On The Road
by: Bill Oetinger 8/1/2001
Bored on the bike? Never!
Last month, I let other people write about half my column for me. I included long quotes from cycling acquaintances to flesh out my essay on mental pacing. This month I'm going to do the same thing. In spite of the fact that my byline graces this space each month, I see no reason why I can't share some of the ink with other writers, other voices. Why should I hog all the copy when others are so articulate about cycling?
Actually, I love to hog all the copy. I like writing (and talking) about cycling almost as much as I like cycling itself. I could go on and on about it, and on and on and...
But what has prompted me to share some of the space here with others was a recent thread on the Ultracycling e-mail list. Someone posed a question to the list asking whether folks ever got bored while doing long rides, and if so, what remedies could folks recommend to fight off the terminal ennui. This fellow claimed he gets seriously bored on his training rides...bored to distraction. I forget the actual wording of the original query, but I remember the responses, which came in thick and fast and full of feeling. There were so many interesting responses that I decided to collect a few of them--with permission--and bundle them together into a column on the subject of boredom on the bike.
Your typical subscriber to the Ultracycling list is certainly going to be acquainted with long training rides, and one might suppose that boredom could at least occasionally be a factor on those almost endless pedals through the middle of nowhere. The original questioner certainly thought so. But to judge from the responses, few others shared his point of view. There were some rather tart replies that said, in effect, "If you're bored, you're boring." (I used to use that same line on my kids, when they whined about being bored on a lovely summer afternoon.) I have heard it said that boredom is nothing more than a lack of attention to detail, or a failure of imagination. I am inclined to agree. I can see where getting stuck sitting for hours on end in some dentist's waiting room from hell (with no old magazines to read) could approach boredom. Or perhaps spending hours and days and lifetimes stuck on an assembly line, doing robotic, repetitive tasks might push one into a state of cerebral flatlining. I don't know...even there, I like to think I could find something to interest me or engage my imagination, even if it were only escapist fantasies.
But bored on a bike? Never! I've been miserable on a bike...frozen stiff, prostrated by heat, sore and aching in every colonial outpost of my badly abused body. I've been pissed off, grumpy, and surly...go-away-and-leave-me-alone on a bike. I've been blissed out, zoned out, tuned in...giddily, crazily, hilariously happy on a bike. I've even fallen asleep on a bike (in the middle of the night in Death Valley). But bored...impossible.
I could wax verbose for about as long as a long ride on this subject. But instead of me ranting and raving, how about I call in a few of my brothers and sisters to testify? Can I get a witness here?
This response was from Doug Sloan...
"I must say that I really don't get bored on rides. In the Sierra foothills and mountains near here (Fresno, Ca), there are plenty of options for different routes and difficulty levels. In fact, I frequently seek out the routes that will avoid human confrontation--the more desolate, the better.
"I enjoy seeing the wildlife, which can be very entertaining, sometimes scary. I've seen hawks snatch snakes from the road many times. I've twice seen mountain lions cross my path ahead of me, and then I'm paranoid of every sound as I pass trees and cliffs near the road. We have many snakes on the road, and no matter what speed I inadvertantly run over them or even bunny hop them, I still fear they will jump up and bite me. Gives me the heebie jeebies every time. We see countless lizards, tarantulas, rabbits, coyotes, foxes, and hawks. Very entertaining.
"Sometimes I just zone out, and if someone asked me what I had been doing or thinking about for the last ten minutes, I couldn't tell them. When the endorphins really get kicking, I can't help but imagine I'm Lance Armstrong leading the charge up Ventoux or time-trialing at 34-mph (even though I'm doing it downhill).
"I absolutely love the first few times of the year when the snow melts and we can ride up really high around here. Until May, we can't get much above 5,000 feet, but in the summer we can ride to over 9,000 feet and back to near sea level in an 8-hour ride. Tried this several weeks ago and got turned back by snow on the road at 7,000 feet. That makes me think -- it's really hard to be bored riding in the mountains. Between the scenery, the fresh pine-scented air, the exertion of climbing, and the thrill of 50+ mph descents, I don't know how anyone could be bored."
This quote is from Susan Cooper...
"I have been training mostly alone for a long time (20+ years). I understand and agree with what almost everybody (on the list) has said, and just reading all those ideas, thoughts, 2 cents, makes it even more clear that I am never really alone when I am "out there."
"There are so many things to do with your mind when it is free from the distractions of everyday life. Count how many different kinds of birds you hear; how many can you actually find? How many squirrels have almost taken you out...how many rabbits? What does your heart rate jump to when that creature decides to race across the road 3" in front of you? If you don't feel the joy of dealing with things like this on your rides, then change your focus to the cars or kids or whatever else inhabits the roads you ride.
"Think up great things to say to the ______ who cuts you off. Practice smiling and waving to morons, knowing that you are luckier than they are because you are paying attention and not involved with whatever garbage is going on in their heads during the moments they are not being nice to you. Plan a surprise for your significant other, child, etc. Think about what life will be like for all of your loved ones when you die...is there anything you should do now before that happens?
