Author Topic: Getting going again......  (Read 3118 times)

essexian

Getting going again......
« on: 28 May, 2014, 11:28:03 am »
After stopping for lunch/ a rest/ a long loo break etc....

My problem is that once off my bike for more than a couple of minutes, I just don’t want to start up again.

Any tips etc I could use please as I am planning a ride of around 100km soon but know that if I stop after 60 or 70km for any of the above (and near a railway station), I’ll want to bottle out the ride and go home.  My normal morning rides are about 40 to 60km long so this will be a long day out for me.

What, apart from MTFU, what can I do to get me over this issue?

Re: Getting going again......
« Reply #1 on: 28 May, 2014, 11:31:08 am »
Don't stop for more than a couple of minutes ?

Seriously, the one time I completed a challenging ride, I didn't stop other than for loo breaks and to refill bottles. I drank and ate on the go.
Rust never sleeps

Re: Getting going again......
« Reply #2 on: 28 May, 2014, 11:37:20 am »
Longer distance ride(s) with a group?
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

essexian

Re: Getting going again......
« Reply #3 on: 28 May, 2014, 11:38:47 am »
Ta but I don't think I am fit enough to ride for what for me would be five to six hours without a break.

I would also like to enjoy the ride rather than just stick my head down and cycle after all, its supposed to be a fun day out (remind me I said that the following day!).

As for group rides, I am too slow to join the local Road Club (even the family run is too fast for me) so tend to cycle on my own.

Re: Getting going again......
« Reply #4 on: 28 May, 2014, 11:43:40 am »
Try an introductory/short distance audax. The atmosphere alone can be a major incentive and of course includes controls/refreshments stops. There is also your local CTC or Sustrans group. ( I have the same problem with local club).
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

Re: Getting going again......
« Reply #5 on: 28 May, 2014, 12:09:34 pm »
The audax idea is good. Even if you ride the thing mostly alone (as I do), there's always someone else leaving the control to motivate you to get up as well.

Also, avoid railways around 60 - 70km, make that the turn for home. If the easiest thing to do is carry on the ride you'll probably pick that option.

essexian

Re: Getting going again......
« Reply #6 on: 28 May, 2014, 01:08:27 pm »
Ta for all the replies.

The ride I have planned heads from Bangor along the North Wales coast towards Chester so starts with a train and ends with a train back home to Stafford. Thus, trains will be involved at some stage: its just avoiding them around Conwyn Bay and Rhyl I might have a problem with!

As to Audax, I have done a couple of 50km rides without any problems: I just worry about the jump up from there to 100km* and the need to stay within the time limit: could be a problem if I stop and can't get going again. Oh and "they" always seem to put climbs in Audax too.....

* Its well over 30 years.... and about 40kg less..... since I last did 100km on a bike in one day. I have done a few 80km rides but not much further, hence this challenge.

Re: Getting going again......
« Reply #7 on: 28 May, 2014, 01:13:19 pm »
With a bit of luck you will get blown along.
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Getting going again......
« Reply #8 on: 28 May, 2014, 04:09:09 pm »
I suppose the traditional advice of regarding an audax as a collection of shorter rides between controls doesn't help?

So a 100k ride is actually a perfectly reasonable 40k ride to the cafe, then a 30k ride to the garden centre, then another 30k ride to the finish.  I find that approach can help with scarier distances, though I don't tend to have the same sort of motivation problem you describe.  Indeed, I'm usually eager to get moving again in order to warm myself up (the obligatory audax hill immediately after cafe stops helps with this).  By the time I'm warm, I'm usually happy to keep going.

Re: Getting going again......
« Reply #9 on: 29 May, 2014, 06:52:20 am »
Yes................. to a point.

The one I did, and it will remain the only one, was totally ruined for me as a concept by the totally unsociable rest who took off like scalded cats and vanished into the distance leaving me feeling very forlorn. Sad possibly but there it is. I vowed there and then Audax was not for me. I had hopes of getting "involved" but found that impossible. I also found it very stressful. I keep my 200k medal to hand to remind me not to be so silly again.

PH
Bees do nothing invariably.

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Getting going again......
« Reply #10 on: 29 May, 2014, 07:27:17 am »
You are supposed to enjoy riding your bike when it is a leisure activity. If you don't actually want to ride your bike after a short ride and a stop, why should you push yourself to ride more?
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

essexian

Re: Getting going again......
« Reply #11 on: 29 May, 2014, 09:56:46 am »
You are supposed to enjoy riding your bike when it is a leisure activity. If you don't actually want to ride your bike after a short ride and a stop, why should you push yourself to ride more?

You do have a point but the fact is, I do want to go on but always seem to end up looking for an easy way out.

I guess its just me and how I am.

Checking the weather now and looking into asking for a pass out from my considerably better half.  ;D

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Getting going again......
« Reply #12 on: 29 May, 2014, 12:24:55 pm »
The one I did, and it will remain the only one, was totally ruined for me as a concept by the totally unsociable rest who took off like scalded cats and vanished into the distance leaving me feeling very forlorn. Sad possibly but there it is. I vowed there and then Audax was not for me. I had hopes of getting "involved" but found that impossible. I also found it very stressful. I keep my 200k medal to hand to remind me not to be so silly again.

