I’ve been commuting to work by motorcycle for two years now. Living in Oregon, that means riding in all sorts of conditions: glorious sunny days, cloudy days, drizzle, rain, pouring down rain, Noah’s Ark rain, sleet, hail, and combinations all of the above. Riding to work is refreshing, especially on those 30° mornings. The only thing that keeps me off the bike is ice on the roads — we had a layer 1 inch thick for a couple of weeks this winter — and circumstances when I needed to take the car to work due to doggy duty or other appointments.
I’ve mentioned before that my commute may not be very long, but it’s been enough to invigorate me on my way to work and get me excited about the trip home.
Until now.
The last couple of weeks have been a drag. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s the nicer weather bringing more bikes of all kinds to campus. I certainly have a tough time finding parking at work! Maybe it’s the traffic. Seems everyone is either on a phone and driving like a circus clown or going so slowly that passing on a double line in a city street seems awfully tempting!
An obvious respite would be taking a ride outside the city. We had beautiful weather this past weekend but life intervened and I only got a couple of short rides in. And both of those were filled with paranoia. I seemed to see apparitions of deer every 100 feet down the sides of Bellfountain Road. In the twisties around Alsea Falls, I thought I was riding too slowly, and then I felt I was riding too fast.
My two year riding anniversary was on April 4th. I wish I knew why my joy has gone. I certainly hope it’s temporary!
Photo from bikertect on Flickr
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{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
I can only aspire to that kind of joy riding my own bike. One day I hope to be as comfortable as you – you are an inspiration to local female riders I am sure. Think of it as writers (riders) block, keep on it and you will work through it.
I think it's the time of year. It's been a long winter, after all. Once I get a weekend riding trip planned and executed, the rest of the summer usually brightens up. But it's hard to do those trips right now- too much chance of rain, it takes a long time to get suited in cold weather, etc.
You might be on to something… I'm really looking forward to sector's gig in May down at Gold Beach.
I'm going to keep doing my own thing in the hopes that, like you said, this is just a temporary malaise. The idea of being an inspiration to other women riders is interesting: I don't feel like I'm doing anything particularly special. I'm just riding. Maybe the act of "doing" on a regular basis is inspiration enough. If so, I think that's great!
I've been tossing around the idea of hosting a "slow ride" for new(er) riders. It's not a new idea, but I've been thinking about it off and on and today, Carla King has a post on her blog about a slow ride hosted by someone on the Bay Area Riders Forum. I know that riding with Stacey around town — with no pressure regarding speed or anything else — did wonders for me when I was starting out. I've got a lot on my plate at the moment but we'll see.
I've never felt a long-term commute burnout, but I have found a sense of boredom with it before. When that happens, I look up a new route on Google Maps to take. Take the long way to work, or the shortest way. See if there is anything along the way that would make a neat photo, and stop by it first.
Usually, doing it once or twice is enough to throw me out of the funk.
My enthusiasm for commuting 70 miles round trip each day was only diminished by the woman who hit me. After surgery and a few months of physical therapy, I'm back on the bike but haven't resumed commuting. And I'm not sure I will.
It happens, I'm going through the same thing right now. I think it is the time of year, winter is over, the 30º challenge is gone, I'm confused about layering too much, not enough and other things come up preventing a good, long, out of town ride. The weather is just crappy enough that it isn't worth suiting up…..again.
Hold on for just a couple more weeks when you can switch to lighter gloves, turn off your heated grips, remove your quilted liners and 'feel' the controls, the bike and the warmth of the sun on your face.
After commuting nearly every day between May and October (50 miles round trip) it did feel somewhat good to get back in my truck. That didn't last too long, then I was lusting after a ride, but the cold temps, lack of gear and all that snow kept me off my bike until March!
Riding can be like anything else we do; do it too much and you can get burned out. I have decided this year to take more trips, find some people to ride with and turn my riding into more than just commuting. My Google calendar is already filling up with events and my wife is wondering if she'll see me at all this summer and if I'll ever get to any items on my honey do list!
It's funny but I had the opposite situation. After my friends get off which I saw though my mirror I stopped weekend rides into the country and started commuting. Only 6 miles each way. That turned out to be the salve I needed to keep riding. Slowly I got more courage and ended up getting into the back country. Maybe switching it up and taking the truck for a couple of weeks would cure you.
What you said about being filled with paranoia I can relate, last Monday I was working at home it was a beautiful day and decided for lunch to go for fish tacos at the beach (60 miles round trip) the entire trip going and coming back I was paranoid for some reason. Weird, nothing happened, not even any close calls, just emotions run amok.
Great idea, and one easily implemented!
That burns my hide! I'm glad to hear you're back and riding. I can certainly understand your reluctance to rejoin the morning rush. So far, my mishaps have been minor, and I'm grateful for it.
