Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

What do you think

about when your are on those long lonely familiar routes to wile away the hours?
For example i do a fair few of the challenges on strava so i have big,hilly long rides at the weekends but stick to a well used 20 mile flat course monday to friday after work and there aint much enjoyment in the dark and cold on the same route night after night (but once ive started a challenge im a bit anal i have to finish it!)
So ive tried singing, counting drain covers on certain sections (not good up hills!) , trying to finish sections before 10 cars pass me (very rarely win that one) and tonight stopping pedaling for 5 seconds every time im passed but i just wondered how you folks saw off the winter tedium?

Or maybe im just odd  4

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

Add new comment

15 comments

Avatar
philtregear | 10 years ago
0 likes

its cold. get warm soon. did i remember everything. car. feel thirsty. car. man with dog. left turn. change gear. they`re watching TV. brake. car. slippery bit. drink. car. right turn. postman. its getting lighter now.

these thoughts are interrupted by fantasies of alpine ascents at the front of the peloton on a hot july day.

its raining. car. dog. shit on road. feeling cold now. how much longer? car. fingers going numb. drink. people at bus stop. pheasant. brake. car. change gear. bum hurts.

for ever and ever and ever.

some call this mindfulness.

Avatar
skitza replied to philtregear | 10 years ago
0 likes
philtregear wrote:

its cold. get warm soon. did i remember everything. car. feel thirsty. car. man with dog. left turn. change gear. they`re watching TV. brake. car. slippery bit. drink. car. right turn. postman. its getting lighter now.

these thoughts are interrupted by fantasies of alpine ascents at the front of the peloton on a hot july day.

its raining. car. dog. shit on road. feeling cold now. how much longer? car. fingers going numb. drink. people at bus stop. pheasant. brake. car. change gear. bum hurts.

for ever and ever and ever.

some call this mindfulness.

Quality, well put  41

Avatar
egb | 10 years ago
0 likes

The first third of the ride is spent wondering when my legs will warm to the task, the second pondering my university work, the third cursing my lack of fitness when I realise I've plotted a route that involves the last 25km being mostly uphill and against the wind  102 .

Avatar
Mikeh789 | 10 years ago
0 likes

If its cold & wet, why the hell haven't I got some overshoes yet!!

Otherwise I like to run through previous cycling visits to Mallorca & particularly like to recall my ride of 'Sa Trencagarrons' sportive; the only way to be able to ride the road to the summit of Puig Major.

Avatar
pants | 10 years ago
0 likes

Sometimes when I am sure no one is looking, I do the no hands running man thing.

Avatar
Efe M. Balli | 10 years ago
0 likes

Singing, that relieves boredom and may even fire you up. Whistling maybe, if you have the breath.
Trying to figure out how many watts you're pushing, your cadence, wheel RPM etc.
(you're supposed not to have indicators for any of these, except for speedo)
Looking at your shadow and watch yourself pedal.

I do these when accompanying a slower friend. When I'm alone(or with a faster friend) my brain does not receive enough blood to do any of these.

Avatar
skitza | 10 years ago
0 likes

yesterdays 60 odd miler down to Brighton and back i annoyingly got the song 'five four three two one' stuck in my head for four friggin hours  21

Avatar
Stumps | 10 years ago
0 likes

I coach my sons football team so i go through the last match, the next one and try to plan the training sessions for the next week.

Avatar
ragtimecyclist | 10 years ago
0 likes

What do i think about...? Depends on the circumstances.

If i've skived off work to go for a ride, i think 'what a productive use of company time this is'.

If it's Saturday morning i think 'why, oh why did i have to open that second bottle of wine last night'.

If i'm out riding with one of my skinny, Rapha clad mates, i think 'ok...i get it...now will you f**kin' slow down!'

Otherwise i'm with the limopit above, and it's conversations with wildlife - geese are usually good.

Avatar
Raleigh | 10 years ago
0 likes

Have really good ideas about everything and then forget them as soon as I swing my leg back off.

Otherwise, I pretend that there are some Rapha guys to obliterate.

Avatar
arrieredupeleton replied to Raleigh | 10 years ago
0 likes
Raleigh wrote:

Have really good ideas about everything and then forget them as soon as I swing my leg back off.

Otherwise, I pretend that there are some Rapha guys to obliterate.

The first bit: I've had too many Dragons Den inventions in my head to mention. Almost all have evaporated on the roadside....

Avatar
jollygoodvelo replied to arrieredupeleton | 10 years ago
0 likes
arrieredupeleton wrote:
Raleigh wrote:

Have really good ideas about everything and then forget them as soon as I swing my leg back off.

Otherwise, I pretend that there are some Rapha guys to obliterate.

The first bit: I've had too many Dragons Den inventions in my head to mention. Almost all have evaporated on the roadside....

Glad it's not just me that does this.  4

Avatar
SimonT1971 | 10 years ago
0 likes

Getting warm again, wondering if I can fit the reflective shoecovers over the neoprene ones as I can't feel my feet, thinking of how much more competitive it will make me on the Sunday club ride and generally enjoying the dark space that provides peace and solitude with a small lashing over fear that the car will not see me, when it comes round the corner doing 60!

Avatar
dunnoh | 10 years ago
0 likes

Sometimes I wish it was over and my legs just don't work properly. What keeps me doing it is entering the Tour of Flanders. Gives me a purpose.

Avatar
Cheesyclimber | 10 years ago
0 likes

I like cycling precisely because I don't really think about anything. To start with my mind's going all over the place, but after a while all I'm really concentrating on is where my front wheel's going and if I'm going to have to brake suddenly. It's a zen-like state of bliss.

But after that phase I generally start having conversations with the wildlife.

Latest Comments