Ever take a season off?

[Kevan]

I don't necessarily mean hang up the bike and not ride, but more like...not ride as hard as in prior seasons. I know I'm still stuck in winter's thaw, but the notion of getting out there, getting back in shape, being on the verge of throwing up, simply doesn't appeal to me this year. I've got so much going on here at the orifice and at home, enjoying both the photography and my son's last days being home on a regular basis, my mind is rationalizing the idea that I take this year off, ride the slower club rides and ride when I want to, not have to. Have any of you done this? Do you recommend it?

I mean...I still plan on knocking on Douglas' front door this summer, do the D2R2 just as fast as I did it last year, but in much nicer weather. I just haven't made up my mind whether to dedicate myself to the Saturday and Sunday morning stomp sessions with the boys.

Let me guess...springing back is that much harder to do taking a year off.

[rwsaunders]

Find a riding buddy, Kevan. It makes the rides more enjoyable as you can cuss to each other about the world, the economy, the election and the hills.

[chrisroph]

absolutely, i know few cyclists who have been at the sport for over 6 or 7 years who haven't. lifw often gets in the way of serious cycling.

[shinomaster]

I haven't taken a year off since 1990. :( I try to explain to my coworkers that I'm skinny because I excercize but... they don't believe me.

[dauwhe]

I've ridden four times in four months, and I've felt it's done me a world of good, after riding hard through the two previous New England winters.

I never want cycling to be an obligation!

Of course, if I couldn't ski, I'd have ridden a lot more this winter.

Dave

[chrisroph]

I haven't taken a year off since 1990. :( I try to explain to my coworkers that I'm skinny because I excercize but... they don't believe me.

you've never had a year where you ride a lot less than usual, or like kevan says "my mind is rationalizing the idea that I take this year off, ride the slower club rides and ride when I want to, not have to"?

i had such a season most recently 2 or 3 years ago, where i did no weights, few club rides, no races, no intervals or structure of any kind, rode the mountain bike a bunch, kept no log, yet still managed probably 4-5000 miles.

my philosophy is this is for fun and for myself so i do what i feel like doing.

[Chris]

I took a year off from racing and riding regularly when my first child was born. It wasn't a problem getting back in racing shape coming back the next year and I think it added on to the back side of my cycling years.

[Ray]

I don't necessarily mean hang up the bike and not ride, but more like...not ride as hard as in prior seasons. I know I'm still stuck in winter's thaw, but the notion of getting out there, getting back in shape, being on the verge of throwing up, simply doesn't exactly appeal to me this year. I've got so much going on here at the orifice and at home, enjoying both the photography and my son's last days being home on a regular basis, my mind is rationalizing the idea that I take this year off. Ride the slower club rides and ride when I want to, not have to. Have any of you done this? Do you recommend it?

I mean...I still plan on knocking on Douglas' front door the summer, do the D2R2 just as fast as I did it last year, but in much nicer weather. I just haven't made up my mind whether to dedicate myself to the Saturday and Sunday morning stomp sessions with the boys.

Let me guess...springing back is that much harder to do taking a year off.
Yeah, I hear you. I did much less riding last year than in prior years (a couple of thousand miles instead of 5-6,000). Kind of because other things imposed themselves, rather than pre-meditated. I didn't ride much at all this winter and my riding condition is shot to hell. Thirty miles with any climbing at all seems like a long ride now, instead of a mellow little recovery jaunt.

Two things make me wonder if I'll ride much at all this summer. First, I really liked not riding much. I think cycling snuck up to being an obsession and, at some point, became somewhat less enjoyable. I've been doing other things, working out and otherwise staying active, and am feeling like I'm in decent shape and fine health, but I'm not in riding shape at all. And I know how much I'd have to ride to get back to the kind of shape I've been in when I enjoyed riding the most and I'm just not sure I'm up for it.

I'm enjoying other things a lot and I'm not real motivated to get back on the bike. Everything points to just letting it work itself out. But the thing that scares me about really taking a year off, not getting in shape, just riding around town and doing easy rides with friends, is that it may be that much harder NEXT year to get back to it. I think giving into the impulse might be the beginning of the end of the role that riding has played. It might not - it might just be the break I need. But it might be the beginning of a sea change. Which would be OK, I guess, but I'm not sure I'm ready to give into that without a fight.

So, I hear ya. And I'm conflicted. But ultimately it'll work itself out. You're ultimately either motivated or you're not. It's NOT a mandatory activity, after all.

-Ray

[shinomaster]

you've never had a year where you ride a lot less than usual, or like kevan says "my mind is rationalizing the idea that I take this year off, ride the slower club rides and ride when I want to, not have to"?

i had such a season most recently 2 or 3 years ago, where i did no weights, few club rides, no races, no intervals or structure of any kind, rode the mountain bike a bunch, kept no log, yet still managed probably 4-5000 miles.

my philosophy is this is for fun and for myself so i do what i feel like doing.


