Anyone Else Hate Riding Back the Same Way You Came?
02-04-12, 06:53 PM
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Anyone Else Hate Riding Back the Same Way You Came?
i cant stand it. the roads leading to my lair are pretty boring/ugly for the first 10 or so miles.
usually, i will go out for 1-2hrs and do intervals or just try to keep a good pace (for myself).
i hate hate hate hate these roads...but even more, i think i hate loading a bike to drive 20-30 minutes somewhere else...
every so often i get tempted to put headphones on, but i still refrain from doing so.
tips? or am i just stuck with hate?
usually, i will go out for 1-2hrs and do intervals or just try to keep a good pace (for myself).
i hate hate hate hate these roads...but even more, i think i hate loading a bike to drive 20-30 minutes somewhere else...
every so often i get tempted to put headphones on, but i still refrain from doing so.
tips? or am i just stuck with hate?
02-04-12, 06:55 PM
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02-04-12, 07:11 PM
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Anyone Else Hate Riding Back the Same Way You Came?
Nope.
Most of our routes around here are out-and-back ... that's just how it is.
The route we're considering today will be a very gradual climb ... and then we'll turn around at some point and have the descent all the way back home. Nothing wrong with that.
Nope.
Most of our routes around here are out-and-back ... that's just how it is.
The route we're considering today will be a very gradual climb ... and then we'll turn around at some point and have the descent all the way back home. Nothing wrong with that.
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02-04-12, 07:11 PM
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i cant stand it. the roads leading to my lair are pretty boring/ugly for the first 10 or so miles.
usually, i will go out for 1-2hrs and do intervals or just try to keep a good pace (for myself).
i hate hate hate hate these roads...but even more, i think i hate loading a bike to drive 20-30 minutes somewhere else...
every so often i get tempted to put headphones on, but i still refrain from doing so.
tips? or am i just stuck with hate?
usually, i will go out for 1-2hrs and do intervals or just try to keep a good pace (for myself).
i hate hate hate hate these roads...but even more, i think i hate loading a bike to drive 20-30 minutes somewhere else...
every so often i get tempted to put headphones on, but i still refrain from doing so.
tips? or am i just stuck with hate?
move somewhere "beautiful" so you don't have to look at "ugly" roads...
or perhaps get a new hobby.
if you really like cycling, you wouldn't care where you rode, you would enjoy being on the bike. if you honestly don't like being on the bike (and there is nothing wrong with that. most people don't like being on the bike and don't like cycling), then perhaps you shouldn't be cycling....
i'm not trying to be mean or a d!ck. ask yourself, honestly, why you ride a bike. perhaps there is something else you may enjoy more that gives you what you are looking for.
sorry, i just don't understand....also...why don't you wear headphones if that would make it better? i wear them all the time.
Last edited by pablosnazzy; 02-04-12 at 07:14 PM.
02-04-12, 07:15 PM
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Hate's a bit of a strong word. I prefer to return a different way, and tend to take unfamiliar roads whenever possible.
02-04-12, 07:39 PM
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Retracing ain't a big deal. I do dislike doing "laps" during a ride though.
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02-04-12, 07:47 PM
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Many of my routes from my house are out and back, or out - circle around something- and back. I really don't mind it as the scenery and the roads are a-okay, I guess I am one of those people who is surrounded by good roads (except for good climbs). I do often keep serching out new routes though. Keeping with the same routes is a sure way to boredom, but the flipside to that is that you can get really good performance tracking on your rides. Just keep trying to push yourself harder on the boring parts.
Last edited by RJM; 02-04-12 at 07:52 PM.
02-04-12, 07:47 PM
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Can you move? It's a bummer to have to do 20 junk miles in every ride.
I prefer loops to out-and-backs, and am lucky to live in a place where I have a lot of choices, but it's kind of inevitable that I ride the roads near home a lot. I have nice roads near home. THis is not an accident.
When we bought a house a couple of years ago, location with respect to riding from home was one of the top decision factors. When we picked the Boulder area to live in, a few years before that, a cycle- & climbing- friendly city was the very top factor.
I prefer loops to out-and-backs, and am lucky to live in a place where I have a lot of choices, but it's kind of inevitable that I ride the roads near home a lot. I have nice roads near home. THis is not an accident.
When we bought a house a couple of years ago, location with respect to riding from home was one of the top decision factors. When we picked the Boulder area to live in, a few years before that, a cycle- & climbing- friendly city was the very top factor.
02-04-12, 08:02 PM
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That's why I like living in a relatively small town. It only takes 5 minutes or so before I'm out of town on low traffic roads.
02-04-12, 08:07 PM
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No hate, but I will say that I prefer to take loops to out and backs. New roads are always prettier.
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02-04-12, 08:37 PM
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Like the loops, but don't mind a double up as long as I am out, I am happy.
02-04-12, 08:42 PM
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Out and back or loop really doesn't matter to me. I like riding in new territory but as long as I'm on a bike, I'm happy. I have a job where I am frequently on call and have to stay within a specified distance (time) of the facility, so I'll even ride laps or criss-cross through local streets just to get time in. Even the very familiar is a lot more interesting from the saddle.
02-04-12, 08:45 PM
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02-04-12, 08:54 PM
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Depends on the wind.
