[Closed] Anyone else struggling?

Not been on a bike since I got back from holiday in September.

just managed a night ride only 14k (less the time to go back and find my ****g garmin)

I was doing >20K a week every week this time last year

trails were impressively dry, though

was tough going but glad i did it!

I've not been on the MTB since June.I've not fallen out of love with mountain bikes but at the moment I'm struggling for time to get out on it.It's a much more effective use of my time to get out on the gravel bike for a couple of hours.
I got into MTB's in the late 90's & I reckon it's the longest I've gone without getting off road.
The weather looks really good for November,but this weekend's tasks are getting a new garden wall built & in my spare time finishing off rewiring one of my old motorbikes.I hope to get out for a quick spin on the gravel bike (again),but I just don't have enough spare time to spend a day on the MTB.After the wall gets built I've got to lay a new patio,tear out the old bathroom & fit a new one,then rebuild my old FZ750,so I can't see things changing for a couple of months. 😥

This dark autumn weather is a bit depressing.Carrying various injuries doesn't help.I,ll try for a short spin tomorrow and hopefully get back in one piece.I guess the thought of a long winter ahead is tough on all of us.And my comfort food addiction is really going up a few notches.

Not quite the same as you...I'm getting out, just not frequently enough or long enough when I do. Means I feel mince (and ride like that) for the whole ride.

Enjoy it afterwards but it is tough during it, but not quite enough to stop me completely from going out.

[chauvanist mode]

After the wall gets built I've got to lay a new patio,

Patio first then youn can sack off all the chores [/chauvanist mode]

Yup, it's been two weeks since I touched the bikes. 🙁

Every few months for the last 20yrs, doubt creeps in, maybe thats it time for pipe and slipppers. Then it gets better..until one day I suppose it wont but thats not today.

Cycling as a hobby, for fitness or fun rather than transport is time consuming. There will be times when you have other priorities. I wouldnt be too hard on yourself. Only issue is the less you do the more fitness you lose and the harder it is to get motivated again. That is how Zwift helps me, its much easier to do an hour on there, keep some fitness and be more likely to go out when an opportunity does arise.

Yep, really struggling.

I’m still commuting, but trying to avoid it, it’s only the cost that has kept my going. I haven’t been on my MTB since the Sunday after I got back from my welsh summer holiday in late August. Just can’t be bothered.

I rodent help that I only ride for fun before 8:30am or after 8:30pm, so pretty much dark only already.

This year and tail end of last I have struggled hugely. When I’m out I love it and when I get home I’m thinking when next. The trouble is the next time doesn’t come very often and then when it does it’s hard and kills some of the enjoyment etc. Stuck in a circle at the minute with it.

Last ride was May and as a side last run was June. I’m just struggling full stop right now. Motivation no existent.

Have been doing a lot of walking lately though either alone or with dogs and some of those walks are crossing through places I was riding. There’s a small seed growing to get back out again, I just know it’s got to be a big effort!

Why not focus on another activity for a bit. The bike will still be there. Maybe mentally/physically your body fancies a rest from it. I suspect that was partly my issue. A lot of my rides became just doing it because it was Sunday or I was off etc. I started removing the fun and making it a chore.

There will be times when you have other priorities.

But if you want to cycle that won't stop you. If you can't be bothered then other priorities are just an excuse.

I usually ho out at 07:30 as it fits in with all my other stuff. Not the time I would ride out of free choice but if I didn't I wouldn't ride.

I personally think nightrides are pretty dull. Have a break from cycling with another hobby, gym or something, come back when its gets lighter and warmer. even the pros do it!

or sell my your bike for pennies 🙂

I just cant be bothered at the minute, think ive been out twice maybe three times in the past 3 months. I work away from home and usually go to the gym every other day or so when im there just to keep my legs spinning but cant be bothered with that either.
At home I could fit the odd ride in around other things but theres always stuff needing doing and quite often use that as an excuse not to head out.

Not been on the mtb since August and not missing it too much at the moment, too much faffing about to get out to trails that justify using the mtb. Been out a fair bit since on the cx bike but even that's taken a big slump over the last six weeks after injury and surgery. I'm hoping I'm starting to get back into it and the break may even have done me some good

I feel your pain - I struggle through periods where I ride a fair amount and others where I struggle to get out the door; even when the weathers perfect.

Almost always enjoy it when I do get out, and find the best thing for me is to simply say I’m going a day or two in advance - if I say to myself that I ‘might’ go, then I never do.

Me too. Came back from hols where I took the bikes/ trailer in sept and have had a persistent cough/ cold that turned into pneumonia! All sorted now with rest and antibios but not sure when to get back on the bike?

Luckily I have to ride to commute so I just get used to getting up and getting out.