I've slowed don a bit since the fanatical cycling days of my 20's, but I try to ride balls out hard, and get as fast and fit as possible. It just feels good to me to ride hard. The only exception was a few years ago when I didn't do much climbing because it bothered my knees. I thought I was getting arthritis, and had a bunch of tests which came back negative. When I go to grad school I plan on a respite. :)

[DukeHorn]

I've never been a super serious roadie. There's too much other stuff that's interesting to do. I'll be lucky to get 3k this year since most of my friends don't ride. I've given up the long Saturday ride so I can dragonboat Saturday mornings (do a short 20 in the afternoon) and I might lose the long Sunday ride since it's warmed up enough to go outdoor rock-climbing. And the outdoor pool opens up in 5 days, so have to fit in weekend swimming and toss in the occasional weekend hike or mountain biking trip. Then there are weekday dragonboat practices after work. Too many options.

[Ginger]

You're getting sucked into that camera hobby, that's what's happened.

Get a little water proof bar bag and take the camera with you on those puke fests. :)

[bcm119]

I've taken the last 6 months basically off. After a few years of being really obsessive about riding, and racing, I just lost all interest. It may have had something to do with a serious head injury a friend suffered in my last race, a year ago this May, but only subconsciously. Then I moved to an urban area where the cycling is "different", and my commute got longer and not as bike friendly. I just haven't had the itch to get back into it yet, and I've actually been enjoying it. I've been doing a lot of weights in the gym, becoming more balanced fitness-wise, and doing a lot of walking and long hikes. I'm okay with it because I know that eventually the bug will bite again and I'll be out there riding. I'm all or nothing-- I just can't be a fair weather rider, I don't enjoy it. In the mean time I'm keeping fit in other ways and spending more time with my s.o.

[Fixed]

yeah bro I took last year off
riding now, not as well yet though
cheers :beer:

[shinomaster]

I've taken the last 6 months basically off. After a few years of being really obsessive about riding, and racing, I just lost all interest. It may have had something to do with a serious head injury a friend suffered in my last race, a year ago this May, but only subconsciously. Then I moved to an urban area where the cycling is "different", and my commute got longer and not as bike friendly. I just haven't had the itch to get back into it yet, and I've actually been enjoying it. I've been doing a lot of weights in the gym, becoming more balanced fitness-wise, and doing a lot of walking and long hikes. I'm okay with it because I know that eventually the bug will bite again and I'll be out there riding. I'm all or nothing-- I just can't be a fair weather rider, I don't enjoy it. In the mean time I'm keeping fit in other ways and spending more time with my s.o.



That sounds perfectly healthy.

[deechee]

I'd say the last three years have been "off" - ever since I met my gf. Its funny since we met through triathlon but we've both taken it down a notch. Last year was the first time I went through the season without a serious injury; I trained less but brought up the intensity a lot by riding with power. I also spent more time with my gf and family, cooked more, and felt better about myself (except my pants getting tighter part). I also started practicing the violin again. I feel much better as a whole.

And yeah, its hard to get back into it once you stop/slow down. I'm hooked on so many TV shows now.

I think I'm finally able to start racing myself again. Last few years were too focused staying with the fast guys. What's the point of going on scenic rides if all you remember is staring at someone's butt?

[gone]

My goal is fitness for life. Given that there are several factors that are at least somewhat in conflict:

Exercise on a regular basis is healthier than periodically torturing myself.
Coming back after time off is hard, I feel like crap, I remember how it "used to be". It hurts to suck.
If you're prone to weight gain those extra pounds will make coming back that much harder.
It's not a job, I'm not getting paid (although I'm open to offers) so it should be fun at least some of the time.
I really have a hard time dragging myself out in bad weather.
I enjoy periodic get togethers with friends who are also serious cyclists. Showing up out of shape means they wait on me. Since they're my friends, they're willing to and yet it's no fun to continually be the boat anchor at the back.
Sometimes there are periods where getting out is just a chore.
On days when I don't ride, I'm restless and frequently bored.


Roll them all up and you get the result: I've never taken an extended period of time off except for recovering from accidents.

On a very related note, I was a runner for years (more than 20). For three years I was doing a lot of business travel and it was difficult and in some cases impossible to run. As a result, I'd be home for 3-4 days and go run then travel for 2 weeks with no running, come back, restart, travel, restart, .... I finally quit running because starting over all the time was just too hard.

[J.Greene]

Last few years were too focused staying with the fast guys.

Don't ride with them, ride through them.

sorry I had to use that line once.

