Maybe a New Bike is in Needed?
 

Maybe a new bike would put some interest back in riding again??

For the past couple of years it seems like I hit this funk about this time of the year. The motivation to get suited up to jump on the bike and ride has evaporated. This time it's the worst it has been in 10-11 years. I think I've only ridden a total of 50 miles the past 3 weeks.

I used to travel to organize rides every weekend. I had rides planned out for the year and knew I needed a pretty specific training regime to complete some rides. A lot of it was probably driven by failure to be able to successfully complete an event, climb a steep hill, etc. Having goals and targets were really helpful in getting to a good performance level and staying in shape.

It's been interesting hearing the interviews with some of the Olympians (like Phelps) who have dealt with motivation on a much larger scale. If I had a heart to heart discussion with myself I'm not sure who would win??

I'm not sure what's going on right now but I'm really struggling to make sense of it.

Any else dealt with losing interest in something they were very passionate about (spouses excluded!!)?

I have not tried to achieve the level of excellence that you have, jppe, so I'm not sure I can help.

A short time ago I was having my own issues. I stopped all my normal activities to care for a family member. I found that my passion for cycling was near zero, and I sold all but one of my bikes.

Fortunately, I starting riding with a cycling friend who kept a regular schedule. I began to feel better and started rebuilding my bike collection. During the winter, I was encouraged to join Vision Quest, a cycling/tri training club.

For me, it only takes a few weeks of fake-it until you make-it to get going again.

Well, after decades as an academic research biochemist I lost all interest in my career and became a full-time dad. I guess I was never really passionate about the politics and corporate zipper-licking, but the fun of the science was no longer adequate to make up for the not-so-fun parts. If you are losing your interest in cycling, I hope you find something rewarding to replace it. I know the years I spent raising my son were the best years of my life so far.

Strangely enough, I cannot imagine ever losing my passion for cycling. Heck, I'm (slightly) less than halfway to a million miles. It would be a shame to stop now.

I'm only in my second year but last Aug, I lost my drive and my mileage in Aug. was half of July and I became depressed. This year I'm planning on dropping off somewhat for a month, riding less but riding harder when I do. So far so good as I'm sticking to a reasonable plan. If you know this is coming, just accept it for what it is.

A new bike is nice, but what are you going to do when the "newness" wears off? Balance is important, and passion can be cyclic in nature. Also being so obsessed with speed, mileage, watts etc, can lead to eventual burnout. While cycling is my main passion, I am very enthusiastic about skiing and canoeing. Even in the winter, when there is good snow; when I find my vacillating between skiing and cycling, I know things are almost in balance.

I believe that the folks in this forum are more obsessed (maybe too strong of a word) than actual racers that I know about miles etc. I think is an artifact from our generation. My wife calls it a "man thing".

IMHO- Find some fun people to ride with, don't obsess over distance or speed (Some of my most relaxing rides are when I forgot to put the computer back on my bike), and find new ways to have fun on your bike. Sometimes just taking a break will help put things into perspective.

Hang in there, and post pictures of your new bike:)

It's been a very hot humid summer this year. I haven't wanted to deal with the heat myself. Maybe that's part of your issue?

Yes, a new bike will help, IMHO. Get exactly the one you want. Maybe you burned out on the regimen. Cut out all the training, etc and just ride for the fun of it. If I may suggest, too, do not use a cycling computer so you will not get mixed up in quantifying your ride. Just ride it. I found I enjoyed riding more without looking at a cycling computer constantly. Next, just ride out your driveway.

Wisdom has been imparted here.

Whether it's the bike, the schedule, the goals, whatever -- you need a change of pace.

I went through this in '05; obsessing with numbers, gears, elapsed times -- lost all the fun. A buddy took me to a trail network about 40 miles NW of here, something I'd wanted to experience; we started out -- he took off. Left me pedaling along.

I was on a strange trail, didn't even know which way was which (not well marked), and just wanted to 'get to know' the trail; he was time-trialing! I cursed him, the trail, and the bike -- found my way back to the parking lot, parked the bike, and waited for him. We didn't speak the whole way home.

Three weeks later, I had a little 'encounter' with the hood of a Corvette; wound up cracking the right wrist. (VA put a CAST on it!) My riding was severely impaired for seven weeks (no choice, car-free), but when that hateful thing came off my arm, I pedaled away with such JOY! The weight of performance was GONE -- I was simply RIDING!

In all the time since then, I've had a computer on my bike once, for about three months, tracking mileage on different routes for commutes, utility rides, etc. Never took the numbers seriously, and what I rode was what I rode.

Now, my speed/cadence/gear choice is determined by how I feel on any given day. If I'm not feeling the joy, I change what I'm doing on the bike until I DO feel it.