Occupational hazard.

There is an alternative - to deliberately ride in a group with some other riders.  Even some of the fast people will be happy to ride socially at full-value pace if that's what's planned in advance.

TimC

  • Old blerk sometimes onabike.
Re: Getting going again......
« Reply #13 on: 29 May, 2014, 12:30:00 pm »
If 60-70k is enough and you pack it in and go home, don't beat yourself up about it. One day you'll be feeling in the right mood to carry on, and you'll have enjoyed it. Riding bikes isn't about numbers (except for us Strava addicts!), it's about having fun - at least for those of us who aren't commuters.

jogler

  • mojo operandi
Re: Getting going again......
« Reply #14 on: 29 May, 2014, 01:31:56 pm »
Yes................. to a point.

The one I did, and it will remain the only one, was totally ruined for me as a concept by the totally unsociable rest who took off like scalded cats and vanished into the distance leaving me feeling very forlorn. Sad possibly but there it is. I vowed there and then Audax was not for me. I had hopes of getting "involved" but found that impossible. I also found it very stressful. I keep my 200k medal to hand to remind me not to be so silly again.

PH

I start all my audax rides at the back & endeavour to maintain that position for the entire race ride ;D
I'm a full value for money person who rides at my own pace for maximum enjoyment.
That said I have enjoyed the company of two or three like minded souls otp (you know who you are) on several audaxes.
I used to be entirely happy with my own company but lately prefer company which makes the whole thing more enjoyable.
As Kim says,if the position of the goal posts is established before kick-off that can allow easy scoring in an enjoyable game:but you will need to ride for more than 90 minutes. :)
If you can find like minded riders it may be worthwhile trying again?

essexian

Re: Getting going again......
« Reply #15 on: 29 May, 2014, 01:39:45 pm »
If you can find like minded riders it may be worthwhile trying again?


Hummmmmm................sounds like a Midlanders Forum Ride is required...  ;D

jogler

  • mojo operandi
Re: Getting going again......
« Reply #16 on: 29 May, 2014, 01:53:31 pm »
If I stop for a cake&coffee break,or longer,I too have to make a mental effort to get revved up again.
I reckon that I am demotivated by the knowledge that I'll have an attack of café legs( I always,always do :().
I've employed various strategies of mind games & the one I have found most constructive is to regard the whole ride as being the sum of several shorter rides & consider each section as another ride successfully completed.
An ability to adopt the " hello Brain this is Legs......taking over.Over" type of mantra helps.

Riding in the company of others helps too.Especially those who do MTFU.This particular affliction can be contagious if exposed to it sufficiently.

Have a word with the bloke (Matt iirc) in the Bike Shack in Stone.He may know of others locally whose M.O. would suit you.
There is also The Velo Store in Emerald Way who may be of use to you.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Getting going again......
« Reply #17 on: 29 May, 2014, 05:40:53 pm »
If you can find like minded riders it may be worthwhile trying again?


Hummmmmm................sounds like a Midlanders Forum Ride is required...  ;D

Sounds like a plan.  We haven't had one for ages.

jogler

  • mojo operandi
Re: Getting going again......
« Reply #18 on: 29 May, 2014, 06:13:40 pm »
If you can find like minded riders it may be worthwhile trying again?


Hummmmmm................sounds like a Midlanders Forum Ride is required...  ;D

If you organised one it would be the incentive to ride to the end,perhaps?

Stafford,Stone & Stoke all have good rail conns for those wishing to attend from non-local locations.

contango

  • NB have not grown beard since photo was taken
  • The Fat And The Furious
Re: Getting going again......
« Reply #19 on: 13 June, 2014, 06:37:50 pm »
You are supposed to enjoy riding your bike when it is a leisure activity. If you don't actually want to ride your bike after a short ride and a stop, why should you push yourself to ride more?

You do have a point but the fact is, I do want to go on but always seem to end up looking for an easy way out.

I guess its just me and how I am.

Checking the weather now and looking into asking for a pass out from my considerably better half.  ;D

I find all I need is something to distract me for long enough that the temptation passes.

I remember last summer I was cycling to a friend's house that's 80 miles away. It wasn't a great day for me, at about 25 miles I was going through the whole "why am I doing this" mental battle - I'd done it before and it wasn't as if I had anything to prove by doing it. I figured that if I cycled back I could get back home and take the car and still get there sooner. Once I got to closer to 35 miles that wasn't an issue any more. Then I went past a station so could have taken the train to within 10 miles of where I needed to be, so I just grit my teeth and kept going for long enough that cycling back to the station seemed like more hassle than it was worth. The next station I passed would have taken the same line as the earlier station but from there the time to wait for the train, ride the train, and then cycle from the station, was comparable to the time it would take to just cycle the last 20 miles or so.

I often find I just don't feel like riding my bike. But if I go more than a few days without riding I get grumpy. If I don't feel like riding but go out anyway, usually within a few miles I'm feeling good about riding and then don't want to end the ride.
Always carry a small flask of whisky in case of snakebite. And, furthermore, always carry a small snake.