cranky old dude

Is that even possible? Is intense dis-interest an oxymoron? It seems that maybe disinterest should be described with less dedicated sounding words but hey, what do I know?

Well whether intense dis-interest is possible or is not, it is what I've got.

I don't know if the weather, which has really sucked this season, has finally beaten down my bicycling spirit or if it's just my normal mood swing thing. I have three main hobbies and I tend to swing from one to another for long periods of time. I just don't have any passion for the bikes or bike related stuff these days. Oh, I still commute and ride the Hellbent for Breakfast ride with the guys and I still take rides along the lakeshore and the ponds. It just doesn't seem to be as much of a priority as it had been recently.

To illustrate, consider the following:

*I get out of work at 05:30 tomorrow morning and I don't have to come back until October 18th...and I have no rides planned!! I'll ride and I'll enjoy it, but I don't seem to be anxious about the prospect of so much free time and cycling.

*The Forum is boring me to death, not due to lack of intelligent content and comments but I just can't seem to muster up the desire to delve into any of it. I still voraciously tear into the photo journal type ride reports, but that's about it.

*I've got several bike projects just sitting around waiting for my attention. Sigh.

So where is my passion leading to now? I think I'll go play with my toy trains for a while. I've got a layout that I passionately started a few years back that is begging to be finished and several vintage toy trains that are craving some good old track time! They've all been patiently sitting on the shelves waiting for the bicycling flame to burn down a bit and I believe their time has returned.

It'll take a while before I know for sure if this is an attention shift or weather related dis illusionment, but either way I'm gonna have some fun. I'll be popping around here occasionally to catch up a bit but I don't think I'll be a daily visitor during the next several months or longer.

So to those of you that might miss me...fear not as I'm still lurking about.
To those of you who can't stand me...Ha ha, I'm still here.
To the vast majority, who really don't care.... I know how you feel, neither do I.

Beverly

I'm glad to know you'll be lurking about Enjoy playing with the trains!

Garilia

it's no more an oxymoron than militant pacifist.

Donegal

I can relate. I got back into racquetball this spring and I got hooked and my bike has spent the last 3 months in the basement on the stand. I just played in a tournament and had the time of my liife. I am getting ready for mountain biking season also, gotta have varied interests.

The Weak Link

At least part of it is the Law of Undulation that C.S. Lewis refers to in the Screwtape Letters. It's just built into our humanity, a hard-wired (for those that feel more comfortable with that concept than referring to our creator and all that) mechanism probably in place to keep us from burning out, hurting ourselves, and becoming hopelessly OCD.

What happens if you take the time off from riding? You fail to qualify for the TdF next year?

Perhaps some of it is how competitive the ride reports have come. I thought I got a bike to ride around and have fun, not to crush some souls.

Of course, crushing souls has some benefits. But it's a mistake to think I'm a failure as a cyclist because I only turned in 50 miles this past week. And that's a lot for the average citizen. Just not the average BFer.

tsl

Perfect!

Join me for the Ten Parks Tour, Leaf-Peeper Edition on Sunday October 17, 10am at Cobbs Hill Park.

The Ten Parks Tour is a signature Rochester Bicycling Club ride, and represents Rochester and Monroe County in the New York Bicycling Coalition's Best Rides of New York State.

This ride starts and ends at Cobbs Hill Park in the city and connects nine more east side city, county and town parks. From the hills of Mendon Ponds Park in the south, to the beach at Durand-Eastman, the route winds through city neighborhoods, suburban streets and rural roads, with an optional lunch stop at Vic and Irv's in Sea Breeze, and a final pass up the Genesee River gorge (past all three falls!) and through downtown Rochester.

• PDF Map and Cuesheet

The route can be split into southern and northern portions for a shorter ride.

Meet at Cobbs Hill Park by the pond and tennis courts (corner of Culver Rd and Norris Dr by 490) at 9:45. We roll at 10am sharp.

I'm your ride leader, and generally I lead this ride from the rear. I let the fast kids go off the front, and settle in for a nice conversational ride. I've led this ride for three years now, and I've never left a rider behind.

PS: I have at least one other 'bent rider planning to join us.

jdon

Rewind one year. I think you went through the same thing, same time last year. I suspect it is a seasonal thing. Take some time off and come back just as you did this spring.

The forum, yes, I agree and am planning a lengthy absence myself. I would rather spend the time in the woodshop or putting in even more miles on the bike.

JanMM

If you were giving away your bikes and denouncing cycling and cyclists then I would suggest that maybe you should talk to somebody.
See ya' later.

miss kenton

Cranky,
When you do go out for a ride, please take your camera. I, and I'm certain many others, will sorely miss your your photo journals.

bradtx

c o d, IMHO humanity would be a boring hash if everybody had just one interest or if everybody thought the same. I just fixed one of the toy (non daily driver) Mustangs today, WOO HOO! Intermittant (12.3% of run time) problem for a few weeks. It felt good to break away from the bikes for awhile, which was a break away from the motorcycles... and so it goes, the bike rack goes on that Mustang tomorrow for a ride in Galveston.

Enjoy life, whatever you do.

Brad

DnvrFox

Choo Choo!! Have fun.

I'm taking a 3 month break also, starting October 12th. I'm going to learn to enjoy watching my L-4 and L-5 vertebrae fuse together.

Have fun, and come back. Variety is the spice of life.

Dan Burkhart 

Guess you'll be needin' this.

bfree

fify

I went on this ride earlier this summer when Bruce was leading it, it is a great ride!

BluesDawg

Didn't you make basically this same post a few months ago?

tsl

Will you be joining us for the Leaf-Peeper edition?

Louis

We're gonna miss you, Crankster.

Perhaps playing with those trains for a while will get you back on track.

Waxbytes

In any physical activity it's important to have some off time to allow the body to mend. Don't fight it, just go with your own rhythm.

lhbernhardt

"Intense disinterest" is not an oxymoron because you are thinking of the current misuse of the word "disinterested," which today is pretty much synonymous with "uninterested."

In fact, "disinterested" is a positive word. It used to mean "freedom from bias or from selfish motives," or "impartial." So intense disinterest is merely intense impartiality. But I'm afraid the word has lost its more positive, original meaning and has fallen into misuse by the uneducated masses who think they are educated and erudite, so I don't blame you for thinking that the word reflects your lack of interest in cycling.

Another commonly misused word is "enervated." It looks like it should mean "energized, lively." But its meaning is completely opposite. It means "tired, drained of energy." So you are likely intensely enervated. End of vocabulary lesson for today!

Luis

kr32

Lenny,

Have fun doing whatever you do. Your picture posts will be missed, at least by me anyway.
Trains are cool and time consuming as well, have fun with them and see you later.
If you didn't care we would not be replying to a thread you didn't care about, you care dude you can't fool us.

bfree

Maybe, things are a little hectic. I'm getting married the Sunday after...

akohekohe

This is hardly disinterest. If you stopped altogether and didn't miss it that would be a different problem altogether.