Losing your mojo

Today rode with the seniors (40+) at HHV. First time in 3 months. Have seriously lost fitness during an injury, but was not ready for how badly, and how shit I felt riding the track again, at precisely 9.40 (with a possible 50 mins riding to go).

Mostly because of my dwindling fitness. Also a much bigger group and some really fast riding.

Thankfully they're now splitting the group into two sessions, Weds fast Thurs not so fast. Hope I can join that group with some regularity. I need it.

oooh, tell me more about not fast seniors at HHV. Do I qualify?

Yep if you're 40 or want to pretend you are.

Or a lady. But don't pretend that.

£5 a session, 9-10am. I think they may unofficially run over 30 mins as Weds did. Weds is now officially 1.5 hrs.

Lost my mojo this week for three days after a big Sunday (190km/2800m ascent, all in headwinds). I find this happens often after anything hilly >150km, I tend to eat a lot on the bike, and then a lot after. Do you guys and gals think it's a fuelling issue during/after riding (am I not eating enough?) or is it just a fitness thing? Should I be forcing myself next day to get on the bike and do a slow 10-50km spin to ramp my metabolism down slowly rather than huge sesh->complete halt?

I thought it was only me who was going through this. I ridden only twice over the past two weeks. For me I think I'm slowly losing motivation to just get out there.

It happens. For me it's quite cyclic, I get these downs after peaking every 1.5 to 3 months.

I'd been toying with the idea of getting to a Wednesday session last year, before a serious loss of mojo in November. You reckon the Thursday one would be better for someone new to the track (and slow)?

I didn't go this morning (two days in a row seems an excessive way back into it) but as I understand it, yes, Thursday am as of today will be a 'less fast' version of Wednesdays. I will be attending when my work situation allows.

Um, I'm 36.

The cheek.

How come you ride like an old lady then?

Today rode with the seniors (40+) at HHV

I did say already.

Also, women of any age can ride in these sessions.

I aspire to riding sedately and with care like 'an old lady'.

Srsly.

I felt like I was coming down with something last Saturday.
I went out for a ride with a colleague from the US last Sunday in Surrey. The ride was great, company good but I was feeling rough. I finished on 120 miles thinking "I was already ill, need to make sure I don't blame the ride". I was then proper poorly on Monday/Tuesday and am still unwell, but with zero cycling enthusiasm. Haven't been off my bike for so long in ages.

But you were out on your bike on Sunday and did 120 miles, how can you have been off your bike for so long in ages?!

As with @mishmash11 if you do a big ride and don't feel like riding for a few days (or even a week) that is NOT losing your mojo! You probably just want a rest. Skip this weekend and go out next weekend. No problem.

I broke my elbow in August last year and have majorly struggled to re-find mine since (not helped by three operations on it last year, the last in December). The last proper ride I did was 60 miles into a headwind to Southend on March 15th and I've done the grand total of 263 miles of 'proper' riding all year.

I spent a month recently commuting from Tottenham which meant I was doing at least 17 miles a day fixed which helped with basic fitness and helped with motivation a bit as I was enjoying the longer commute, but I'm fundamentally stuck in a vicious circle of being too unfit to go for a proper ride, so I don't ride, so I get less fit. And every time (like today) I'm free and could go for a ride it seems to be cold and windy, whereas every week day (when I'm stuck in an office) feels like summer.

Before I had the psychological motivation to go out on my bike but my body wasn't cooperating, now I feel like I've pretty much lost my motivation completely.

Tips welcome :/

This, except you've done more miles than me this year :/

Maybe we both need to buy a new bike? It's the lfgss way...

Didn't you (relatively) recently get a new bike, post a couple of teaser shots on here and then never post the final build pics? [not having a go, I've just been meaning to ask]

Hai Rich!

The Oak? I finished it around Christmas, have done most of this year's 'proper' riding on it, what there was of it. Suffice to say that buying new bikes doesn't work as a motivational tool for me but it is a good winter bike!

Good news, I guess! I recall it looking real nice, from what I could see. Did you ever take a full build picture?

When I wanted to build up my mileage last year, I found it was useful to set aside one evening a week where I always went for a ride. The distance and intensity didn't matter, I just made sure I got out there. The rest will come with time.

Fair point, ultimately in the grand scheme of things, unless you're Steve Abraham, a massive ride on a weekend is not a "normal" course of physical events for a "normal" person. Rest did wonders, took me 3-4 days to recover before I managed to get back on it.

Exactly. And next weekend you can go out and do a big one again and recover much faster :)

I'm envious, believe me.

This thing on?

I'm not very good at bike pictures but this is it over Christmas before I got round to finishing it off with a Thomson stem to match the seatpost.

The rims were worn so I'm having the wheels rebuilt with grey H+Son TB14's at the moment.

That's definitely good in theory, I was going to go out tonight as the weather's meant to be nice, then the US put a conference call in my diary. I did manage a swim last night though, so that's something.

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I have been without mojo for a good couple of years now. Cycling just to get places and almost literally having to fight for space on the road (Reading is shit for cycling), never just going for a ride.

But today... The Mojo is back! I've moved out of Reading so my commute is about 10 miles each way. The first 2 weeks were a bit of a slog but this morning's commute was just great. Cycling along to tow path and through fields, no cunts revving or shouting at me, music playing, sun coming up, a few people to say hello to, geese and goslings AND the legs are staring to get used to it.

:)