Do you know anyone who just quit the sport for no other reason..?

[biker72]

I had a great opportunity to quit riding last year after my accident. Fractured hip, clavicle and head trauma.

Cycling is what got me through ICU and rehab. I talked to my kids every day about going on bike trips again even though I could barely walk at the time.

I'm back riding on the road and enjoying every minute. I'll never win a KOM or race but I'm still riding at 82.

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by veggieburger

Maybe a hiatus. Maybe I just stick to trails for a while. We’ll see.

I stopped riding last spring mostly due to a minor medical issue. What that was successfully addressed in September, I have not been on the road since, except portaging from one trail to another.

I've been a road rider since the late '60s and for a long time I defined myself as a road rider (and specifically NOT a runner.) I got into mountain biking for a while, but really have always been a road rider.

Over the past couple of years I've become increasingly worried about distracted drivers. I also became a runner, and I think running (against traffic) provides a greater degree of control with traffic.

Then we moved to a new house, with 1100 acres of conservation land adjacent to our neighborhood. Some of the best mountain biking in southern New England, and some great running.

I honestly don't know if I will go back to road riding. My son has gotten into it, bigly (as they say), and he will probably pull me back. But with so much great running and trail riding available... I do it for exercise, for my future me, and I can do that on the trail as easily as on the road.

[Seramount]

in 50 years, been hit 4 times. 3 of the incidents required hospitalization, two of them required surgery.

the risk/reward ratio is something each of us makes a call on...

I'm still riding.

[unterhausen]

I quit for about 10 years in the mid '90s. Biggest mistake ever.

[Gummee]

The Golden BB is going to get you one way or another.

Your decision may not be someone else's, but it also isn't their life. Nor are they likely to understand completely your decision.

Only you can determine your level of risk.

Me? you're likely to have to pry me off the bike to get me to the funeral

M

[Ralph]

Originally Posted by biker72

I had a great opportunity to quit riding last year after my accident. Fractured hip, clavicle and head trauma.

Cycling is what got me through ICU and rehab. I talked to my kids every day about going on bike trips again even though I could barely walk at the time.

I'm back riding on the road and enjoying every minute. I'll never win a KOM or race but I'm still riding at 82.

Good for you. Keep going. I'm 79 now.....and trying to keep riding.

Now I mostly just ride the many wide trails we have around here. Lots of miles with no people on them. Trails have dangers too of course....and 15 MPH speed limits......but I don't get hit by cars. Just have to watch out for occasional dog on leash, or people talking while walking. Anyway....good for you.

[mcfarton]

I have a young family too. I have mixed in zwift and running for fitness. I still really enjoy riding outside on the road. I find that if I hit the road at sunrise in the summer time I can avoid traffic. I also pick roads/routes with less cars. I can often go 15 miles without seeing a car.

I skip most group rides. They often don’t start or end at a family friendly time. And I am more nervous about riding with a stranger than the cars. Between covid19 and poor handling skills from other riders I pass. I do have a handful of friends that I will ride with.


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[vqdriver]

Yeah.... imma choose to minimize risk.
Ive taken up other hobbies that don't put me at as much random risk. I suppose that could feel lame to those who live and breathe bikes. But its never been a lifestyle for me anyway. What riding I do do now is 90% trail

With the understanding that not riding roads doesn't guarantee a long life anyway....

Originally Posted by Dead Man

do you want to live a long, lame life? or do you want to live your best life, with somewhat increased odds of not making it to 80?

[bigbill]

I'm taking a break this year, too much stuff going on. I work around 50 hours a week and decided that pursuing a graduate degree would be a good idea. Then C19 hit, then my son came home from the Naval Academy to spend the summer here doing classes, and left me with little time to ride. I spend 20-25 hours a week on my school work so it was like taking a second job. I finish in February of next year, I start cycling again after that.

[Spaghetti Legs]

Like many things where you have a choice you do a cost/benefit or risk/benefit. For me, the upside is big - probably is for most of us here. I do what I can to minimize the risk. You’ll never see me ride on a busy road. I don’t have a real gravel bike but still do a fair amount of gravel roads to avoid cars.

My first serious riding was mountain biking but drifted away from that because of crashes.

[Coffee Rider]

I started riding in the fall of 1988 and have been at it ever since then except for some time when I really couldn't do it due to school. I've known a number of people who just ended up quitting riding. To me it's really weird how something can be a big part of your life then suddenly not. I expect to be involved with cycling forever even though I'm sure I'll end up in longer periods of not riding with age, but I'm better now at just enjoying it as part of life than when I was younger.

I have noticed a tendency of people who pick up cycling and become really hardcore quickly to do that for a few years and then lose interest. I've seen it happen both to people who were racing and also who mere more mileage junkies.

[Toddtwenty2]

If you feel unsafe, I think that is a perfectly reasonable reason to stop cycling. There is no doubt that being able to support your family is more important. I have a lot of country roads near me with almost no car traffic, so I do not have much to worry about. However, being surrounded by fast, heavy objects that will crush you if they veer a couple feet to the side is a perfectly rational fear, imho.

I gave up hockey 5 years ago for the same reason. I also have young kids and someone gave me a bad concussion with a cheap shot away from the play. It only takes one idiot to ruin something beautiful, and I need to keep a sharp mind and stay productive to contribute to our home. There is always that one person that thinks they are in game 7 of the Stanley Cup or are taking out some personal aggression. I love my life and hobbies are just seasonings that can be substituted. There are ample sources of aerobic exercise.

That being said, Covid is a strange time. Many people’s routines have changed and anxieties can grow more freely. If I were you, I wouldn’t sell my bike quite yet. I would go with my gut and take some time off, though.

Good luck.

[bikinchris]

Do you drive? Driving is the most common cause of accidental death. Bicycle driving doesn't have to be. When you ride using tenets taught by groups such as Cycling Savvy and Bike Ed, riding a bike has a considerably lower rate of crashes than does auto driving.

[54ny77]

After a few decades or so of riding and occasional racing off and on, I now treat cycling as a path to general fitness. And I'm ok with that. I don't "train." I ride. Cell phones, distracted drivers and general road rage has sucked the enjoyment out of it. At least where I live now it has (SoCal). Could I walk away from it completely? Probably not. A hiatus from it? Sure, and have done that on plenty of occasions. And cycling is a cruel mistress: it takes SO long to get back into decent shape.

[Dead Man]

Originally Posted by bikinchris

Do you drive? Driving is the most common cause of accidental death. Bicycle driving doesn't have to be. When you ride using tenets taught by groups such as Cycling Savvy and Bike Ed, riding a bike has a considerably lower rate of crashes than does auto driving.

hear hear. there are a lot of things we do/ignore/dont consider that are way more statistically likely to kill us or grossly diminish our quality of life than riding a bike. cheeseburgers, alcohol, driving, coming into contact with people, the 5 years we smoked way back before we quit, the sun, eating food, philosophy, being married, and thinking mildly depressing thoughts from time to time.

im always really astounded when people quit cyclist for concerns over longevity .. im not being as cynical as it probably sounds.. i just honestly dont get it.