Getting Back on Track After Riding Setbacks

By Lars Hundley

Every cyclist who’s ridden long enough has been there: getting dropped on the group ride you usually finish with ease, watching your target time slip away during a century, or falling short of your goals in or a road race or gravel event. What separates successful cyclists from those who stay frustrated isn’t whether they have bad days – it’s how they handle them.

The first step? Make sure you’re not being too hard on yourself. Many riders judge themselves far more harshly than necessary. If your only measure of success is finishing at the front of the group or setting a personal best, you’re setting yourself up for a lot of unnecessary disappointment. Sometimes a “bad day” is really just a normal fluctuation in performance.

But what if it really was a subpar result? Start by determining whether this was a one-off bad day or part of a pattern. A single tough ride is usually easy to bounce back from. Multiple disappointing performances, or one particularly important event you trained hard for and still fell short, requires a more systematic approach to improvement.

The key is to examine what happened during the ride, but without dwelling on it. Many riders make the mistake of replaying their disappointment over and over without developing an action plan. Instead, look back at your performance in terms of factors you could control and those you couldn’t.

Controllable factors often include your preparation, pacing, nutrition, and equipment choices. Did you start too fast in that century ride? Did you skip breakfast before the group ride? Was your bike making strange noises that distracted you during the event? These are all things you can address.

Uncontrollable factors might include weather conditions, mechanical issues that couldn’t have been prevented, or other riders’ actions. Acknowledge these factors but don’t use them as excuses. Instead, think about how you might better prepare for similar situations in the future.

Next, develop specific, measurable things you can do for improvement. Instead of “I want to do better next time,” which is quite vague, try “I’ll work on staying with the group for the first 30 minutes of the ride” or “I’ll practice eating every hour during long rides.” These clear targets give you something concrete to work toward.

The mental game matters too. Simple visualization techniques can help prepare you for challenging situations. Before your next group ride, spend a few minutes imagining yourself staying calm and riding smoothly when the pace picks up. Picture yourself maintaining good form even when you’re tired. These mental rehearsals can help you stay focused when things get tough in real life.

Don’t overlook the social aspect of dealing with disappointment. It’s easy to feel discouraged when you see others posting their successes on social media or chatting about great rides. Remember that most cyclists only share their highlights, not their struggles. Your riding buddies have likely faced similar situations, but didn’t post about it.

When rebuilding confidence, focus on achievable challenges. If you struggled in your target event – whether it was a particularly hilly century or a fast-paced gravel ride – consider temporarily adjusting your goals. Instead of jumping right back into the same challenge, spend a few weeks working on the specific elements that caused trouble. If climbing was your weakness, focus on hill repeats. If you struggled with pack dynamics, work on positioning and group skills during your regular rides. The goal isn’t to step back, but to build a stronger foundation for moving forward.

Some riders find it helpful to keep a simple training log noting not just distance and time, but also how they felt, what they ate, sleep quality, and other factors that might affect performance. This information can help you spot patterns and prevent future bad days. Strava has a private notes field, so you can easily keep track that way.

Remember that fitness is just one piece of the puzzle. Other elements that contribute to successful riding include proper nutrition, comfortable bike fit, appropriate clothing choices, good bike-handling skills, and basic mechanical knowledge. A weakness in any of these areas can lead to disappointing results.

Most importantly, don’t let one bad result – or even a series of them – define you as a cyclist. Every rider who’s been in the sport long enough has stories about tough days that eventually led to breakthrough performances. Use these experiences as stepping stones to improvement rather than roadblocks to enjoyment.

The next time you have a disappointing ride, try this approach: Take 24 hours to feel frustrated if you need to, then sit down and write out three specific things you can do differently next time. Focus on actions within your control, set realistic timelines for improvement, and remember that setbacks are often the setup for comebacks.

After all, the goal isn’t to avoid bad days entirely – that’s impossible. The goal is to learn from them, adapt, and come back stronger. That’s what makes cycling such a great teacher of both physical and mental resilience.