khatfull

All,

Serious question.

When I'm out on a solo ride I find it hard to push myself as hard as I know I can. For instance, I snuck in 20 miles while it was still daylight yesterday and about 15 miles in I turned a corner and saw another cyclist in the distance. It's like there's a switch in my brain that gets flipped when I see that. For the next 4 miles I pushed real hard to try to catch the guy/gal (never got there although I nearly closed the gap before I had to turn off that road for home).

How do you all motivate yourselves?

Do you have timed routes and ride against them?
Those of you with power setups....you ride to a certain power output?
Are you just able to "do it"....crank whenever regardless of conditions?

I'm just curious as I'd really like to find something that would work for me.

datlas 

I have a similar problem. My suggested solutions (they work well for me):

1. Hills - hard to slack off during a killer climb
2. Ride familiar course and force myself to use 1 gear higher than usual
3. Group rides with my club as often as possible

A PM might help but I am too poor for one.

adacas

I sometimes have my good days and bad days. More often than not its just because I didn't fuel properly and bonk'd on those bad days. The routes I take usually have other cyclists and a lot of those guys are pretty serious riders and I find myself pedaling a little harder too. Its pretty much the instinct for most guys when perceived competition comes around.

nayr497

Funny, I'm kind of at the other end of the spectrum. I've been pushing myself too hard of late and am working on just relaxing and enjoying the ride. I played competitive sports for a majority of my life and cycling is now my "lifetime sport" so I'm trying to just have fun riding.

But...to answer your question:
1) To push myself in the summer I go on "A" group rides, upping the pace if it is one of those types.
2) To push myself in the summer I will ride with friend(s) that are fast and who will keep the pace high.
3) When I'm riding alone I generally repeat routes. This means I can gauge my time/average speed.
4) When riding alone I try to make sure I'm working hard, pedaling all the time, not coasting or resting.

Winter:
1) I think a lot of people will tell you to calm down and just work on spinning miles when the weather changes. I think this is a good suggestion. You don't want to push yourself for 12 months straight. Plus, riding in the winter can mean dealing with weather that makes going out rough or dangerous. Slow down, enjoy the miles.

- I wish I could somehow cure the nose run/drip that happens when the cold weather comes. That is the only thing I really hate about winter.

*Overall my motivation comes from loving being out on the bike in November when it is in the 50s. I also just really like being out riding anytime, so I don't need much motivation. I find getting motivated to go faster is aided by riding with faster friends. When I ride alone I'll do some rides where I'll say to myself "Let's push it hard today" and others where I just want to keep a good tempo all ride long. I'm pretty sure you are relatively new to road riding, right? So just about any miles you are putting in are still going to improve your abilities, even if you aren't pushing yourself to the limit.

khatfull

Yeah, knowwhatchamean about the PM...would be nice but...I'd rather stay married.

...and transferring that instinct into a logical method of motiviation is what I'm looking for. Timed routes would kinda work...there's always the clock to work against, but that can be so dependent on conditions (which is why I suppose the power guys like their power setups so much )

knobster

I use the training partner feature of my Garmin 305 for when I'm doing a fitness ride and the route is the same. Pretty boring if I don't, but I don't use it for rec rides, but I do those with my wife. So still boring, but at least there is someone to talk to.

khatfull

Thanks for your reply!

I have the opposite problem...I NEVER did competitive sports as a kid or any other time so now, as a 45 year old, I'm discovering this drive...both in cycling and table tennis.

I wish I had some road cycling friends...there are a couple at church, but they are very unreliable getting out and then they're more interested in a leisurely ride...and that's perfectly fine. A couple of times I've ridden with them I'll excuse myself and pull ahead on a climb or a sign sprint, then wait for them. (They know I ride a lot more than them....and they're fine with me doing that).

+1 on the nose! And, yes, I was out for 45 miles total this past weekend and it was gloriously sunny and in the mid 40's here in MN. Absolutely exception riding weather.

Fortunately I do take it easy sometimes...when I get to ride at sunset I have a particular shortish route that winds through some farmland that is just beautiful as the sun sets. And it has nearly no vehicular traffic to it's quiet and serene...zen almost.

chipcom 

There's your problem. Create some benchmark metrics. If you do not exceed the benchmark, no nookie for you that night. Adjust the benchmark upward weekly until you ain't getting laid anymore...at which point you should be ready for the pro tour...or a divorce.

khatfull

LOL! Too funny man...

sijray21

it's easy to 'let-off' when there's no one else around so my main motivation is riding with those who are at or above what i consider to be my 'level' of riding. i also do your 'catch the guy in-front' routine when i'm on a commonly traveled trail by myself. my biggest motivator has been the clock though. when i started using my computer (garmin 305) i used a typical route every time and just tried to beat my time. i split the trip on the computer into laps of 5-miles so i can analyze where i was and what i was doing after the ride.

another way of doing it is practicing intervals (typically time-based on consistent terrain - hills or flats). going riding with a purpose keeps up the motivation as well as surfing these forums when i want to motivate myself to ride after work.

