I’ve just been browsing through my Strava and realised I have cycled at least once per week for just over 3 years.
I recall even doing the occasional ride just so I didn’t miss a week. A bit silly really.
But how do you all stop yourselves from getting bored with cycling in general?
Not that you have to ride every week or multiple time each week etc but I see a number of strava friends that go months sometimes with no cycling whatsoever.
I wonder why they stopped so completely. Life stuff? Bored? Lazy? Other?
Set a goal or pick an event to direct your training. Aimless workouts will likely lead to exhaustion and questioning of the overall worth in the efforts.
That is unless you are in this from a purely fitness perspective and do it for health reasons only. Some do just fine with that as the goal.
Try a new discipline. Move into road, MTB, Tri, gravel, or any other type of riding that is new to you. Finding a style of riding that tests you and forces you to do new things can be motivating.
Find a new friend or group of riders. Many people take part in cycling largely for a social interaction. Get with like-minded people that enjoy similar stuff.
If you don’t want to ride for a week, a month, or more…you don’t have to.
For me, I have long term goals so I add variety because I want to keep training. I have triathlon for a start which means I have three different activities for variety, I have other hobbies and past times and at certain times in the year they take precedent.
I haven’t yet gone down the MTB, cyclocross or duahon route, but they are options for future variety.
+1 on the trying something new. I was a triathlete for 12 years. Took a few years off after having a couple kids and despite trying to make a tri comeback several times I just couldn’t get back into it. It took me like 3 years to figure out the magic just wasn’t there anymore.
Gave cross a try a couple years ago and loved it. Branching into MTB and gravel racing this year and I feel like I’m starting a whole new sport.
I switched the type of riding I did, and added a long term goal with a series of smaller goals to keep me focused. I also look at others who are further along the path I want to take and use them as inspiration to continue when I’d rather not. I’ve developed the habit of training and the discipline to stick to the training plan as much as possible.
I do get bored. But I know that the work I do now will pay off massively later!
+1 Goals. But more specifically, ones that really excite you! - whether endurance based (e.g. Gran Fondo), time based (e.g. race, strava segment) or just being able to hang mid-pack in a fast group ride.
For me, 14 years ago I completed every endurance event I cared to (e.g. hilly centuries, death ride, etc) and then wandered aimlessly. Then 5 years ago my son started racing collegiately (Cat B). So I decided I needed to train really hard so that he would be willing to ride with me on 40-80mi 4k-8kft rides without being bored (i.e. not like a typical MAMIL). I achieved that goal in 2016 so we now enjoy great rides together and hope to do so as long as I am able. I have since set even higher goals for myself and am knocking them off one-by-one.
Truth, and it’s one reason that I still love many forms of cycling after 26 years of cycling. A basement full of different bikes means that I can do any of several types of riding, any day of the week.
++10 JoeX
If you don’t enjoy it move along. Unless it’s your livelihood, stop cycling. You might find you miss it right away. You also might find you don’t. Or maybe there is an aspect of cycling that bores you. Then try the alternate routes like suggested above.
How do you get bored with cycling if you only ride once per week? I ride 6 days a week and don’t get bored. Now, what can get boring is riding inside a lot and just having the Trainerroad power graph to stare at. That’s why some of us Zwift while we’re doing a TR workout. Zwift racing is also quite fun / engaging to do as well.
If and when I ever get bored with cycling I’ll find something else to do. I can see at some point in time I’ll stop being competitive and will dial back the training and just ride for pleasure.
I don’t get bored because cycling is a chance to explore. New places, new people.
I ride on my own and turn off down roads I never knew existed. I feel like a kid on an adventure and I know I’m smiling from ear to ear. My bike gives me an excuse to start a conversation with totally random people. Some of those people are now great friends.
I honestly can’t see how you can be bored when you ride a bike.
Thanks for all your replies. To be clear, I don’t get bored. I ride multiple times per week, but occassionally I have only managed one ride per week.
I have noticed multiple friends on strava ride regularly for months and then stop for long periods of time. Quite a few have just stopped altogether.
Many people own bikes but never ride them.
Hence my general question of how you stop getting bored with cycling.
For me right now, the overall reason is health and fitness. My knees wouldn’t take too kindly to taking up jogging. But as I have always had a sporting/competitive nature I have now embraced time trialling and there are plenty of goals there for me to stay interested at least for a few years.
Society needs people to exercise and cycle more. I’m trying to better understand why people stop etc.
I have never got bored cycling. It’s difficult to describe, but there’s something about riding a bike that makes me feel at peace. I’ve no idea what it is, but I can’t imagine not riding a bike. I see people with rides on strava complaining about condiditons, moaning about something that happened etc. I struggle to see why they do it if it’s such an unpleasant experience for them. Howvever, even on the most demanding races/workouts, I’ve never been bored.
Move up here. You can’t ride in the winter unless you build up a snow bike and put 5 tons of clothes on, so by this time of the year you are eating your bar tape in anticipation to finally ride outside. When you start slipping on ice in the fall, it’s time to rest the bike and do something else. Works wonders.
My work offered to pay for a marathon back in 2015, never ran over 8 miles, decided to do it and finished it a few months later.
I’ve been running three plus days for around 8 miles a day since until last fall.
My road bike has been in the garage for the last three years after job change, house change, etc. Recently, (last fall, August) found out about kickr and trainer road, converted from running three days a week at 172 pounds to riding in my garage at 230am down to 162 pounds.
Someone said something along the lines of “put your phone down, everything out of your hands, etc for thirty minutes. Find a way not to be board during those thirty minutes”. Something along those lines. I don’t remember if it’s a training for patience, etc but I think it’s a great idea. I can put music on (at least need my music, I have yet to master complete silence for 30 but can do it for a short period of time) and zone for couple hours on the trainer. Every day I look forward to getting up and making some improvements.
Haven’t approached boredom with cycling, but do get bored/burned out with training.
Helps me to get out and ride for fun. Not every ride has to have a purpose. Go exploring - meet some friends for coffee, whatever you need to get the mental break. Go outside and feel the wind against your face as you ride slow, fast, or somewhere in between
Just do it.