+1 on the heat. Sunday it rained most of the day and I went for a ride after the rain thinking it would be cool. I still came home with my clothes wet from sweat.

When you were listening to Michael Phelps did he mention his recreational use of giggle weed? I'm not pointing this out to take a shot at him, or push some kind of agenda. Rather, I'm pointing out that taking a break is a pretty important thing to do. I mean the most winning Olympic athlete of all time has to find ways to take breaks. Go do something else for a little while. Cycling is such an addictive sport, and you've been so immersed in it, that coming back will be easy. You just can't let yourself feel guilty about the time away.

I ride with my wife and notice that when she is out of town for a few days or a week I ride much less. Together we go out for a ride. Alone I go out for exercise. I think I would have to find a group to ride with to stay motivated on my own.

It must be passion. I use the bike to lower my cholesterol and my gas bill, but in the end, it must be passion that has me ordering new parts for my bike and keeping it clean and dry, so that it looks as good now as when I bought it... in 1992.

Even without the passion, I'll still be using the bike for all my local errand running, because gas-pump-poverty and ill-health are sufficient motivators when passion cools. :)

I can definitely see that. I've also found that looking forward to bike-related travel to cool places gives me a little more incentive to do those ordinary daily rides. Next summer I've committed to a week riding in Italy, so I know I'd better do some riding.

That said, I agree that we need some time off from from time to time. It shouldn't become a grind.

I find that generally, experiences are worth more than possessions. But maybe a new bike would help. It's hard to say.

Before you buy one, try doing errands on your bike instead of driving. It might re-inject the joy of cycling.

Try thinking about other things you could be doing but don't want to. How about re-grouting the bathroom? Now do you feel like riding. I do.

Up till last October and no problems getting out on the bike but a slight knee problem and poor weather meant that the winter was spent just turning the pedals and keeping the legs moving. Retired in April and I now have all the time in the world to get out and ride--Except I haven't. Plenty of jobs to do and other things to occupy my time and bike riding has slipped way down the list of things to do. Enthusiasm has gone- fitness has gone and there is something missing from my life.

So in the same state as you and I have to do something about it. Ridiculous thing is that once out on the bike and I enjoy it. It's just making the effort to get out and do what I like best.

That takes me back a few decades. When I was in college, the house I lived in always got an intensive cleaning right before midterms and final exams. Anything was better than studying, even cleaning the house.

I have one question about the loss of motivation. Does it last beyond the first ten or twenty miles of a ride, or is it just hard to get on and go? I've had many a ride/swim/hike where the first bit seemed like a chore, and then things come together and the fun starts. I remember a runner with a shaved head named Burke (sp) who, when told how easy it must be for him to go out for training runs, said the first mile is just as hard for him as it is for everyone else, it's just that he finds the next ten to be easier than most people do.

You need some perspective. Enjoy it while you can. It could all end tomorrow.

A new bike would be good for the economy, even if you never ride it.
Spend lots, then buy all the extras
It's the patriotic thing to do.

Forget that...buy a 60 year old bike and keep people in business fixing it.

Tempest is already taken for a name.

As you know, have had several personal issues here that have required my attention away from the bike, and my training and participation in events has been spottier than in years past. It's been tough to muster the motivation to have sufficient mental energy to train and ride the events I genuinely look forward to (AOMM, Death Ride, B2B, etc.). I've also had the letdown after having ridden the big events as well.

I've used that lull in interest to get on my mountain bike and enjoy the trails in our (common) area. Pisgah, Lake Norman State Park, etc. are great places to ride with a different focus. You can enjoy the trail, challenge yourself as you see fit with trails as technical or not. It's also a great bike handling skill builder, as you use different muscles, learn to stay up and balance at very low speed, muscle a bike heavier than we generally ride. No worries about average speeds, cadence, HR. I go with some friends and it becomes a social event without the usual measure of competitive "testosterone" invariably present at road events (no matter how hard we try, we ALWAYS get sucked in to some extent).

Yes - I love my mountain biking, no matter how level or steep or sandy.

I haven't said anything to my wife about my recent struggles with riding. A few minutes ago I told her I was going to play golf with my brother this afternoon. She said " Well I guess that means you are not going to ride today........you just don't seem to be as excited about riding as you have been in the past. It sounds more like a chore and something you feel like you have to do when you do go riding." She seems to have summed it up better than I could! I guess I'll just take a continued break and when the urge to get back on the bike returns I'll haul my overweight butt out for a few miles.......and suffer.

Whe I used to run every day there were plenty of "blue" days where I just didn't feel like doing my 5 or 7 mile loops. I would tell myself I could get dressed for the run (shoes, shorts, etc) and only do 1/2 mile --just to loosen up, and then return home. I always ended up doing the full loop and fully enjoyed it.