HOOD

a PM is the answer

Since I got my SRM life is defintely harder in the saddle, I set the intervals on my garmin and the the beeps of "watts to low" really pushes me.

khatfull

Funny, I had been considering a 305. I have a Cateye v2c and while it can do laps and such the big problem is the buttons (and I knew this when I got it) they're VERY hard to push. That and the fact that it would be nice to have the 305 for the data capture...and I've always wanted something to get elevation data from. Hmmm.

carpediemracing 

It's why I race and do group rides. I also chase slower moving trucks and such.

I've started "intervals" and given up literally after 20 or 30 seconds.

For solo training, I use other fear factors to motivate me:
1. As mentioned before, climbing, esp long steep climbs. If you don't go hard enough, you fall over.
2. Try and beat darkness. Typically for longer rides, I'll budget certain check points. 1.5 hours to Point A, 3 hours to Point B, 4.5 to Point C, 6 to Point A, and 1.5 more hours to get home. I try and go easier for the first half so I can keep pace with a relatively aggressive second half schedule (17-18 mph sometimes). When I start running out of daylight I seem to find a lot of additional speed. I've finished some rides wearing dark (prescription) sunglasses in the pitch dark, or riding with a teammate in Belgium with no lights, totally lost, at 9-10 pm on a March night.
3. Night riding. I think I go harder in general.

Of course trying for PRs helps. I usually remember a checkpoint or two and I'll try and beat them a bit. Checkpoints tend to be pretty far apart, like 2-3 hours.

cdr

saratoga

The chase rabbit always helps with motivation. Especially if you catch them, they try to chase you and you subsequently drop them like yesterday's dirty underwear.

jdon

I punish myself. If I find myself slacking on a climb or into a headwind, I will turn around and do it again but making the effort the second time. I really enjoy the mind over matter challenges cycling presents. I also hear Sean O'Malley's voice in my head pushing me. His training MP3's are my favorite for the trainer or spin bikes.

Barrettscv 

I tend to push myself pretty hard when riding solo. My average ride this year is 45 miles. I'll go anaerobic every 10 miles while climbing or while trying to maintain a 20+mph pace. My bike computer becomes a slave driver.

Group rides can be demanding, depending on the group. One group I ride with is challenging about 60% of the time. I feel like I'm slacking when the group travels below 18 mph.

Michael

clausen

If I lack motivation, it is a sign to take a recovery ride or day off.

lechat

living on the cumberland plateau i can always opt for a hilly rte. like my "3 gorges" rte. there's no option on steep hills. you either pedal or walk. since you're in MN you may try hammering on what hills and rises you have. or just designate sections of your usual rte. to kick it up a notch.

StefanG

On rides where you are interested in pushing yourself, if you don't have a PM, as mentioned in earlier responses, racing against the clock; or keeping an eye on your Average Speed and keeping that above some pre-determined target will help motivate. I like the latter, because when racing against the clock, I'm don't typically realize whether I'm ahead or behind until I reach the final couple of miles. If I set a pre-determined target Average MPH, then I just try to keep that at or above the target for the entire ride, helps to keep your effort high.

Of course, there are times when your speed will drop (going up hills, etc), but then if that causes you to drop below your target, then you'll have to increase your effort until you return to your target.

Worked for me as motivation when riding solo without a PM. Especially if you increase your target each week.

San Rensho 

In my old age, I just cannot push myself to go hard when I'm riding by myself. I have to ride with a group to go hard. Luckily, the group by ride with is very fast. The only thing that motivates me to go hard is knowing that if I don't bridge a gap, or move up when I know the group is going to takeoff, that I will fall off the back. Then I can push myself.

carpediemracing 

I used to think this, but if I applied this to myself I'd have stopped racing about 10 years ago

You're right, of course, at a reasonable level. I haven't been able to truly push myself for 10-15 years now, unless I'm racing or in a group ride.

cdr

n8tron

I get bored going slow so that helps me out.

timeedgevxr

The #1 question is ... What's your objective? If you just want to go out and hammer every time, then do like chipcom said and set benchmarks against power/HR, time and your routes.

Every ride shouldn't be a hammerfest either. If you're actually trying to get better, set up a training program - everything from intervals to spin rides. If you can't get motivated to do that then you should question why you're doing what you're doing. To be honest, the discipline should be the other way around. Know what you're going out to do that day and stick with it. Too often I'll be out for an interval or spin ride and I'll come across a group that is tempting to join. Discipline yourself and do your ride.

Its like going to the gym - there's guys that have goals and the discipline to attain them - then there's the guys who go in just to show everyone that they can lift what everyone else is lifting. If nobody else is in the gym, they just go home. Used to know lots of guys who would only ride if they could ride in a group or go out and chase people. They weren't cyclists - they were egomaniacs that rode bikes.

The best guys on here got where they are by doing as much (maybe more) solo riding with discipline than they did pacing groups.

nutt

when i ride on the city streets it is fun to race the bus. they usually average about 25 mph but they have to stop. if they have to make every stop i usually drop them. i think it kind of pisses them off that they have to keep passing me but then again, it pisses me off when i have to constantly pass them in my car.

heads up!

Word.