Last week on Instagram I celebrated CGR’s 9 bday with a Q&A. I opened up to questions related to my personal life, cycling, and blogging to give readers a chance to pick my brain for inspiration and tips. In the Q&A, one question really stood out to me to share today for those who struggle to find motivation to keep cycling.
“How do you keep yourself interested and motivated to keep riding after so many years?”
Cyclists are dreamers. We long for the far away, picture ourselves on planes, and love to imagine long rolling hills and roads in strange surroundings. That is, until reality sets in and we ride the same route every single day. For most of us, travel is a luxury we only get to indulge in a few times a year, but it just takes a simple shift of the mind to make the most of cycling around home.
When I returned to California last winter to explore more of my motherland, I set out to see it from the viewpoint of an outsider, and now I wonder why I hadn’t explored it much, much sooner. Now I take that perspective with me everywhere I travel and live. To make that perspective into actionable items, Ive listed below a few things I’ve learned about how to keep my interest and motivation in cycling alive.
Commit to exploring
Embrace slow travel and decide to discover only one city, region, or state, taking the time to peek inside all of its hidden corners. Spread this exploration out over months or even a year, using your weekends and days off to learn about different aspects of your chosen destination. If you can’t go far, invest free time in getting to know more about your hometown – we often overlook new sides to the places we’re used to seeing every day.
Get into photography
Developing your skills in seeing life’s moments, big and small, as photo opportunities will naturally motivate you towards getting out into the world. Buy yourself a good camera and go for a ride around your local neighborhood or a park near home, and just shoot.
Start an Instagram account to showcase your pictures and follow photographers you admire to find some inspiration. Putting your creations out there will push you to head for pastures new to take fresh photos.
Use a map
Maps are the tools at the very root of travel, and getting lost in one will reveal new places and possibilities. Take a look at a map of the area around your home and note anything you haven’t seen before. Pay particular attention to large patches of forest, parks, lakes, or coastline — prime locations for adventures in the wilderness.
Having a visual representation of your intentions will encourage you to make them happen.
Experiment with food
One of my personal philosophies is that food is the single greatest way to travel from anywhere; our taste buds are masters as transporting us across the globe. Over one meal you can be feeling the Middle Eastern desert heat with some falafel, then next you could be hearing mariachi music while chowing down on a taco.
Either try out new recipes at home (my preferred method because it helps us develop our skills in the kitchen) or try out different cuisines in restaurants across town.
Start a blog or journal
Even if it’s just for friends, family or yourself, a blog is an ideal way to document your exploration, and searching for stories for it will push you to find new adventures.
I’ve found exactly this with my own blog. I’m always on the lookout for ways to experience a place, because I need the unusual angles for my website. Having that motivation is like having new eyes; you begin to see things from an outside perspective. As a result, you’ll develop a new appreciation for the things you may have taken for granted in the past.
Become your city’s biggest fan.
Get active
Sometimes we just need a change-up in physical activity to make us feel like we’re seeing a new side to a familiar place. Try a new way of cycling whether its mountain biking, road cycling, or city cycling. Take your bike out to cycle and discover your home’s best bike routes. If you’ve never completed the bike routes in your surroundings, make a list and work towards ticking them all off.
Physical exertion and travel go hand-in-hand. Conquering a challenge using our bodies not only keeps us healthy, but also allows us to see things differently and gives us that rush of adrenaline.
Stay curious
The concept of motivation is not solely pinned down to physical movement – it is a way of thinking and discovery in many shapes and forms. Whether you’re one or 1,000 miles away from your front door, you can have an experience that reveals new cultures and ways of life, which is the very essence of curiosity.
Keep your eyes open. Ask questions. Talk to people outside your circle. Take a different route for your usual morning commute. Become your city’s biggest fan. Welcome in new encounters around every corner, and show gratitude for the beautiful things in the place you call home.