JG

[WadePatton]

Unintentionally took about 2.5 years off. Life things. Now that that is almost sorted out I never ever intend to take more than a few weeks off ever again.

I like where I was. I don't like where I am. I will be better soon, but GEEZ it's hard not pushing the limits.

I'll be faster as I go--I never was fast. My training and nutrition are coming along nicely. Sunday is my first race since 2005--and I was already "off" then.

This time I'm "peaking" for certain events. 2008 is to get in shape, 2009 is to drop the times. 2010-move to the front.

Going to start racing 'cross too. And I'm 41.

[flux]

Yes. Best thing I ever did.

Good Luck.

[majorpat]

ever since I left my job with Uncle Sugar and had kids, I would consider it "off" time. I certainly have re-examined my goals with cycling and fitness and find that I'm OK with being not as fast or able to keep up with certain guys in the club rides. In fact, a couple years back I got a very non-cycling friend into the sport and started to encourage a couple neighborhood high school kids to start riding. That first year, I kept up and pushed the kids, no longer. They now both race on college teams but we still ride occasionally during the summer. That made the time "off" more palatable. My friend has a family and travels for wok like me, so we have recruited some other used to be fit guys to form a quasi-club and we push each other. If it sounds like a club of has beens, that may seem like it, but we have other crap going on like kids and jobs and such and the riding is enjoyed all the more because of our busy lives.
Take it for what its worth, I guess, maybe when my kids start school I'll have more time to get "serious" but I doubt it.

[capybaras]

Be free :banana:

Don't give up exercise altogether and let your health go. But you should enjoy what you are doing. If you are not motivated to ride do what you like. If you have ever been in good shape once in your life you know what it feels like and you never lose it all. It will come back when you want it to.

[Frankwurst]

Yes A few years ago I stripped the computers off my bikes and decided average speed, miles traveled,ect.,ect., didn't matter anymore. I realized I enjoyed my rides more looking at wildlife, scenery and day dreaming. If I'm so inclined to get myself in alot better shape I know how to do it but I don't see that happening. So I guess I've taken the rest of my cycling days off if it means punishing myself. :beer:

[Sandy]

I think that you have already answered your own question. It appears as if you really want to/need to take time off. You have the photography hobby, are busy at both work and at home, and have the last opportunity to spend quality time with your son for a while. In additon, you are not deciding to stop cycling but in essence not to do on a regular basis the really difficult rides. I think what you are saying is that you want a little more balance/time in your life at this time to feel a little less stressed and don't want to expend the necessary effort to be capable of keeping up with the faster dudes and dudettes on the weekend rides.

What do you have to lose? Almost nothing. It might be a little harder next year to get back to the level you were at last year, but so what? You are not a racer and the name of the game should be fun. In addition, your decision is not written in stone, so as the season progresses, you can certainly start riding a little harder if you wish. In addition, I assume there are club rides that are at a lower average speed level that you could participate in and still get a great workout since in all group rides I have gone to, there are always cylists at a level well above the advertised average rate.

Smell the roses. Next year will be here before you know. You may miss quality time at home and with your son if you don't do as you suggest. Your bike will always be there.

Don't feel guilty or be upset if you are not the fastest that you could be this year. Be the happiest you could be, and at this time, that probably means riding a little less.


Sandy

[giordana93]

My daughter was born almost 8 years ago now, and I haven't been able to rack up any more than 2-3000 miles in a year since then. It's a little hard on the ego when you do get to go on the "fast" ride and find yourself getting gapped by guys you used to accidentally ride off your wheel not even trying. On the other hand, you really grow to appreciate the rides you do get to do, and what I've found especially nice, is you go slowly enough to ride with the B group and can actually be a bit of a mentor to newbies or recreational guys, and with the "residual fitness" of all those miles, I'm so much more efficient of a rider (and expert wheel sucker) that even when the others get somewhat fit, I still have no problem staying in or leading the group. And some of them really appreciate being taught how to ride a pace line, then graduating to a double echelon, learning how to loose the "death grip" on the bars, breathe from the belly, all that good lore, including racing, its tactics, the beauty of paris roubaix being run over cobbles to finish on a track--and it brings more good people into the sport. :beer:

I do miss not having a riding partner; it REALLY helps when you take turns being each other's fitness conscious

[Fixed]

bro i did a little club race in cargo shorts and a t shirt and mt bike shoes and a (helmet )first one in 2 years last night I stayed in but being a messenger and a racer night and day i felt like i was sprinting the whole time .I use to be able to sprint out of the pack now i just suck but my bike rocks .
cheers better next week i think

[Sandy]

Is all of this just a subtle and sophisticated manner of trying to tell me that we are a pair again and that you are making more time available for just the two of us?? :rolleyes: :) :banana: :D


Sandy