Yes, yes, yes, and yes. You've nailed exactly what I was hoping to convey. The return of the sun is welcome, but I'll be happiest after noon on June 12th.
Is this the blessing and the curse of the Year Round Rider? If I were forced to put the bike up for the winter, would I appreciate it more? Hmm… food for thought!
The consensus is certainly pointing toward a change of pace being in order. I wonder if my burnout and paranoia are two different beasts entirely.
I hope your friend is okay! How terrible to see something like that.
I went through the same thing at about the same point in my riding. I commuted as long as there wasn't ice on the roads or on my helmet visor. And then one day, I felt like I lost my mojo. I saw hazards everywhere and thought they were out to get me. I went through a long few weeks of being afraid of potential road kill. It totally freaked me out. (So much that I posted about that on the Rebel board.) What helps me is to just not ride for a day or two. I just take the car. A couple of days of being in the car, especially on a sunny day, puts me right back into the riding frame of mind. I tell myself, just because I can ride to work every day doesn't mean I have to. We do it because we love it. So, on the days when I'm not feeling the love, I do something else. It helps me to refocus on the bike and maintain the awareness that's so necessary to be safe on the moto. Cheers!
Yes he's fine, recovering slowly, he banged up his leg and broke his collarbone. It was inattention on his part, he missed the corner until to late.
It's possible that the paranoia and burnout are different but it's also possible that they are the same. The easy way to check is commute for two weeks (now that the weather is nicer I don't think it will take longer) with the truck, when the desire to ride the bike becomes too much, go out on a ride where there's less traffic, in other words make these rides just like when you first started riding two years ago. On that ride see if the emotions are calmed. I'm guessing they are related, if you are forcing yourself to do something which is dangerous (which riding is) and is no longer fun, then the paranoia seems a logical consequence. It's your brain telling you to ease off and in that emotional state you probably are more likely to make a mistake. As you start enjoying yourself more and more the riding the paranoia will lesson and you will want to take longer more challenging rides again. That's exactly what I did and it worked.
Ms. Stacy: I thought of this post as I was riding yesterday. Like you my commute to work isn't that far. I think the boring part is just going to work because I don't have the same ho hum feeling when I leave work. It felt so good to just get out of Dodge and watch the road fly by that come Monday it won't be quite so bad. So get out enjoy some back roads and enjoy the feeling of why you fell in love with riding in the first place.
fasthair
I have to say, judging by the photo, that I like what you've done with your bike. Not many people would have thought of that modification let alone have the guts to do it!
The long winter has drained me a lot. There's some days I suit up more for pure stubbornness. As to the other thing, maybe it's not directly related to riding. Is there some other issue in your life making your self image and confidence suffer? Or really draining your energy? It's possible that these things make you feel less on top of managing risk when riding. Not that I expect an answer here. I've found that when I ride all the time, as you have, riding and life become intertwined. What I feel on a bike translates to life otherwise. The opposite is also true.
You'll bounce back. That's how life works. Either that, or you'll have a psychotic episode!
You need a challenge to freshen your viewpoint. Got any special plans for 4/25-26? *evil laugh*
Uh oh, what's going on then? Now you've got me curious!
I thought that was the next TEAM OREGON instructor training class, but I'm told it's the week after that.
Curious how you feel now a few months after this post. I’ve been riding/commuting for about 6 years now and have gone through some changes. I think I’ve put about 40,000+ miles on my two bikes combined in that time. When I started riding I couldn’t get enough. Need something at the store? Cool…I’ll take the bike down and stuff it into my backpack. Its freezing outside (for Los Angeles)…no problem I’ll just bundle up for the ride…Hey its only Midnight and I can’t sleep, I’ll just cruise to the coast and go for a ride. After a while though I would only use the bike to commute. I still loved getting on the bike but I no longer took it when I went out at night or need to run a quick errand to the store. I stopped going for canyon rides, etc. Now that I have my new SV, I’m trying to do some more recreational things on the bike but 90% is still commuting 70 miles round trip. Now, I haven’t been burnt out. When my other bike broke down and I wasn’t able to repair it, I went through about 8 months of not riding before I bought the SV. As my girlfriend describes…I was depressed. Driving to work made me angry and I was not a pleasant person when I would get home after spending an hour in traffic. So my habits on the bike may have changed but she is the same drug that I am still addicted to.
I’m happy to report that things have gotten better. The improvement in weather helped a lot, as did the end of the school year. I live in a college town and the difference when the students leave is amazing.
I’ve been riding more for pleasure and taking longer trips, too.
Allaina hit the nail on the head. Riding should be fun and enjoyable. If it isn’t right now, due to weather, or boring route, paranoia, etc. Make a change. Stop riding for a bit. Hop in the cage (if you have one) or ride the bus. It lets your mind work in a different way. It gives the “full alert biker mental state” a chance to rest and recover. The joy comes back and you can’t wait to get back on the bike.