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What's wrong with me? I've lost my enthusiasm . . .
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mitsumonkeyFree Member
I’m sitting here absolutely fed up with myself. I’ve been out riding every Wednesday night for years with the lads and I’ve just swerved two weeks in a row now. I was the one who sent the texts out week after week organising keeping the gang going, haven’t done it now for two weeks, the lads even called round for me tonight, I sloped off and walked the dog so I didn’t have to face them.
I have had the feeling for a few weeks now that it just feels like a slog with no real reward other than maintaining my fitness level. I really have lost my love for riding . . .
Bloody hell, help me!!!JunkyardFree MemberIts only two weeks as the weather turns
It will passOr you need a new bike
jota180Free MemberI’m currently on a month long downer on cycling, it’ll come back, if it doesn’t, I’ll do something else.
Just roll with it.Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition
Latest Singletrack VideosFresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...scotroutesFull MemberSimilarly afflicted here. Seems to be a combination of lethargy and lack of fitness.
passtherizlaFree MemberBeen injured, then injured again then ill, then injured and ill… It’s taken it’s toll. Can’t be arsed to ride nor could I if I wanted to. Feel fat and lazy. Got a brand new bike too ridden it twice. Everytime I look at it it annoys me. Lame.
oldnickFull MemberI’ve had a bit of a downer since May, only starting to get remotely interested again now.
Which made the [ahem] several bikes a bit of an embarrassment 😳
brokenbanjoFull MemberI had been the same, then bought some new wheels forcing me to get out again. Now cannot wait till the next ride again. The thing is, as soon as you get out you’ll love it. Just do it.
cooganFree MemberYou know, it simply might just be you have no interest or just don’t want to do it any more. Feels crap, but will feel worse if your forcing yourself to go out, hence the feeling of no reward. Try something else or have a longer break and see how you feel. I love my riding, but if at some point I finally thought ‘nah’ then so be it. It’s not the be all and end all of my life, plenty other things to do!
mrjmtFree MemberMay well be that you don’t feel like you’re achieving anything.
Have a think about why you ride, if its for the enjoyment of being on a bike, go for a few rides out on your own somewhere new. No pressure to be the fastest like riding in a group.
If its for the social aspect maybe look for a new group?Or try something new, borrow a road bike for a bit?
When riding becomes a chore, you need to figure out why it has. Ride for yourself not others. 8)
scotroutesFull MemberI’ve been considering the purchase of a new bike too.
One with an engine 🙂
dirtydogFree MemberDont loose sight of why you started riding, get out on your own.
hh45Free MemberYou may be run down without realising it. Go to the Doc and have a blood test for iron, hemoglobin, red and white blood cells and haematacrit. I’m in this situation as a result of too much hard work and er.. riding over the summer and at my age the body eventually gets fed up. Result = lethargy, lack of enthusiasm, no feeling of power when peddling and so on. Answer – rest, better diet etc.
Capt.KronosFree MemberI have been on that for a few years now – riding solo is partially to blame, as is life in general. It comes back occasionally, but I think a change of scenery is what I need personally.
martinxyzFree MemberWant to buy one with no saddle, Scotroutes? Nice winter project ;O)
I’ve been feeling the same over the past month+. Just completely lost it.
ultimateweevilFree MemberStart proper night riding now it’s getting dark about 7pm, totally changes your normal trails and makes you focus more on your riding just having your lights showing you the trail. Oh and yeah buy yourself something new for the bike it’ll give you a reason to go and ride it.
scaredypantsFull MemberDon’t just “not go biking”, DO something else for a bit. There’ll be no guilt then because you’ve actively taken up something to replace it. You’ll either come back to the bike or else realise that you’re done with it if you don’t begin to miss it at all.
deviantFree MemberIts the change in weather after a long awesome summer…i was coming home and going straight out on the MTB for hours until nearly 9pm most evenings, shorts and t-shirt, sometimes my dogs with me…perfect, i even bought the other half a bike so she could see what all the fuss is about.
Now….well, i dont like getting cold and muddy so i’ll be hanging up the MTB shortly.
Some people will tell you theres no such thing as crap weather just crap gear so invest in good quality riding gear and get out there…tried this and it doesnt work for me.I just accept that i’ll be on the road bike for the next 5 months, i can layer up the base layers and lycra and stay reasonably warm and dry, no muddy bike to clean etc….fitness usually goes up too which always comes as a pleasant surprise in the spring when i get back on the MTB.
Try other stuff too, i play more squash and go to the gym more in the winter, its still exercise and will lift the seasonal blues….after a while you’ll be itching to go for a ride.
mboyFree MemberDon’t beat yourself up about it. The love comes and goes. I’ve had an episode with MTBing this year so far, and to be honest I’m still not 100% back to where I was in terms of love for it, but a change was what was needed. MTBing had become very samey for me, I just needed to change the routine a bit.
I’m still riding more road than MTB at the moment (and that’s probably not going to change through the winter either!) but I’m vowing to get back on it properly with MTBing for next year, especially as I didn’t do any events at all this year!
mitsumonkeyFree MemberThanks for the replies all, I think it’s probably a mixture of the answers above, the weather, darker nights, tired and run down. Also I used to use the Wednesday night as a fitness ride for my weekend trail centre rides but for one thing or another I haven’t been to a trail centre at all this year.
Other hobbies have come to the fore as well so they may be stealing the limelight.
I’ll do some ‘pleasure’ riding pootle around get myself back in love with the bike I think.jools182Free MemberI’ve been in a right strange mood lately too
Feeling ratty and tired, lacking motivation etc
Don’t force yourself to ride or try to enjoy cycling
Do something else with your time, maybe something creative
Don’t feel guilty, it’s your time, don’t do something that you’re not enjoying at the moment
MrSalmonFree MemberDon’t worry that it comes and goes. I’m not riding much at the moment but often the effing about before and after a ride, especially in winter, really gets on my nerves and I just don’t want to do it. Just give it a rest and do something else.
