gthomson

Change of the seasons definitely brings a new perspective for sure. That's one advantage to living in the northern hemisphere is that long wait over the winter makes spring cycling so exciting!!! This year with lockdown I was like a kid again and would work at home all day and at 5pm I would fly out of the house and leap on my bike and take off ha ha.
Fall cycling on a nice day through the forest? nothing better. Maybe I have to get me one of these gravel bikes so I can enjoy it more.

tntyz

Mixing up how I ride gives me a break. Sometimes it's intervals, or hill repeats. Other times it will be something like "keep heart rate under 120", which for me means really focusing on not pushing myself.

Take a photo on every ride. Even if you don't really stop to take one, think about whether a particular scene would be worthy of a picture. That helps me to remember to look around and enjoy where I happen to be.

Senior Vagabond

I agree with your premise and find a great deal of satisfaction in planning or slightly altering known routes through RWGPS. You would be amazed at how many small backroads connect and can form a good ride. You can also look at all the public routes in your area that others have posted. I then just download to my Garmin (or you use the phone app) to navigate through the maze and adventure!

Jim from Boston

Route fatigueMetro Boston IMO is a great place to cycle, for me mostly as a commuter, But I have also posted (link) an informal guide to road cycling. Routes are numerous, and I linve in the center, so I can ride I all directions (except eastward into the Atlantic). I’m not inclined to drive to a new route.

Nonetheless after decades cycling around here, I do encounter route fatigue. I have posted:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

I'm very motivated by novelty, and stymied by boredom on a bike, but I do have the motivation of commuting to work. I have found that when I drive my frequent, decades-old routes I often notice things I had not seen before. I think it’s because I can look around at more than just the road surface when driving.

So when the commute [route] is getting too familiar, I just raise my head higher and look over a wider field of view….

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

A local BF subscriber @rholland1951 who contributes hundreds of photographs to the local Metro Boston thread from the same 11-mile long MUP he rides, once commented something like that "just the lighting / time of day / day of the year makes the ride “different.”

So too does the direction, one way, or the reverse.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

…To get me out on the road, particularly since I cycle-commute as one alternative to get to work, I’m mindful of these two taglines:

Quote:

Originally Posted by SammyJ

I have NEVER regretted going on a ride;I have often regretted not going when I could have!

Quote:

Originally Posted by chasm54

There have been many days when I haven't felt like riding, but there has never been a day when I was sorry I rode.

berner

The state of Rhode Island publishes a cycling map showing all roads recommended for cycling. Other states do the same, most often for a region, such as the Finger Lakes or Adirondack regions of NY State. Look for maps from bike clubs or bike shops as well as the suggestions above.

pbass

Wow--nice lineup. This concept works for me, though my quiver only consists of 2 bikes! I have a geared 650B gravel rig--plenty of rubber and off-road tread, and also a singlespeed cross bike, 700c with skinnier tires. The same route can be quite a different experience between those two. I actually don't hold back too much when deciding about taking the ss on my regular harder/steeper rides. I just go knowing I'm in for an arse-kicking....

Garfield Cat

One other thing:

Riding with music helps, especially if music is your thing. Part of the fun is to create your own playlist. But safety is most important and that's why I use a small JBL bluetooth speaker instead of anything in the ear. I don't use my iPhone but instead the iPOD. That is, I carry both. That way my iPhone is independent on the music function.

The speaker is connected to me, not the bike.

The music playlist: Anything you want, but I find the more "lively" the composition, the better. So, I go to Rhythm and Blues. My R&B list is about 114 songs taking about 7 hours of playtime.

gthomson

I think the quote about never regretting a bike ride (except maybe the one I got hit by a car) but regretting not biking is great and so true. I could go into the city which would open my ride up to numerous routes but I do prefer quieter routes that don't require that fear of death at every intersection! One thing I do like about the city is seeing a constant flood of bike traffic with so many different bikes and so many different riders. Here in my quiet little suburban community the bike scenery is less interesting.

I did reference Wildwood's solution of having a different bike for each day and then some but my wife was not buying into that! ha ha

AndrewRc

The beginning and end of my rides are the same since I always leave from my house, but I’ve found that once on the way, taking a different turn can open up a new route. On this morning’s ride, I continued down a street instead of making my normal turn. This went for about two miles on a road that was smooth and had little traffic. The next turn put me on another road that I hadn’t ridden before. Eventually, it dumped me onto the main road. This will lead to other possibilities for future rides.

scott967

I live on an island. My suburban subdivision is laid out with loops and I can piece those together in different ways, but about 20 miles is my max for those. Then it's one road in and one road out. There's only so many main roads so the only realistic option if I want to vary things is to turn into other subdivisions and wander around those. But I actually pretty much ride the same route on a given day of the week. I only switch when it looks like rain on one side of the island so I have alternate route on the dry side. Normally I hate the dry side because 1. hot 2. upwind coming back towards home 3. many stop lights.

scott s.
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John E

I am blessed with repetition tolerance. I do have about a half-dozen good local routes, most of which involve at least two moderate climbs. I have been putting most of my miles on the mountain bike, which is handy when I combine an exercise ride with a bit of grocery shopping or deal with a couple of dirt road shortcuts, but I do need to use the road bikes a bit more.