I've hardly ridden the past two months -- maybe 120 miles in all. I barely ride once a week these days. I attribute this to laziness, bad weather, laziness, some unrelated personal challenges and distractions, laziness, and laziness. I've been putting on weight, too.

The weather is improving -- in fact, it's quite nice today. I'm going for a ride after lunch. But there's something missing and I don't know how to get it back. It's something to do with the fun factor, I think. Because I've been off the bike for so long, I feel guilty that I haven't been taking better care of myself and getting my exercise, and forgetting that what got me back into cycling, and kept me going, was the Fun Factor. The subsequent weight loss and health improvement were spinoff benefits, not the primary reason I cycle.

So I'm going to start riding again, just for fun. I hope I can recapture that feeling! As the saying goes, “Life, like all other games, becomes fun when one realizes that it's just a game.”

After all, there are lots of ways to have fun on a bike!

Glad you're going out for a spin. I'm guessing you might feel a bit less self-critical after getting a few miles in while you've got decent weather. Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy. BTW, the problem with the guy's bike in the picture (or at least speculation as to why the front wheel is running away) is that the bike's not white (and any self-respecting wheel will do what it can to disassociate itself from a red bike.) This from a guy with a red bike, a blue bike, a green bike, and a black bike, but no white bike. So, I say, "GAME ON."

Whee!






Have fun.

I don't know what to say to this, really but sometimes I get home and I just don't feel like getting on the bike... all that changing into rising clothes and bike prep is a drag and, let's face it, I always end up riding some place that's just plain hard and unpleasant to deal with. And then I make myself go and -guess what- it's fun. The freedom... just the feel of rolling along and being out *in* it. Last night -as I was humping my way up my Roberts Road climb and gasping for air, my legs burning- I realized that I don't ride in spite of the hard work and suffering, I ride BECAUSE of the pain and suffering.

Find ONE THING that makes it fun for you. Focus on that. If you can't come up with one thing... quit

Hang in there Gary- Won't be long before you get the cat trained to the bike and then the Fun will begin. A new riding partner that will attract the other riders to you. Do those Babes still wear bikinis in February? No need to get a Tandem yet but Time to get the Basket ready and decide which bike to put it on.

Can you still find some of the posts from last year in which there were DG pictures of the rather obvious attractions of biking along the beach in SD********************????

If this isn't enough "fun" to get you back on the bike then******************************?

Go out, bike, bring back some of the neat pictures that you were taking last year. I particularly like the "paintings" folder you had. The technique works well for architecture and expecially well for back lit subjects like streets at night.

That's the great thing about bicycle commuting. Riding from work to home is always a good idea

Gary, I think I can relate a litle to how you might feel.
After screwing up my back on 02/01, I've yet to get back
on the bike. I attribute this mostly to laziness on my part.
It took three weeks however, for the guilty feeling for not
riding to go away. Now, in place of the guilt of not riding is
a nifty 20+ pounds right where I used to buckle my belt.

Like you, I'll climb back on one of these days...and it will
be fun. I just hope I don't get so wound up in cycling again that
I start feeling bad about myself if I should stop riding
for some reason.

I guess I got a little obsessed with getting on the bike every
day no matter what. I didn't even realize that the fun had gone
out of riding. Sighhh, this too shall pass....OH MY GOSH, the sun
just came out! Maybe I'll ride next weekend.

Enjoy the rides and Happy Trails

I went through the same issue late last summer. I'm still not riding as much as I was but I still enjoy getting back out just the same. At one point last summer I felt like I had to get out and ride-but my mind wasn't into it. I still feel like I need to ride but usually there is a little more desire to ride a little more.

Maybe think about riding to places you haven't ridden to before??

Haven't you heard: It's hard to keep a cat on a bike, no matter how much duct tape you use.

I know many folks on the 50+ forum belittle keeping track of rides, mileage, speed, etc., but I find that a spread sheet (or you can use Bikejournal.com) is a great motivator. I am trying to beat my 2007 mileage and so far this year, I am a few miles ahead. Even when the weather is not perfect and I am not in the best of moods, I know if I go out even for a short while, I'll be getting ahead of that guy from last year. Then once I get out there and start pedaling, I begin to enjoy the ride----it's the starting that is difficult, not the riding once I get going.

Just sayin'........

Happy to report I got out there, and did a nice 15 miler. Felt good, rode easy, nothing sore, so maybe I haven't lost too much fitness after all. And it was fun! Even the attempt by someone to door me was fun, in a swervy sort of way. No bikini babes on the route, sorry to say. But it's still a little cool for that.

Yeah, but I thought went without saying.

BTW: I think this is part of that general funk you mentioned a while back. Get thee to the tanning salon to cast off those winter blues! What have you got to lose? Besides, you'll probably see cute young things who are too young to care about what their skin will look like in 30 years...

I'm so jealous that you have ridden 120 miles already this year!

I have been on my bike a total of 4 times in 2008 and we are now experiencing our coldest weather so far this winter.

SPRING - please hurry!! (before I forget how to ride the dang thing)

Is this thread about that movie "How DG Got His Groove Back"?

Bad weather?You have no idea of what bad weather is around here.
Hike up the skirt Sally,get on the "orange crush",do the Tour Diego.

Congrats on the 15-miler, Gary. It does help, doesn't it. Finally, I am beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel that is not affixed to the front of an approaching locomotive! I've been able to sneak in a couple of short after-work rides this week (Monday & Thursday), and the weather was good enough to ride some last weekend as well. Daylight saving time and civilized weather cannot get here soon enough for me. Hopefully, we will all be recapture the feeling before long. I was getting extra grouchy with the inactivity and am now approaching my normal level of grouchy.

Ride on, brother!

Just a reminder: It's winter. The days are short, the nights long. Two major holidays fall in winter, followed by a month of cold, miserable weather. Only people in the Southern Hemisphere and equatorial countries aren't slowly thawing and coming out of hibernation. Don't be too hard on yourself because you failed to get on the bike, the trainer, the Spinning class, etc. Be happy that the days are lengthening and Spring is but 3 weeks away.

Today we hit 70*, and more of the same is predicted for tomorrow. I'll be getting in a ride about noon, and no matter the length, intensity or elevation, I'm going to have fun. I'm in good company, I see.

Glad to hear you're getting the mojo back, DG.

DG

It's time for a S 24 O

Let's make it happen!

Yeah, Right. One month of cold! It's 3 degrees F with a foot of snow
cover. The ice on my street is thick enough to ice skate without
damageing the blades. Around here, Spring is almost 3 months away!!!
Going snowshoeing this weekend....THINK SNOW!!!!!

DG, glad to see you got out for a ride. I think we sometimes put too much pressure on ourselves to ride more often than time or other things allow, or compare ourselves with other cyclists who ride 1000s of miles a MONTH and we think we're doing something wrong. I think that type of thinking contributes to burn-out and it is an unnecessary pressure we put on ourselves. A sure sign of burn-out is when an activity loses its spark. I'm glad to see that you had fun on your ride -- that's what's important to keep you going.