"Lots of these problems can be solved during rides. The trick then is remembering how you solved them by the time you get back and are quickly absorbed into civilization again. (That's my problem!) Anyway, cheers, and most of all...be glad you're on the bike and not stuck inside! Be happy, don't worry."
Sandy Kenny contributed these thoughts, and addressed the question of using mental tricks to distract oneself from impending boredom on a ride...
"To my mind, using artificial distractions to keep you on the bike is counterproductive. It does NOT foster motivation or involvement... sort of like reciting baseball stats during sex: it keeps you in the saddle longer, but does it really enhance the experience? Cycling is pure escapism for me, I'd hate to clutter it up too much.
"Sometimes boredom is a sign of anxiety. For example, if you're worrying about things undone at home, you'll feel antsy on the bike unless you can stay away from those thoughts--so figure out a way to get those pesky chores done, or figure out which ones you can safely let go of. Use your long solo rides to go somewhere novel, scenic, or just plain someplace you'd never go otherwise. Get involved in planning new routes.
"Make it a point to tell people about your rides...find something interesting enough about your ride to talk about at the water cooler at work. On my ride today, I stopped to move a box turtle off the road--more proof that cycling is a life-saving activity! (The turtle was pretty dang cute, too.) Telling your story is important. It increases your commitment to your stated goals, it helps others understand who you are and what you're about, and sometimes, by sheer dumb luck, you run into someone who gets excited about helping you achieve your goals.
"Really work at enjoying the moment! Have fun out there!"
Or how about this one from Terry Gooch...
"I have had the opportunity to ride in some incredibly beautiful places. Each day moves me more than the one before. For me, riding is forever new, and each day is an adventure. When I consider the places I have been able to ride--how amazing they are--I just shout out an enormous THANK YOU to the cosmos for allowing me to be alive and riding a bike! I am more happy in that moment, (even with the headwinds, the hills, the heat, the bonk, the angry drivers, the ________) that I can only say: enjoy your life, every minute, for each minute that passes is gone forever, and you will never manifest this reality again. Zen? Don't think so really... just a way to get nestled in the moment when you are out on the bike, empty out your head, and meditate on something more than you, or just you. Find what you need...it may be music in your head, it may be looking up once in awhile, it may be a game, or it may be making an effort to hook up with other riders. But do search.....it's the journey, as they say, not the destination."
This next quote is unfortunately anonymous, as I misplaced the author's name, but the point of view is valid, with or without an attribution...
"I overheard some riders talking about how they go crazy if they have to ride more than 25 miles alone. Since I'm an ultra-distance triathlete this made me laugh out loud. I think that when you're used to riding in a pack and chatting a lot, anything less than two bikes feels naked. But even when triathletes start out in a group our no-drafting race rules tend to make for no-drafting rides. We're always alone!
"What do we think about?: Visualizations of the race(s) we're training for; we think about real food (constantly); we watch the timing of food and drink during the ride, survey the body for aches and pains, think about cycling efficiency, look for places to stop and pee, replay conversations and think of witty comebacks. Olympian and Ironwoman Joanna Zeiger worked on her dissertation during long rides. But yes, sometimes the well runs dry, and hopefully at that point you find a zen state where you are kind of spaced-out, yet you're still processing traffic movements, road conditions, and your bodily sensations."
Finally, short but sweet, this post from Darrell Bowles...
"By far the best thing is when you don't think at all and JUST RIDE. I remember once I was about halfway through a 150-mile training ride, going up a mountain. It was about 110° out, and there were literally vultures circling over my head! I was really struggling, thinking about how I could be by a pool somewhere, when suddenly I wasn't suffering anymore. My climbing became effortless, my senses intensely acute. It was like I could make out every tiny pebble in the pavement beneath me. This lasted a couple of miles, but it made the whole ride worthwhile."
Okay! That's it for the quotes from the Ultra list. Thank you, one and all, for sharing your thoughts and feelings on this subject. It would appear that not only are these folks not bored on their bikes, to the contrary, they are exalted and inspired and uplifted.
It's interesting--but not surprising--to see how many times people referred to cycling into a zen zone or something similar...some out-of-body, transcendental state where time stands still and the world comes into some sharper, brighter focus. It puts me in mind of a comment I once heard from Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart. He was at the time promoting a tour of Tibetan Buddhist monks, and he was asked what their chanting had in common with his brand of rock and roll. He replied, "Well, we're both in the transportation business." I liked that line then and I like it here now, in this cycling context. The bicycle may have originally been invented as a means of transporting our bodies from one place to another, but somewhere along that ostensibly utilitarian journey, it has also become a delightful conveyance for transporting our minds and spirits to a higher plane of awareness and fulfillment.
Bill can be reached at srccride@sonic.net