Motivation when cycling alone

michaelm

Just interested to know if anyone has any tips for maintaining or increasing motivation while cycling alone. I'm finding it difficult at the moment notwithstanding weather, long(ish) layoff etc and find that when I'm out on the bike I'm not putting in the effort that I should and thinking more about getting home than anything else.

Ryder

Decide what your goals are. Decide what sessions you need to do to achieve that goal. Decide what session youre doing that day and try and stick to it. If youre cycling for enjoyment/stress relief then just cycle and dont worry about training hard.

Super Freak

Mp3 player with your favourite music/banging tunes is great for me.

I appreciate that his can be more dangerous in some circumstances. (flame suit on).

nitsujj

Treat yourself after going for a long spin - a cheaky pint for example! if your looking for motivation tips on riding alone you should read http://www.amazon.co.uk/French-Revolutions-Cycling-Tour-France/dp/0099433826 - very very funny book!

monkeyslayer

when I was training for the wicklow200/sk160 etc last summer I used to give myself weekly targets like 200/300km and how much of that I did in several goes was entirely up to me... might do say 100km and a couple of 65km spins, or maybe two 100's and two easy 25's, sometimes would do a huge one and few small ones... really depended on the free time I had but found it a good way to force myself out, and podcasts and music definatly helped

yea this layoff is a killer, what with braking my ribs in a crash and the ice and cold in the past month its hard getting back tho been doing strength training in the gym. Tho the break is nice, mandatory that is is/was. Just need to look to getting back out now sometime and get in the miles and get the bug again

keenan110

I agree with Super Freak, bitta music always does the trick!

markdrayton

Self-loathing and guilt go a long way.

Icyseanfitz

set a goal for yourself maybe a couple of races etc. or just say to yourself you have to do something and then go do it

Greyspoke

I can appreciate what you're saying - I generally cycle alone but do find that when out with others, the hours and kilometres pass much quicker. However, when you're on your own you have complete control over when you go, where you go, how far, how fast etc. which isn't a bad thing.
It's certainly easier to take in and enjoy your surroundings when alone rather than just watching the wheel in front in a group. I find that I prefer to do shorter spins up to two hours or so and go reasonably hard as this seems to help the time pass faster than if I were to just go out and ride at a slower albeit more comfortable pace.
Finally, I think it's just something you get used to. Good luck with it!

mahoo

ive done most of cycling by myself and actually find i tend to push myself harder when im on my own. music definitely helps but i think a little reward system works well too. . ie. if im heading down to roundwood ill say to myself, ok if i go on to laragh instead ill have a pint before you know it your 60k spin turns into a 120k spin over the wicklow gap. coffee stops are also very frequent on my spins. well you have to enjoy yourself!

Harrybelafonte

If i'm out on my own on Howth or somewhere like that (with plenty of other cyclists) I pick one in the distance and try and catch them. If I'm a bit knackered on the way home I watch my average speed and try and bring it up or at least not let it drop.

ArraMusha

Super Freak wrote: »

Mp3 player with your favourite music/banging tunes is great for me.

I appreciate that his can be more dangerous in some circumstances. (flame suit on).

MP3 is the job alright...This is the one for getting over hills these mucky days.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9Fts8m4HWU

Beasty

Set yourself a daft target, such as 10,000km in a year - worked for me;)

I would actually suggest keeping the spins a bit shorter if you are alone - I tend to work much harder alone than in a group. I did over 6,000km on the road on my own in 2010, and the furthest I went was not much more than a couple of hours (did nearly 3 hours on the turbo though!)

Most of my riding was commuting, between 40 and 90 minutes depending on the route taken, and I was mainly focussed on doing it faster than I had in similar conditions previously

ashleey

Listen to news stations and watch your cadence improve as they get some politician on trying to defend his or her latest disaster/ proposal/ expenses etc. On a serious note leave one ear free to listen for traffic

iregk

I think it depends on what you are doing. As other have said what is your goal and what do you want from a spin. For example if I'm hill training I prefer to go on my own as I'll go up a hill, go back down and do it again a few times which is something I won't do with others. I can also think more about what I'm doing analyse my technique more. With friends I'll tend to chat and go easier on the hills.

What I also tend to do is laps and use timings / avg sp for motivation. For example one of my laps around blessington lakes from my estate is 39km. I'll do that either 2 or 3 times depending on time of year. 25km average for the first lap and try to up that for the 2nd and either maintain or beat that on the 3rd. You'd be surprised how well this works.

All that said on long spins I much prefer company to see the km's go past and give you a rest while drafting also.

michaelm

Big thanks for all the replies, some great ideas there, now all that's left is to put them into practice. I've never had a problem getting out on the bike, it is pushing myself to do more miles and with greater intensity when I am out. It may be well known to everyone but I love the phrase "It is easier to act your way into a feeling than feel your way into an action". If the day is cold and the couch is slightly more tempting I simply take the first step by getting the bike out of the shed and filling the water bottle - and that "act" alone is usually enough to give me the "feeling" to go out.

Beasty

michaelm wrote: »

it is pushing myself to do more miles

One tip - convert to metric -you get 60.934% more kilometers than miles:D

superrdave

michaelm wrote: »

Big thanks for all the replies, some great ideas there, now all that's left is to put them into practice. I've never had a problem getting out on the bike, it is pushing myself to do more miles and with greater intensity when I am out. It may be well known to everyone but I love the phrase "It is easier to act your way into a feeling than feel your way into an action". If the day is cold and the couch is slightly more tempting I simply take the first step by getting the bike out of the shed and filling the water bottle - and that "act" alone is usually enough to give me the "feeling" to go out.

If you live in Dublin, go to the park the odd time and sprint up and down the main avenue. Set yourself a target for the number of kilometres you are going to do and the time you are going to do it in. If you are someone who does a fair bit of cycling on a reasonably good bike, try maybe 30kms in 1 hour, then the next time try 40 in 90 minutes then up it to 45. There are no traffic lights to slow you down there and if you are constantly turning forward and back, you can't blame the wind for affecting your time. It takes so little time out of your weekend (or evening, if you do it during the summer) yet you'll feel like you've given yourself a real workout. You could even add the 30kms in an hour routine to the start or end of a longer spin. It is a little boring but with no traffic lights in there and straight roads, it is very very hard to find excuses other than inside yourself for not hitting the target you have set.