madman91

Hello,
When i cycle with someone i usually keep a higher than my normal speed. However when i am alone i feel no pressure and i slow down greatly. Is there anything that keeps you motivated during your ride? Also i would like to say that i dont want to eat granola or any energy bars.

Thanks

DieselDan

If I were to say what motivates me on group training ride, I'd get divorced!

PWRDbyTRD

Upbeat music, and keeping my eye on my average speed

Stubacca

The only thing I've come up with is the rhythmic motion of the rider in front of you. We can only hope it's a female!!!

madman91

can you recommend say 10-20 songs if possible?

i tried that but never found a really good set of cycling music

recursive

I have the opposite situation. When I'm riding alone, I have a hard time maintaining a low speed. I don't know what motivates me. Endorphins I think.

If you're looking for something other than energy bars or granola bars, you can try bananas, fig newtons, or candy bars.

madman91

im talking about motivation when riding alone i know what to do in a group ride

Stubacca

Goals. Average speed goals for the ride, sprint goals (e.g. sprint to the next intersection/bridge/whatever), cadence goals, pass the rider in front of me, keep that car in sight, climb this hill in a certain gear etc.

When I'm commuting, running late helps a lot too.

re: eating. This is a motivation thing, not an energy thing, right? If you're low on energy and can't push yourself any faster, then maybe your body doesn't have enough fuel. What distances are you riding? If you're riding for more than a couple of hours at a time, you *should* eat something during the ride. If you're talking about shorter rides (for me, under 40-50 miles is usually ok), then there really isn't much need to eat during the ride, but you should make sure you've eaten enough before you go out.

cyccommute 

Use similar motivations that work on a group ride. See someone in front of you and try to chase them down. If it's a girl try not to oggle her too much If you thought it was a girl and it wasn't... If you pass them try to stay out front Sprint hills. Sprint sign posts. Yell at the cows! Yell at the prairie dogs! Squish grasshoppers (my favorite). I observe stuff and make up stories which is a great way to spend 3 weeks by yourself (see below for details, some of which is true). Figure out where you are going to go and how far it is, then try to get there as fast as possible. Or...

Slow down and enjoy the ride. You don't have to always race.

madman91

40-50miles? wow. How fast do you go?

I have a mountain bike and i ride on sidewalks
i usually go out for 30minutes and make 6 miles.. but recently im starting 1 hr for more miles...

DieselDan

If I could describe this without getting banned by koffee brown.

operator

Pfft, sidewalk. Only noobs ride on sidewalks.

Deallean

Quoted for truth. But then again, I do ride on sidewalks aswell, cause the road I bike on to get to school is HORRIBLE, potholes everywhere and its 2 busy lanes so I get 2 inches from being run over if I ride on the road.

Doctor Morbius

LMAO. In his defense though, he is a newb.

jur

Get a speedo. Beat your previous time.

madman91

so true

well there is no space at all on the roads. I ride on sidestreets but not on major roads. Usually busy and i'd rather be safe on my sidewalk

cyccommute 

There are a number of good reasons not to ride on a sidewalk even on, or especially on, sidestreets. Perhaps the best reason is that drivers don't expect you to be there. Someone backing out of a driveway is looking for vehicles on the street and not you traveling at a higher rate of speed then a pedestrian on the sidewalk. At corners, drivers aren't looking for you on the sidewalk and are more likely to pull out in front of, or into, you.

Finally, most of the time, it's not legal to ride a bike on a sidewalk.

Stubacca

Typically average between 16-20mph, depending on the riding companions, conditions, location.

Whatever the average speed, I don't feel the need to eat during the ride unless it's upwards of 2 hours. For the length of time you're riding you don't need to eat during the ride.

Oh, and start learning how to ride on the roads. It's much safer.

Stubacca

Agree with the points you make, but this isn't always a true statement. It depends on the local laws. Some states/countries prohibit it, some don't.

Daily Commute

There is already sticky thread on the dangers of sidewalk riding for people who want to go into that. Back to this thread's topic, if you're on the sidewalk (and I'm in the anti-sidewalk-riding group), you have to pay extremely careful attention for pedestrians and for cars at intersections. There really isn't anyway to motivate faster riding.

When you're on the road, I agree that a good cyclo-computer could keep you motivated. Watching that average speed drop below 15 mph can really motivate you to move. Then, you want to keep it above 16, then 17, etc.

foehn

I sez, male or female, whatever floats yer boat (or turns yer crank, as it may be!).

Guest

I think I ride slower with people, and I usually hammer when I'm alone. Probably it's due to the fact that I like to talk and yap when I'm with folks, and that's probably due to the fact that I spend so much time riding alone that it's fun to ride with someone else for a change!

But to keep myself motivated to ride faster when I go solo, I usually do interval rides, or I keep an eye out on my speed, or do cadence drills. Or sometimes, I'll see a rider off in the distance and see if I can overtake them. Other times, when folks pass me, it's a wake up call to pick up the pace and play catch up. I do lots of mind games on myself.

Music helps a lot too.

Koffee

hi565

anything that makes you angry, metal?

forum*rider

My cyclocomputer.

Damn you computer. You and your numbers.

DieselDan

Riding solo? My computer, and not just my cycling computer. The one in the handlebar bag made by Reli-On.