xizangstan

I admit that I have a really low tolerance for Boredom. I know that our daily lives are composed of all sorts of routines and habits that are necessary. But for fun and recreation especially, doing the same thing over and over, and over again, drives me out of my skull.

And so, for bike rides, I have a serious need to mix it up: I'm compelled to keep going on new routes and seeing new things. That to me is what makes bicycle riding so much fun. But alas, eventually I run out of new places to go, close to home. That's when I start stretching my imagination, looking for ever-more places to ride. And eventually it becomes a real challenge...

Do any of you have a similar distaste for the same bike route, over and over? How do you find new places - or how do you make the old places new?

NOS88

Interesting, I rarely get bored on any ride. I frequently commute by bike and would expect that using the same route over and over again would lead to boredom, but it does not. There is always something different to see or note, and I just remind myself that I could be doing the commute in my car and stuck in traffic waiting five minutes to go 1000 yards. One of the reasons I ride is because it helps calm and focus my mind, so that I'm not jumping around from one thought to another like a rabbit running down 40 different paths.

PatW

I do pretty well doing the same ride repeatedly. I better. Here in Central Florida, the decent ride options are mighty thin on the ground.

StephenH

Take up randonneuring.

ModeratedUser150120149

Interesting...I too like new and different experiences. But, one day some years ago while sitting on the steps of my place 22 miles off the road system and into the wilderness of Alaska, with no one within miles of me I realized that what was driving me was a wrong perspective. I needed to be paying attention to What Is rather than looking for What Isn't.

Mind you, according to a friend, I was living a life that although routine to me was an adventure of a lifetime to so many. When I was't there I was off to this place or that via the magic of the jet engine.

Once I changed my attitude I have never been bored again. I can scuba the same site over and over and each time gain a new appreciation for what I see. I can ride the same path repetitively and each time see new things. Most of all I can look inside me and see new things and have new understandings from day to day.

Maybe, as my mother once said, my boredom came from just not paying attention.

My story may not be your story.

Pwnt

This.(too the point of scary)

Phil85207

Although I greatly enjoy new sights and routes, I have done the same ones over gads of times. On one of my favorite routs I have a watering hole at Einstein's Bagels and visit with friends I've made there. It's something to look forward to. Good luck.

DEK

I understand your feeling and I too sometimes get bored having ridden the same traill for over 1,000 miles this year. However, just being on my bike gives me enough good feelings to overcome any boredom and I'm always looking at the scenery to see if there's something different that I didn't notice before.

Velo Dog

As Grandpa used to say, boredom is an internal failure. If you're not smart enough to entertain yourself....
Having said that, the road routes the first eight or 10 miles from my house are VERY limited--until recently, there was only one way out of town, on a MUT paralleling Interstate 80 to Reno (now we have a road through a new subdivision that winds up in the same place but is equally boring). I did sometimes get bored cranking out the last 10 miles home, because I've done it, no kidding, at least 1200 times.
Other that that, though, I don't remember ever being bored on the bike. Tired, sore, sure, but not bored. One reason may be that I try to vary my routes, speeds and distances. Turn down a street you've never been on--that's how I found my current house 20+ years ago, just wandering down a suburban street I'd never noticed.
You might also toss the bike in the back of your car and drive half an hour before riding, for a new perspective.

PaulH

It's never a problem for me. My cycling consists almost entirely of same 20 mile round trip every working day. That's something over 4,500 miles, or 225 repeats of the same trip. However, it's always different; hot, cold, snow, ice, rain, dry, night, or day. Last week,at 102 F, I rode beneatha an underpass and remembered the six foot wall of snow that I had to stop and climb over for several weeks two winters ago. How the world changes with the seasons!

The best part is the wildlife. For example, yesterday there were two Great Blue Herons. It's always different.

Paul

bigbadwullf

Start doing time trials on the rides you already do. Doesn't need to be anything special. Just time a section and see if you can beat it the next time out.

Jim from Boston

I frequently deal with that situation too. I'm a year round commuter, and in May to September I train for Centuries. Virtually all my riding is done from home as my starting point; no driving out to new routes. In a sense, my riding is somewhat "compulsory," and over the years I have been on almost all the routes I can think of, several to numerous times. Despite my opinion that cycling in the Boston area is great -- very interesting and scenic -- the lack of novelty can sometimes be a deterrent to overcome.

