best of what you find there. (Take the S10 out with the wife and enjoy the "intimate" space it provides.)
4. If you're in Rochester, NY, don't even try to think about finding your way out until the true Spring and Summer arrive. (Of course, this may require waiting until June.)
5. Look for friends to help get you through the confusion that comes from being lost. (TSL isn't all that far away, you know.)

Just one other thought, a quote from Douglas Adams: "For a moment, nothing happened. Then, after a second or so, nothing continued to happen." Sometimes the gray and cold of winter and early spring can just seem to drag on forever, but it's an illusion. The sap will start flowing in the trees again and the old urges will slowly start to return.

Barrettscv 

I've got the same situation in Chicago, that air off the lake is just above freezing in winter & spring, and I don't ride as often as I could.

I pick my days and try to ride 10-15 times per month from April to December. I'll take any two of the following three conditions: cold, wind, rain.

I can usually find 15 days a month that are downpour free, free of strong winds or warm enough.

alanknm

Same here. It's always colder living by the water and almost never perfect. If it is, then I think there's something wrong. Last night my wife and I and one of our boys were driving back from a kayaking skills course (done in a large swimming pool) while it was literally raining slush. Sloppy, messy and windy. It can be enough to put anybody off. But the three of us had great time ! We've got a couple of smaller 13 footers and we needed to upgrade our skills for the bigger 17-18 foot sea kayaks so we can hit the open water and do some tripping. Doing something else that's fun can really make a difference.


If I were you I'd take up tsl's offer. A little company can really make a difference.

mrodtoo

Sounds like winter depression. I'm not a MD, but I would hit the bottle of vitamin D3 and use a trainer or in my case the rollers. Healthy body = healthy mind > positive attitude. If that fails drive the MG!

TMB

This.

I have lived 51 years in Canada and had winters in different regions, some bad, some not. But I have finally just become tired of the cold, or wet or both.

We bought our place in Arizona 4 years ago and spend our vacations there, and will hopefully be able to increase our time there as we go along.

Sun, blue skies and heat.

I am terrible this year though. I can't bring myself to go out in the cold. I am bored to tears with both rollers and the gym. I can't even go out to the garage and putter on bikes anymore as I am starting to find even that tedious.

I want some sun and heat so I can go outside.

Monoborracho

I spent one year in Calgary, and it nearly killed this Texas guy. I remember walking a half dozen blocks out of the way on the elevated level between buildings to within a block of the condo. Then I would step out in the dark at 5PM for the last dash and feel like someone was shooting needles in my face.

I did a 35 miler through the CenTx hills yesterday and got a sunburn. The bluebonnets are blooming and a few Indian paintbrushes are showing up.

oldster

having lived in the valley,(scottsdale HS,class of 61),(and my dad owned a bowling alley in Mesa)The winters are not good enough to justify the summers ..to old to put up with that heat..
Bud

cyclinfool

I have no desire to live in the deep south or desert SW in the summer. Upstate NY is ideal for me, however Utah would be a great spot to spend winters. I could ski and bike in the same day. I am considering a nomadic lifestyle in retirement. No one area seems to appeal to me.

Phil85207

For the last twelve years we get out of here in the summers and visit some of our grandchildren, and or just travel around in our RV. It's really not all that expensive once one learns the tricks. It can be a great lifestyle if you are so inclined. I know it's not for everyone, but for us it works great. Last year we spent the summer here due to some health issues and got along quite well.

oldster

SLC is nice to ski at,, Little cottonwood canyon is tough to beat for skiing and accessability.I stay at a relative's in town and can get to the ski areas in 20 25 minutes..far cry from Denver and the perils of I-70 the weather is very close in SLC and Denver, ,,
SLC restaurants are not to good ,, and the booze laws are kinda strange...
Bud

CHAS

I love living at 9000 feet in the Rockies. Skiing is great and a couple of miles down the road.
But I am getting tired of the cold.
Going to Tucson tomorrow for a week. Will spend one night on top of a mountain there with a telescope and cold. The rest of the time will be in sandals with breeze blowing up my shorts.
Planning to start spending December and January far south of here.

cyclinfool

I'm an eat at home kinda guy and Alta is my favorite place - go there every year. Just got back from 4 days weekend before last.

oldster

I agree on Alta...I spent a lot of time there, skiing with a bunch of locals,who showed me everything that was Alta...have not found anyplace
that is as good,, learned a lot from them.....And its real easy to get to...
Bud

oldster

We are "Birders" and used to go down there and further south,,in search of new birds. Stopped going ,what with all the stuff going on because of the border thing..It got way to scary ,,, take care...
Bud