Get Your Cycling Mojo Back
Worry not; motivation ebbs and flows. Here’s what you can do to fan the flames when you’re all out of stoke.
Worry not; motivation ebbs and flows. Here’s what you can do to fan the flames when you’re all out of stoke. – By Selene Yeager
Cycling is a little like a romantic relationship—so says Kristen Dieffenbach, PhD, executive board member of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. You’re not going to be ditching work and mooning over your bike 24/7 forever. There’ll be ups and downs; times when you can’t wait to get out together for long days in the sun, and times when, when, sigh, where did the excitement go? “It happens to everyone at some point,” says Dieffenbach. “The good news is that there are many ways to get excited and back into the swing of things.” Here’s how.
When motivation wanes, many cyclists’ first inclination is to think something is wrong with them. But there’s a reason your riding took a downturn. It’s important to root that out, says Dieffenbach.
“Did you move? Have a baby? Get injured? Have a crazy spell at work? Don’t underestimate how draining those times can be. Just because that crazy time period is over doesn’t mean you’re recovered from it. It may take a little more time until you’re feeling rested and ready to get at it again.” Just giving yourself that grace period can help you feel less stressed about your low motivation (which in turn can help kindle your mojo, because you know nothing’s wrong with you and it’s not permanent).
Reinvent yourself.
It’s possible that you’re tired of doing the same rides and/or preparing for the same events. That’s okay. “You may just need to do something different and reinvent what being a cyclist means to you,” says Dieffenbach. “Go bikepacking. Sign up for a multi-day bike tour. Find some alternative challenges that excite you and give you the satisfaction you crave from the sport, whether it’s the social interaction or that feeling of being physically exhausted at the end of a hard effort.”
Supplement your training.
Cycling is a time-intensive sport, so it’s easy for motivation to go missing when your schedule is tight and it feels like a waste to kit up for a 45-minute spin around town. Trouble is, if you then do nothing, your hard-earned fitness slips away, making riding less fun when you do finally have the time, setting up a vicious cycle of low mojo. Staying fit with other activities like running, gym classes, or any activity you find fun will help you maintain your fitness to ride when you have the time as well as keep you in the habit of being active.
Put your money where you want your mojo to be.
Maybe you spent the past few weeks (or months) riding the couch instead of your bike and eating too much pizza and drinking too much beer. Now you’re a bit heftier, and sad because you feel slow and it’s frustrating to ride. It happens. Acknowledge where you are, figure out where you want to be, and find a carrot to help you get there. “Sign up for an event you really want to do—even better, sign up with a few friends so you can all train for it together,” says Dieffenbach. “When you’ve paid cold hard cash and have other people counting on you, you’re much more likely to get up and go out, even when you really don’t want to. And before long, you’ll get back into the swing of things.”
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