Are we having fun yet?

Your relationship with bike riding can have its ups and downs. If it’s getting stale or you just aren’t enjoying yourself anymore, try some of these ideas to inject the fun back into biking.

Buy yourself a shiny new toy
Maybe it’s time to upgrade that ten-year-old clunker that you are fiercely loyal to. It’s giving you a sore back and always needs repairing. Forget that it was ‘the top model bike in its time’. Bike technology moves like lightning and it’s now officially a dinosaur. Today’s bikes are delicious to ride. Take one for a spin and you will fall in love with the smooth pedalling, clever suspension, strong brakes and comfortable geometry. It is very exciting to have a new toy….there is that honeymoon period when you gaze lovingly at its sleek lines and are distraught over the first inevitable scratch. You can’t stop smiling after a ride. You have to tell everyone about it! Don’t underestimate the boost a new bike can have on your enjoyment.

Keep on improving
Challenge yourself to become stronger, faster and more skilful on your bike. If you always pedal the same old tracks in the same gear combinations at the same speed …well it soon becomes mundane and your body stops improving. There is a saying which sums this up: ‘If you keep doing what you’ve always done –you will only get what you’ve gotten’. It’s tempting to only practise what we are good at and avoid what we’re not, but the best way to rev up your riding is to work on your weaknesses. What can you improve? Cornering? Muddy riding? Leg speed? Steep hills? Endurance? Balance? Whittle them down one by one. Soon you will have even more things you are good at….and improving is a great feeling.

Go easy on yourself
Sometimes we can all be too hard on ourselves. Setting sky-high expectations can set you up to fail, so make sure you aren’t overtraining and that your goals are realistic. Break them down into achievable bites so you can tick off your progress. The other side of the coin is underrating yourself. What we constantly tell ourselves becomes our reality - a self fulfilling prophecy, so don’t let those negative thoughts sneak in. I often hear people say they ‘can’t do’ something. That is a defeatist attitude and those messages have more impact on us than we realise. Key words like ‘yet’ or ‘but’ tacked on the end will open up your mind to the possibility of success. For example: ‘I can’t ride around switchbacks …..yet, but am getting better all the time.’
Believe in yourself. Start thinking and talking positively and don’t worry about making mistakes – they provide the best opportunities to learn.

Take baby steps
Have you ever been dragged out on a ride that was way over your depth? You find yourself at the top of a steep, rocky trail when you haven’t even learned how to use the gears and brakes! A baptism of fire works for some but for others it’s overwhelming, intimidating and a good way to put them off biking for good. It is much better to take baby steps and gain confidence as you learn bit by bit. Practise braking and skids on a grassy field first – learn the difference between your front and rear brake and what happens if you grab them hard. Drop your front wheel off a gutter first, then build up gradually to bigger obstacles. Start off small and then go big!

Mix it up
The possibilities in biking are only limited by your creativity. Don’t get stuck in the same old routine. Mix it up and try something new to keep it fresh and fun. Ride with a different riding group – or ride alone at your own pace for a change. Biking can suit whatever mood you are in. Sometimes you crave fast and furious single-track – other times you want to daydream on quiet country roads. Make it a goal to experience new types of riding. Try muddy riding, attend a skills clinic, or experience the thrill of racing through peak hour traffic. Do some laps at the BMX track, or go night riding to experience a whole new world.

For something completely different, try playing soccer on bikes. You can’t help but vastly improve your bike skills and fitness. You actually stop thinking about how you are riding and begin doing it more instinctively because you are focusing on the ball and other riders. You are practising essential skills - carving turns, braking hard, balancing and doing sprint intervals, but it’s disguised as fun – the best type of training! One of my best biking memories is playing bike soccer on the Auckland Domain in a thunderstorm. The ground was still hard and fast but the rain made the top gloriously slippery. We rode ourselves to exhaustion because we were all having too much fun to stop!

Top up your tanks
It’s easy to rush out for a ride without fuelling your body first. Be aware of your body’s food and liquid needs before and after training. Humans don’t run well on empty and if you are under-fuelled it’s hard to keep a positive mood. Plan ahead by eating carbohydrates a couple of hours before your ride. Make sure you are well-hydrated and if riding for more than about 45 minutes, take food or an energy drink with you. Have a decent snack as soon as possible after you stop….or even better treat yourself and your body by finishing at a café. If you are unsure of your body’s needs, see a sports nutritionist.

Find your inner child
For some of us that inner child is right on the surface! Others need to dig deep – but it’s the key to having fun. Let yourself whoop and holler as you whiz down hills, race each other for kicks, do a skid just because you can! Take a lesson from children – they aren’t afraid of falling like we are – they have amazing self believe and will laugh just for the sake of laughing. Tap into this vibe and you will learn skills much faster and simply have more fun on your bike!

Make the world your playground
Don’t ride with blinkers on – look around for opportunities to play. Can you zoom up and down that bank beside you? Is there a root you can lift your front wheel over? Can you slalom through those trees or duck under that branch? Bunny hop over drain covers, look for banked turns you can lean your bike into….a rise or dip you can pump through… The list is endless and only limited by your imagination and energy.

If you find yourself laughing out loud on the trail – you know you have achieved the fun part. Sometimes it just takes a moment to relish the simple pleasure of riding a bicycle - effortless motion in one moment, challenging your muscles the next. Feeling the wind in your face and your senses on overdrive. You and your bike? That’s definitely a relationship worth working on.

By Sheryl MacLeod