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Losing your cycling ‘mojo’?

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  • December 19, 2013 at 12:08 pm #20364
    Shades

    Has anyone experienced that slight ‘loss of confidence’ on the bike. I’ve had 2 ‘slips’ (one a pretty hard fall) and, despite being an ‘assertive’ rider, more ‘dust-ups’ with cars (mostly not my fault) in the last 6 months. I often remind myself to take it easy, but I’m sure we all have to have that conversation with ourselves. I ride in all disciplines but commuting often takes up the majority of my miles, where risks are often higher. I commute close to a Royal Mail depot and recently complained about their dangerous van drivers. On my commute home last night I overtook (on the RH side) a long queue of traffic and rejoined the stream at the top of the queue, only to have a RM van accellerate hard at me to ‘vent his anger’ that I’d jumped the queue. Gave him a ‘look’ and then he seemed to follow me but, fortunately, was just going the same way as me. Got home and just had a ‘downer’ about cycling, or maybe it’s just a run of bad luck.

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  • December 21, 2013 at 9:49 pm #766205
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    Goldfever4

    My commute is the same with a
    My commute is the same with a DPD depot. Their sketchy (malicious? intentionally dangerous?) driving does drive me up the wall.

    And the commute can get a bit wearisome. When I feel a bit leggy, every now and again I get a bus into work instead – a day off refreshes my legs, and the trip takes over twice as long so it’s only one day I end up taking off.

    And, as others have suggested, go play with in some hills to remind yourself why we do it.

    Finally, I give the DPD vans a wide berth – I get a pang of red mist whenever I see them, but at least I’m less likely to be whispering sweet nothings to a van bonnet one morning. Try it with the RM vans?

    December 21, 2013 at 8:03 pm #766203
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    bikecellar

    Yes, sometimes you can feel
    Yes, sometimes you can feel like a victim, I have had it all happen to me now, first commute – July 1963 last – May 2010, have toured/raced/commuted on a bike all my adult life, highs and lows, cyclists are an “outgroup” in the UK thats for sure, been cut up, knocked off, had all manner of things thrown at me from moving cars and chaver youths, manhandled by drunken kids in subways had passengers in moving cars try to push me off, white van man drive straight at me and wife on Tandem with daughter in child seat (must have thought the fear on my face was amusing) told to F off by dog owners whose dogs had bitten me, and just last week punched in the face on a Sustrans route by a walker who “hates bastard cyclist’s”…… but this afternoon I got out for a couple of hours in the sunshine between passing storms and “Yes, this is why I am a Cyclist” :))

    December 20, 2013 at 9:10 pm #766201
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    dunnoh

    Aye it can be rank. Go a
    Aye it can be rank. Go a different route. My commuting route is so convoluted now just to avoid traffic, its nearly double what it could be. My biggest pain is a large queue of traffic because invariably as you pootle along someone will try to block your path and invariably try to knock you off.

    Still, it beats sitting in a car. It was icy, cold and my legs killed this morning. I got to work feeling ace.

    December 20, 2013 at 12:17 pm #766199
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    Colin Peyresourde

    Take public transport for a
    Take public transport for a few days to break things up a bit.

    Squashing your face into someone else’s armpit or having people take up residents on your shoes will soon make you yearn for your daily combat with vans and the like.

    December 20, 2013 at 11:01 am #766197
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    joemmo

    Commuting by bike is
    Commuting by bike is generally great but it can get to be a grind too and expose you to the less enjoyable side of cycling. I fully agree with jellysticks about getting out of your usual area for a ride, will be doing this myself over Christmas whenever possible

    December 19, 2013 at 2:35 pm #766195
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    Shades

    farrell wrote:Royal Mail

    farrell wrote:
    Royal Mail drivers are contractually obliged to drive like the are huffing paint thinners and smoking amphetamines.

    It’s nothing personal.

    They are ‘mental’; way more dangerous than taxis, white van man or 4×4 school run mum. Was on foot the other day and saw a RM driver who had to slow up while the car in front let another car turn into a road. The RM driver was red faced with his eyes popping out as he screamed obscenities that you could hear through a closed window!

    December 19, 2013 at 1:12 pm #766193
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    Shanefutcher

    I got knocked off 2months ago
    I got knocked off 2months ago and now getting physio for my damaged back/hip.still trying to cycle but seems that everyone is on a mission to knock me off.the usual suspects white van drivers/delivery drivers

    December 19, 2013 at 12:26 pm #766191
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    jason.timothy.jones

    I know what ya mean, im
    I know what ya mean, im pretty lucky that I have plenty of trails around my way so I can get out on my MTB or the Velodrome for some training/relaxation

    December 19, 2013 at 12:25 pm #766189
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    farrell

    Royal Mail drivers are
    Royal Mail drivers are contractually obliged to drive like the are huffing paint thinners and smoking amphetamines.

    It’s nothing personal.

    December 19, 2013 at 12:16 pm #766187
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    jellysticks

    I sort of know what you mean,
    I sort of know what you mean, but get out of your commuting area, have a blast somewhere nice (ideally on a nice day!) and it’ll all make sense again. I agree about ‘take it easy’ – many’s the time I’ve had to take a deep breath, mutter obscenities under my breath and continue calmly on my way while some ignorant lunatic shoots off with no redress to their abysmal driving. That’s the UK!

    Riding a bike is awesome, wherever and however you do it. There’s no question – it just is.

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