Coming out of it now, had a rough summer, had to cancel a trip to the Alps and then a complete debacle getting my frame coated meant almost a month off the bike in August.

This time of year is usually shite, I have to cut from 2/3 times a week to once, I shit don’t fancy night riding.

Now... if I could stop stuffing my face and do soemthing more active than watching TV every night, that would be grand.

I got into Zwift last winter because of the mega-thread on here. Really good fun, kept me riding (sort of!) plus when I got back on the MTB in the spring I was fitter than I’d ever been and doing more riding than ever!

Winter is now here - which means I can go out on my bike at the weekend. Easter to Halloween I teach at a cycling club, very rewarding, but chews up a lot of time.

I started doing the monthly Gran Fondo rides as a challenge to myself - managed Jan-Mar and then time took over

Spent a bit of time building this year, so we now have 4 or 5 nice wee twisty, flowy dh runs with a push up track to get to the top.

I'll happily go spend a couple of hours there, solo or with a mate - as I did last night - as it's in a very dense wood and is sheltered nicely, rather than flog it over the open moorland in the pishing wet maelstrom. Keep the open moorland nightrides for crisp cold winter evenings.

It's a great wee spot for honing the cornering skills over the wet months, holds up really well, A great investment of my time over the summer.

HTH.

Generally been struggling since summer ended in mid June, but usually kick myself out of the door around 1600 most days. Not been able to ride since Monday after popping back to Wirral, but looking forward to cycling again tomorrow.

Been riding a lot more than normal this year, in prep for relentless 24, Spannered my knee in a crash 2 weeks before the event, couldn’t do the event. Not ridden since, save for commuting on the ebike. Feeling a whole lot of CBA at the mo. Think I’ve a cold coming on which isn’t helping, plus leaving for work at 645, getting home at 1915 leaves precious little time for riding that isn’t commuting. Will try and get out this weekend though

Only issue is the less you do the more fitness you lose and the harder it is to get motivated again.

Exactly. Especially when you get older.
I've done zilch since April due to the wifes serious illness, just had no interest or motivation cos I was too worried. Now she's a bit better & I'm 'between jobs' I've got some motivation back. Trouble is my fitness in worse than It's been it 26 years of riding & I'm now a fat, 61 yr old biffa! Went out on Monday, 16 miles steady away, mainly roads, & was absolutely knackered.
Did the same yesterday & definately didn't feel as bad. So there's hope yet!

Was a struggle last night as it was the 1st time out in 6 weeks since spannering myself @ BPW.
Great to be out though and try out the bargain Mojo X2. Trails were absolutely mint...dry with a colourful carpet of autumn 🙂

Damn kids, work, housework and improvement jobs keep getting in the way!

Good to know I'm not the only one. Bike is broken too and I just cannot be arsed to fix it, because then I might be encouraged to ride it.

not done much in last month or so, apart from coaching Sat morns. Been on a few weekend courses and stuff which has eaten into ride time and have put on a few pounds. Nagging hernia repair needing redone and generally manky trails not helping. Got out for a brief spin on Sunday and a road ride yesterday, and continue swimming a few times a week. Planning a decent off road ride this Sunday though 🙂 . The scales had crept down a little this morning 😆

I am. Hernia op in April has slowed me down a lot - very slow, uncomfortable recovery.Now it seems I have nerve damage in my groin which limits how long and hard i can cycle. very demotivating. 🙁

Sounds daft but when I feel like that I ask myself - "what would Martyn Ashton do" and get on it. Im sure he'd swap the shittest day in the world to turn the pedals again.

OP - You say you're demoralised because your friends have got fitter than you?

Either find some new, fatter friends or suck it up and ride anyway. If you're doing one night ride a week that;s not enough riding anyway, start sneaking out for an extra night and a morning on the weekend and you'll soon be back on pace.

I struggled last Saturday - legs felt dead, couldn't really be bothered - so cut the ride short, went to the cafe and rode home. Probably overdone it through summer (I do long distance events and associate high Km training rides) so taking it easy isn't going to hurt me.

When I used to climb as my main sport I'd basically not do any climbing in October/November unless the weather was really good and even then it would just be very easy stuff. I'd go for long fell walks instead to get fit for winter climbing. Just gave me a chance to recharge my batteries as it were.

I've said before that the advantage pro riders have isn't being able to train whenever they want but that they can properly rest when they want or need to. As amateurs/weekend warriors we don't really have that option.

I've hardly got out at all this year due in part to work hours and the rubbish summer weather. I did get out for a couple of hours blast round Gisburn Forest yesterday morning though and thoroughly enjoyed it so I know my lack of riding has nothing to do with a loss of interest in mtb.