02-04-12, 08:59 PM
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i cant stand it. the roads leading to my lair are pretty boring/ugly for the first 10 or so miles.
usually, i will go out for 1-2hrs and do intervals or just try to keep a good pace (for myself).
i hate hate hate hate these roads...but even more, i think i hate loading a bike to drive 20-30 minutes somewhere else...
every so often i get tempted to put headphones on, but i still refrain from doing so.
tips? or am i just stuck with hate?
usually, i will go out for 1-2hrs and do intervals or just try to keep a good pace (for myself).
i hate hate hate hate these roads...but even more, i think i hate loading a bike to drive 20-30 minutes somewhere else...
every so often i get tempted to put headphones on, but i still refrain from doing so.
tips? or am i just stuck with hate?
02-04-12, 09:13 PM
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based off what you post, i recommend:
move somewhere "beautiful" so you don't have to look at "ugly" roads...
or perhaps get a new hobby.
if you really like cycling, you wouldn't care where you rode, you would enjoy being on the bike. if you honestly don't like being on the bike (and there is nothing wrong with that. most people don't like being on the bike and don't like cycling), then perhaps you shouldn't be cycling....
i'm not trying to be mean or a d!ck. ask yourself, honestly, why you ride a bike. perhaps there is something else you may enjoy more that gives you what you are looking for.
sorry, i just don't understand....also...why don't you wear headphones if that would make it better? i wear them all the time.
move somewhere "beautiful" so you don't have to look at "ugly" roads...
or perhaps get a new hobby.
if you really like cycling, you wouldn't care where you rode, you would enjoy being on the bike. if you honestly don't like being on the bike (and there is nothing wrong with that. most people don't like being on the bike and don't like cycling), then perhaps you shouldn't be cycling....
i'm not trying to be mean or a d!ck. ask yourself, honestly, why you ride a bike. perhaps there is something else you may enjoy more that gives you what you are looking for.
sorry, i just don't understand....also...why don't you wear headphones if that would make it better? i wear them all the time.
note: i said the first 10 miles are pretty boring/ugly. there is good riding, but its just very "meh" for a bit.
its like have a partner with bad morning breath. its not overwhelming, but its not really something you look forward to (and if you can get through it, the riding is fun).
02-04-12, 09:26 PM
#21
Portland Fred
i cant stand it. the roads leading to my lair are pretty boring/ugly for the first 10 or so miles.
usually, i will go out for 1-2hrs and do intervals or just try to keep a good pace (for myself).
i hate hate hate hate these roads...but even more, i think i hate loading a bike to drive 20-30 minutes somewhere else...
every so often i get tempted to put headphones on, but i still refrain from doing so.
tips? or am i just stuck with hate?
usually, i will go out for 1-2hrs and do intervals or just try to keep a good pace (for myself).
i hate hate hate hate these roads...but even more, i think i hate loading a bike to drive 20-30 minutes somewhere else...
every so often i get tempted to put headphones on, but i still refrain from doing so.
tips? or am i just stuck with hate?
10 miles is not that far even though it adds up to 20 since you need to return. Today I felt like climbing, but I live in the flats. The 15% grades are about 10 miles away. I consider that close. Intervals suck and unless you race, so does any form of riding that has the primary purpose of boosting your speed. When you get right down to it, all that extra effort only buys a small amount of speed.
The ride itself needs to be the objective. If you're forcing yourself to ride, it's going to be mighty hard to keep it up for many years on end. Even if you can, what would be the point? This is supposed to be fun.
02-04-12, 09:38 PM
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You need to get your head in a different space. Riding out and back on practically any road is fun -- that accounts for 90% of the miles of most of the people who commute very far.
10 miles is not that far even though it adds up to 20 since you need to return. Today I felt like climbing, but I live in the flats. The 15% grades are about 10 miles away. I consider that close. Intervals suck and unless you race, so does any form of riding that has the primary purpose of boosting your speed. When you get right down to it, all that extra effort only buys a small amount of speed.
The ride itself needs to be the objective. If you're forcing yourself to ride, it's going to be mighty hard to keep it up for many years on end. Even if you can, what would be the point? This is supposed to be fun.
10 miles is not that far even though it adds up to 20 since you need to return. Today I felt like climbing, but I live in the flats. The 15% grades are about 10 miles away. I consider that close. Intervals suck and unless you race, so does any form of riding that has the primary purpose of boosting your speed. When you get right down to it, all that extra effort only buys a small amount of speed.
The ride itself needs to be the objective. If you're forcing yourself to ride, it's going to be mighty hard to keep it up for many years on end. Even if you can, what would be the point? This is supposed to be fun.
i love cycling and bikes. i have no desire for brevets, and even centuries do not really appeal to me.
part of it is probably because i ride solo; but my schedule gives me odd time gaps, and its not very consistent.
however, i am planning on doing consistent night rides in spring (terrible allergies).
02-04-12, 10:13 PM
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I ride solo because there is no one to ride with around here and I live in Illinois, but I do maintain a love for the road and being outside listening to everything around me, the sound of the road resonating up through carbon wheels, the chain whizzing around the drive train, breathing from exertion, the feeling of the air around me, wind, sun, clouds. I am ecstatic that I am able to ride whenever I want and really have no limitations mentally or physically. Routine, It's all part of living. There are so many things going on that I can't even get bored in Illinois, so where is this terrible place you live?
02-04-12, 10:16 PM
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I have a couple standard loops and tend to do them A LOT. Very little variety but they are loops. Still, I do one of them almost every ride (with a couple ending variations depending on how much time I have) and never seem to get bored. I just enjoy going out and something is better than nothing. I always ride solo.