Don’t start an ‘I-haven’t-been-out-for-2-weeks-so-I’m-going-to-sell-all-my-stuff’ thread just yet!
kcalFull Memberyup, been there and may still be there to some extent. Time and some external factor will change it, eventually, but it’s all wrapped up with what’s in your head too. Work? Home?
scandal42Free MemberBin off the trail center and ride somewhere new and natural?
I can honestly say I was struggling to motivate myself for my night ride last night, strong wind and stupid amounts of rain, but once out it was awesome riding and I loved it, 5 minutes of being home and I was in a hot shower whcih felt great.
It’s all about trying to keep things interesting, new locations are a big help I find, I’m doing a big ride in the peaks this weekend in areas I have never been to and even the terrible weather isn’t making me think twice.
I always find it’s the initial lack of motivation to get out that is the biggest stumbling block, once out you usually think how much better it is than staying indoors.
cbmotorsportFree MemberBin off the trail center and ride somewhere new and natural?
I can honestly say I was struggling to motivate myself for my night ride last night, strong wind and stupid amounts of rain, but once out it was awesome riding and I loved it, 5 minutes of being home and I was in a hot shower whcih felt great.
It’s all about trying to keep things interesting, new locations are a big help I find, I’m doing a big ride in the peaks this weekend in areas I have never been to and even the terrible weather isn’t making me think twice.
I always find it’s the initial lack of motivation to get out that is the biggest stumbling block, once out you usually think how much better it is than staying indoors.
^All of this.
You never regret going for a ride, but you always regret not going for a ride. Some days I just cannot be arsed, and putting on my gear and getting the bike sorted is a chore, and I can think of a gazillion reasons not to go out, but then I do, and 1/2 a mile down the nearest trail I’m really pleased I did.
Set yourself a bike related goal (a biking trip away maybe) something fun that requires some fitness and focus on it, maybe you need an aim?
Good luck, been there a few times and managed to ride out of it. 🙂
smatkins1Free MemberDo you use Strava? If not get the app on your phone post-haste. The sensation of racing yourself, and your virtual friends, should spice things up a bit.
Pick up your favourite blend of Haribo from the shop, gobble these along with a can/cup of your favourite caffeine rich beverage and put on your best waterproofs. Go out for a short 1hour blast, riding through every puddle you can find and letting out your loudest “STRRRRAVA!” battle cry as you do. Within 3seconds of your first two wheeled drift you’ll be back in love with riding.
flashesFree MemberI added a bike to add variety. Although it got a bit out of hand so can now do SS 26er, 29er fixed, SS fatbike………
MoreCashThanDashFull MemberExactly the same here, started a thread last night about jacking it in, ducked last nights ride and missed an amazing full moon.
Sometimes life gets in the way. Don’t beat yourself up over it, start of a very downward spiral. Just ride to the pub with a mate for a couple of miles and a couple of pints, start getting the fun back into it.
annebrFree MemberGet your mates to organise their own rides for a bit.
It gets a bit dull when you have to be responsible for arranging everyone else’s rides all the time.
weeksyFull MemberMMmmmm found mine today
all that was needed was
Rain ! mud and leaves, it was great
racefaceec90Full Memberhaven’t ridden my bike for a year and a half (due to depression/laziness).
just aren’t interested in cycling any more tbh (maybe the love for it will come back one day/maybe not?)
joolsburgerFree MemberI had an accident 6 weeks ago nothing bad but loads of blood which was a bit of a shocker, I haven’t ridden with any commitment since. What I have done is taken the dog and pottered around on the MTB in the local woods to keep my hand in. No rule that says you have to ride but I find solo riding at my pace and my agenda is working to get the mojo back.
stilltortoiseFree MemberIt’s mostly been said above, but I can relate my experience which may help.
What kick-started my enthusiasm was a switch from focusing on “just going for a ride” to practising some new skills. Rather than thinking/worrying about doing a route, the riding bit became incidental to the development of skills like jumping and cornering. I had an absolute blast last Saturday just messing around on table tops, berms, drops etc and plan to go again this weekend. I can’t remember the last time I was this enthusiastic to ride my mountain bike.
Interestingly a similar thing happened with skiing, wherein going up and down the pistes just didn’t give me the buzz anymore. Once I started messing around on the kickers the grin came back on my face 😀
phutphutendFree MemberI’m still super keen to get out, but it happens so rarely now due to kids and a new job, that I’m becoming crap. I used to be a fast rider. Now I’m a duffer. Two big crashes due to being overly tied, and I’m starting to question it all!
metalheartFree MemberOP – I know how you feel.
2 years ago I was super motivated. I was out riding 4-5 hour solo ‘wild’ loops every other weekend, bought a Solaris then a Rocket.
Immediately post rocket purchase I changed focus to the road as I was off to the Alps to to ride with a mate. The hour and a half hour grinds in the grannie paid off massively on the Jeux Plane and the Alpe 😀
Then post alps I switched focus to sport climbing. I was climbing 3 or 4 times a week and then end of September a combination of not going on the planned for sports holiday and some reoccuring back shit all motivation drained away.
Now I’m back overweight, less fit than in a decade both of which conspire to stop me… and when I do go out, its been on the motorcycle…
I have sporadic bursts of intensity then months of nothing….. I did three 2.5-3.5 hour off road rides in just over a week and it took me 6 weeks before I got it together to wash the bike…. which was sat in the living room dropping mud and needles…
ho hum.
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