I love training but I do struggle to motivate myself to enter Time Trials which is my preferred option.
I feel I should because otherwise I am training without purpose but I am happy to try and hit x miles, y TSS or even z sessions per week. Obviously raising FTP is a main sign of improvement to myself.
I have not even looked at the 2019 TT calender as yet and in 2017 I didnt do any races. I know that is my choice but I was wondering how many others are in the same boat.
John there is nothing wrong with not racing and I would argue that you are not training without a purpose. Anyone doing a TR workout is doing it for a purpose (even if they don’t quite know it!), you may be doing it because you enjoy it, it’s making you fitter or it’s maintaining your fitness etc.
Training with a goal in mind helps the process but those goals can be much softer goals than a race. You may find that as you continue to follow a plan you find out what you enjoy, or what efforts you feel you are good at and that could then formulate a goal or event where you want to put that to the test.
I’m right there with you! I train to race past versions of myself, not current versions of other people 
I may get there eventually, but I’m just not confident enough yet in my bike handling skills. I thoroughly enjoy group rides, solo challenges, and supported long rides, especially with the fitness I’ve gained from TR.
100% agree. At 60, I’ve only been riding for some 4 years. I set annual fitness goals. My first century was in 2017. Last year, I completed 3 centuries and 2 70 mile rides; all organized events. My 2019 goal is to complete 5 centuries, including the Tulsa Tough “Double Tough Challenge”.
You don’t have to race to enjoy cycling and to benefit from all of the health improvements.
Raises hand. I don’t have the determination to do what it takes to be competitive. I strive to be competent plus a little more.
Another one here, I used to race MTB, and once I gave that up I was just riding around and not enjoying it, I took up time trialling, learn’t a little about structured training and started using TR, I found that I was hopeless at TT, nerves just got the better of me so I gave that up, but I found using TR and having a plan to my training let me hang with the fast boys, and the most fun I’ve had in the last couple of years are the 25mph chain gangs, do or die, but what you do survive … now thats living. Might not race, but doesn’t mean you don’t want to go faster\longer\higher,
Another trainer with no racing in mind. I train so that I can enjoy myself when I go on a ride.
Ditto here. Used to do some amateur racing, but not anymore. Now I just need to do something to keep up with the youngns’.
I’m curious… do you people that don’t race at all still follow the sweet spot base and build plans or go traditional base?
Sweet spot here
Sweet Spot as well. LV1 then LV2 now coming to the end of General Build. Probably going to do Sustained build before the weather gets better to get outside.
SSB, GB or SustainedPB, followed by CRR or Century plan… All low volume. Still work 
Actually not sure why I started structured training last year. General health and fitness, sure. And I think I will tackle a few mountains in the alps this year… not possible/enjoyable without some form of training I guess.
Racing? Probably not on the menu.
Base, build, TT speciality - maybe a couple of TT’s and I have entered a 100 mile sprtive (Gran Fondo) in June
After that probably rinse and repeat for another 28 weeks. Maybe go on a few group rides throughout the year.
Everyone using Trainerroad is a competitor of one kind or another - even if it is just with their own mind and body.
I don’t race either and do Sweet Spot as well. I use TR to stay fit for the rest of the year. I’m starting to have some doubts about why I want to be faster in the group rides. I’m still slower than the fast riders and faster than the slower riders. I call them solo group rides. 
You’re not alone there. I always feel like I’m much faster than the slower riders but always slower than the faster riders. Maybe the area in between is just really wide. 
I do race, but my primary training goal is really just to stay fit. The racing is just a fun bonus since my wife also races, so we go on a lot of trips together and help keep each other motivated.
As of 2019 I no longer race. I was doing crits (mostly fixed) but when I sat down to plan my goals for 2019 I cut out racing all together (it just doesn’t align with what I want to accomplish as a cyclist anymore) to focus on personal goals and rides. some KOMs, some challenging climbs or routes and some personal records.
So my training is for me and my own health and ability to accomplish my goals on the bike. Higher metrics help me do what I want to do better (plus we all love seeing the FTP tick up). That mentality is really no different than when I was racing… I just apply it to my own personal things as opposed to the clock.
Cycling and health are bigger than racing. One does not justify the other exclusively.
Another non-racer here! You are not alone! I got back into serious road biking about 3 years ago - mainly to stay in shape for ski season. I fell in love with the road again, especially after building some solid base fitness. I wanted to continue through the winter in 17-18 and found TR after trying various others [zwift, sufferfest, etc.]. Last season after a winter of TR my fitness gains were huge and I just became addicted to the whole process. TR has had amazing effects on my skiing this winter and I have thoroughly enjoyed skiing without fatigue!
Last winter I started with SSB I-II and then went on to SPB. This season I started with HIT MVI & II due to my high level of fitness at the end of the riding season. I recently switched to SPB MVI & II after deciding to sign up for Battenkill. I will jump into Century MV next.
Oh, and the side benefits to TR - I can pretty much eat whatever I want without gaining weight. Ditto for beer consumption.
I don’t really train to “race”, however, I do race.
I mostly train so that when I go out mountain biking it isn’t a miserable experience. Hitting the trails is so much more fun when you can hammer up the climbs like they’re flats. Without TrainerRoad, I’d be on the struggle bus going up hill.
That being said, while I started TrainerRoad with no intention of racing I now find myself doing quite a few xco and cx style events. I don’t really take any of the races seriously, I just treat them as a fast paced group rides! The best thing about racing is just getting to ride with other guys who are of a similar pace to me. There’s no way I’d be able to motivate myself to do a TT, I feel like I could accomplish that by myself out on the road!