I have a couple mental strategies I use. Just last week I posted this one to a Fifty Plus thread, “Cycling is affecting how I think while I'm driving”

A second strategy is stranger I admit, and I have been teased for it on a previous thread. Since Metro Boston is such a lively and interesting place, and I've had so many good experiences here, I enjoy showing visitors around by foot or by bike, especially those from my region of origin. I have chosen as an “imaginary friend” from there a frequent Bike Forums subscriber whose posts I enjoy and whose cycling style seems similar to mine. Whenever I get particularly bored on the road, I mentally chat with this imaginary friend as if I were showing him/her around and seeing the route through a different set of eyes.

Billy Bones

This is the BIG KILLER in the fitness business. Conquer it and you stay strong...succomb and turn into fat.

The rule is "Mix It Up".

Fittness is all about STRENGTH...AGILITY...ENDURANCE.

Forget about basing all your effort on cycling. MIX IT UP.

Find a whole bunch of cycling routes you can do.

Find a place to run.

Find a way to work on stretching.

Go to a gym...UGH...if you must.

Swim...

Loop through all these activities all the while finding a way to ENFORCE DIVERSITY...

Run the paths...take the dog for a walk with weights and STRETCH...cycle the road...cycle the paths...cycle the mountains...run/run/run...take a day off...

You need about 30 different things on your 'menu' from which to choose every day.

Plan tomorrows activity the day before and set all the stuff you'll need for it.

THEN FREAKING DO IT!!!!

The important thing is to never take more than one day off from doing SOMETHING.

bigbadwullf

But the important question. Do they talk back?

AzTallRider

I'm one of the ones that can repeat the same route over and over and find it different each time. I do, however, enjoy experiencing new routes, especially if they involve opportunities to see wildlife.

chasm54

Personally I find cycling is in itself an antidote to boredom. It is, for me, meditative. I get into a rhythm and find that my conscious mind largely recedes, I zen out, I am aware but not thinking at a conscious level. The physical activity becomes an end in itself, and when in that state of mind boredom is not possible.

bobbycorno

IME, the only thing that remains the same is the route. Other than that, the experience is different every time.

SP
Bend, OR

NOS88

Wish I had said that!

Jim from Boston

Yes, with incredibly brilliant and witty replies extolling my cycling prowess and telling me to slow down.

OldsCOOL

I have a list of routes that I draw from, various distances, hills or no hills, bike paths or open highway or mixed.....I too prefer to keep it mixed up a bit. But really, just being on the bike is a trip in itself. Earbuds/Iphone/Pandora keeps me occupied while I play with mileage, elevation, avg's, on the little trip computer. Planning stops, what to eat, when to eat, where to water up or take a rest all help keep any boredom away in between getting buzzed by semi trucks at 70mph.

Sculptor7

Have been taking the same route for about a year and a half. Occasionally I will ride different routes and enjoy it very much. Don't get bored on the same route because I enjoy the changing of the hour, the seasons and other factors. I like seeing the grass turn green and the trees turn orange and red. I enjoy the warm damp smell of the pines on a humid day. It's always different.

John_V 

There is a wilderness park about 4 miles from my house that I ride on a daily basis. It has a 7 mile paved loop and 3 miles of paved service roads that will give you a 13 mile ride if you go from the park's front entrance to back entrance. You would think that riding this same route daily would get boring. On the contrary! Every day you see different animals in the park and the scenery is like riding down a county road. For the most part, I try and concentrate on my riding and not so much the scenery. There are no cars on the path so that makes it an even better ride.

DEK, you need to come join me at Flatwoods some day. It's much different and faster than riding North Tampa Trails.

DnvrFox

I live on a trail - one of those dreaded MUPS, except mine is a pleasure, with people I know, little traffic and natural scenery that is always different.

I have my choice of 4 distinctly different routes, with the out and back or loop being anywhere from 17 to 100+ miles or more, depending on my desires. Some have steep hills (to me, that is), some are level. Even if I took the same trail, the flowers and scenery and creek and trees are always different and there are folks - old and new - to talk to or wave to.

Then, I almost always combine a swim in one of 3 pools with my riding along with beginning with stretching and resistance exercises.

No, I am not bored. Also, I thinkthe greatest thoughts while riding - if only I could put them into practice and they all worked like I dreamed!!

berner

One can see a thousand sunsets and no two are the same. An ancient philosopher once said, you can never cross the same river twice. The river has since changed and so has the viewer. I am not bored on my rides but if I do ride a different area, I enjoy it very much.

zonatandem

In our many miles of cycling on our tandem (over 240,000 miler) we have yet to be bored!
Scenery/traffic/weather/companions change.
Have ridden in 30+ states, and a couple foreign countries.
So, what's your problem???