Ten years ago, I used to go out in big (60+ riders) that are held on the weekends. Was doing both Saturday and Sunday rides, 60-70 miles each day. These rides are pretty much race training at 20-24 mph. I was fast, but the effort left me wasted.

Found a gal and slowly drifted away from the big group rides. In hindsight, I was totally bike obsessed and not very healthy in spite of being fit. Found other interests, still biked, but mostly solo and went from 3000 miles per year to under 1000.

These days, I'm back over 2000 miles per year, but have a lot more balance in my life and hobbies. With limited riding options in a metro area, I do stick to the same roads, but found some good mix and match loops. The city has gotten more bikeable, so I go exploring when things get stale. I like to pick a point of interest and then visit it by bike. Helps to have a destination.

To sum it up, there have been many ebbs and flows in my 40 years of riding. I still enjoy it, but it's more about smelling the roses than winning the race.