QUESTION: I often struggle to stay motivated on solo training rides, especially when preparing for events. Group rides aren’t always an option due to my schedule. Do you have any tips or mental strategies to keep pushing myself when I’m out there alone? It’s so easy to cut a ride short when there’s no one else around. —Mike D.
RBR’S STAN PURDUM REPLIES: Motivation to ride is an ongoing issue for many cyclists and not just regarding training rides. A similar temptation to cut rides short can occur on any kind of jaunt when there’s no cycling companion to share the experience. The days when I found it easiest to stay motivated were when I rode a couple of times a week with a good friend. We did that for several years until I moved out of the area, and I haven’t found anyone since whose proximity, biking interest and schedule so well matched my own, though there are local cyclists with whom I’m able to connect occasionally.
Since group rides aren’t a frequent option because of your schedule, are there any ways you can use your schedule to your advantage? For example, is it possible for you to commute to work? Depending on the distance you live from your job, a direct commute may not seem long enough for a training ride, but there’s no rule that says you must take the most direct route. And whatever route you pick, the motivation is built in: You need to get to work by a specified time. If you save the longer route for your ride home after work, the motivation is that you want to get home.
Two things that I find motivate me are new routes and distant destinations. New routes help relieve the boredom that can occur when riding the same routes frequently, and enticing destinations help me to stretch my rides to get to them. There’s an Amish donut shop on a country road about 35 miles from my home, making a 70-mile round trip. I ride there occasionally and usually buy a sandwich (rather than taking the big sugar hit from the huge donuts). Because of the shop’s rural location, there are several choices of roads to get there and return. So I use those trips to explore the various routes, which adds interest for me. And depending on the combination of roads I choose, I can lengthen or shorten the ride a bit.
One man I ride with occasionally is on Strava. He mostly rides solo (and aims for 10,000 road miles a year!), but on Strava he participates in distance, duration and segment challenges, and receives comments and feedback from other Strava users that help to motivate him to keep going.
A variation of that idea is simply to find a virtual companion — a rider who may not live close enough to actually ride with you on the road, but who can help you stay motivated (and vice versa) as you text each other your riding plans for the day or week. You can keep each other accountable by sending photos of stuff you saw along the way or selfies at destinations or points of interest.
If training is your purpose for riding, don’t overlook the indoor cycling apps like Zwift and TrainerRoad, which can prescribe specific workouts and even make sure you are pedaling hard enough to keep you on track. Aside from completing workouts, Zwift in particular has many features that mimic a group ride so you don’t feel alone on your trainer. You can free ride around the Zwift worlds and find other riders to ride with, you can choose a group ride that goes a very specific pace, and you can even race others online.
All of that said, the primary motivator for me is that I love cycling and that I generally feel joy and contentment when I’m out there on the road. Most of the time, it’s that love that keeps me going. I’m not training, so if I get an occasional day when a lack of umph or the press of other concerns pushes me to cut my ride short, I don’t sweat it or scold myself. I know from experience that my love for cycling will have me back out riding soon again.
Stan Purdum has ridden several long-distance bike trips, including an across-America ride recounted in his book Roll Around Heaven All Day, and a trek on U.S. 62, from Niagara Falls, New York, to El Paso, Texas, the subject of his book Playing in Traffic. Stan, a freelance writer and editor, lives in Ohio. See more at www.StanPurdum.com.
SOLUTION……BPM …… too little or too much & U are NOT optimally training
Solo rider here. I use a tiny bluetooth speaker with fast motivating tunes. Can even be on the phone speaker.
A good fast playlist really makes a difference. I spent last winter on the indoor trainer adding songs to the fast-tunes playlist.
Just to add that I am polite enough to not use it in urban settings/around other people.