I have limited or no-riding periods. Usually because of illness or injury. It's easy to slip into not riding, but once you get back out you will realise why you missed it. Make the first ride back something really fun. Go to your favourite trails in good weather. No pressure, just have some fun at your own pace.

Ime dragging yourself out when you really CBA is usually hugely rewarding!! You have a great ride, remember how much fun it is and give your mojo a big boost!

Also when you have put it off once or twice in a row it gets more and more difficult to overcome. Just get out, even if it’s just for an hour or so...

Its hard work at this time of year, I spent an two hours dragging a bike through mud and shite the other night , spent more time cleaning it than using it recently but I work on the basis that its easier to keep fit than get fit and what you do in the winter pays off in the spring

Yep, I'm struggling big time. Absolutely love being on my bike, and even more when I'm riding in company. However, I've got the better part of a daily two hour commute each way on public transport and by the time the bus has deposited me at the bottom of my street, all I want to do is sit on the sofa. So my evening rides are getting binned, and I feel guilty and depressed because of it.

Added to that, last night was perfect for night riding, but I found myself making 'what if' excuses. I've been night riding for nearly 25 years, but have really started doubting myself and worrying about injury....again, when out on my own.

Think I've got a free weekend though, and I'm going to try and make the most of it. Get the mountain bike out and drag it up somewhere like Dumyat if it isn't too soggy. The thing is, I know I'll have a whale of a time when I'm out and will get home buzzing (I may stop off at the Bridge of Allan brewery to fortify myself before the 15 mile ride home), with a huge grin on my face, having had a great time. It's just that initial push to get me out the door that's the issue.

Personally, I think the best possible thing you can do if you want to ride, but are struggling with motivation, is to hook up with other riders. I used to be a member of a bike club with a thriving MTB scene for about 15 years, but as that dwindled away, (club politics) so did my enthusiasm. My wife often comments about how I used to ride in the rain / sleet / snow and ice (standard summer weather in Stirlingshire), but now won't even look out the window if it's a bit damp. It was never really the riding I was going out for though, it was the company of like minded idiots.

Grit your teeth, dig out the winter kit and get on your bike. You'll feel better for it.

Maybe we should have a 'motivation bike club thread', like the 'fat club thread' of yore. I'll ride if you ride and post pictures as proof! 😛

Yes, we've had no summer here, so it was a year of training in the perpetual greyness for months on end, and then my 'holiday' for the year was NC500 which was not only grey, but wet too. Came back injured and disinterested in biking - hardly ridden in Sept/Oct, and when i did, it felt like a chore.

Just signed up for a holiday in the dolomites next year though which should be good, so pencilled myself in a 'prep' period (no structure and no serious volume, just getting back to riding 4 times a week) starting Mon 13th, and will begin training proper 01/01/18.

Ime dragging yourself out when you really CBA is usually hugely rewarding!!

Sounds daft but when I feel like that I ask myself - "what would Martyn Ashton do" and get on it.

This hits it on the head for me. I've endured a number of operations over the past decade that have left residue issues both physically and mentally but you need to appreciate what you can still do.
Yes you might be slightly slower than you were, ache more the next day but nothing beats the fresh air feeling blasting along a track and realising what beautiful countryside we have around us.

Treating yourself to a new piece of kit always seems to help....

Yep. Back from Ciclo Montana in mid September. Difficult ever since.

I'm riding ok but struggling not to eat treats all the time.

All my riding buddies bar one has pretty much knocked it on the head for spurious reasons. When they do venture out now they're so unfit that the smallest molehill absolutely ****s 'em.

Upshot is I ride less and when I do ride it's less of the gnarly peak district stuff. But I force myself to get up and out regularly as I feel *so* much better afterwards (despite never, ever, wanting to start) - do big long offroad days instead, headphones for an audiobook for the shit bits.

Did Nottingham > Sheffield the other day on NCN6, got train back. Didn't push hard, just plodded along, stopped off halfway and did a lap of the red of sherwood pines - 65 miles right there. Best day I'd had in a long long time. 🙂

Last September I had a crash that resulted in a broken collarbone and bruised pelvis. Not really done much since. Have my bike on the turbo trainer,which as soon I was able to, I was doing a few times a week. Then work got in the way, chest infection and then a twisted vertebrae resulting in a trapped nerve.

It's not been a good year! I hit the big five O in a few weeks, originally I was going get a new bike, that's what I'd planed this time last year as I've not had a new bike for around 8 years. But on reflection not sure if I should.

I tend to disagree - forcing yourself to ride when you don't want to is quite often the disciplined part of training, but there's only so often you can do it in a year.

Suppose it maybe depends on your outlook, or indeed even what type of riding you're doing ie dull training miles, but I'd disagree.

I have a wee oft repeated mantra at such times - I always regret not going out, but I've never, ever regretted going out on my bike.