Do you have a 'Mantra' while on your bike?

[Sarabeth]

"Ride It Like You Stole It"
I saw this on a bumper sticker yesterday when I was coming home. As I come into this new year, I thought, this is what I am going to keep repeating to myself on all my bike rides! I'm going to give it my all on every ride.

What is your mantra when you are out riding?

I took a photo of this bumper sticker on the vehicle in front of me while I sat at the traffic light . .
http://bycycletrips.blogspot.com/2008/12/ride-it-like-you-stole-it.html

[7rider]

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]
What is your mantra when you are out riding?

(on hills, in particular)
"If this don't make your booty move, your booty must be dead."
while humming the music in this video - an oldie but a goodie - in my head...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHJErrp4eOw

[bmccasland]

Considering I have EIA, after a while it's "breathe in, breathe out". Not very sexy, but if I'm trying to keep up with a paceline or just trying to ride fast, my breathing tends :rolleyes: to get out of control. As one of the older, and dammed fast guys said, "one minute you're breathing, the next minute you're not."

So for me, it's "breathe in, breathe out". :D

[Biciclista]

on tuesday I rode 30 miles and what was in MY head was
"It ain't gonna rain no more no more, it ain't gonna rain no more; how in the heck can i wash my neck 'cause it ain't gonna rain no more"

it worked, it didn't rain on us :cool:

[kermit]

"suck it up...drink water". That came from one of my husbands army buddies we used to trail ride/run with. Super hard core.

[mudmucker]

I usually don't need or use a mantra for motivation. But I do continually through about every ride keep saying to myself "I'm sooo happy to be on my bike". "I'm sooo happy to have this time to be on my bike". "I'm so happy that I'm healthy enough to be riding my bike".

[maillotpois]

On long climbs I try to get a good rhythmic song going through my head.

[RoadRaven]

"Ride It Like You Stole It"

I love this quote, and one of my goals this year is to make some cycling jerseys for myself... I want to put interesting quotes on them, and this is one of them...


My mantra though?
It tends to be no Zen :p moment but rather telling myself off.

*Raven assumes best 'growly' voice*
C'mon, you can do it. Cmon legs, you can do this! You are NOT tired...

etc etc

[DebTX]

I love "Ride it like you stole it" too!

I only use a mantra when riding up hills - and it's always one of these two:

1) "Pull, pull, pull" (which reminds me to use a full stroke and truly engage the upstroke). I'm waiting for the day when a full stroke becomes intuitive, no mantra needed :)

2) "I am strong and getting stronger all the time" (really goofy :eek:, but when the hill is steep and my speed/cadence had slowed to that "yeesh, any slower and you'll fall over" point, I remind myself that I've got strength i don't even know about yet.

[Aquila]

No mantra, but sometimes I sing to my bike "Talking 'bout my bike, my bike!" I can never remember the words so I have to keep making up new ones... My bike doesn't seem to mind, though.

[mudmucker]

I only use a mantra when riding up hills

Well, again I usually don't use a mantra. Going up hills though, I just sort of get my head into the rhythm and motion of my body - a regulated in-tune cadence that is comfortable. If or when it becomes painful, I sort of do a visualization of getting myself to the top..well, then, I do sort of say things like "it will feel so much better when I'm at the top"...."another mile and it will be over"... "when I get to the top I'll be going down, not too much longer"... "this pain isn't too bad"...

[GLC1968]

I also don't really have a mantra, per se...but I have often thought the following two phrases while riding.

"Just keep pedaling" repeated in the same tune as "just keep swiming" from Finding Nemo. This usually comes to mind near the end of long climbs...

I also often think to msyelf "THIS is why I ride"...when something is particularly good (smooth road, fun downhill, gorgeous view, perfect weather, bright sunlight, etc.).

[pinkbikes]

Well I guess I have a couple....

My motto for mountain biking is "Black side down, blood on the inside!":D

I have learnt a few good mantras from the guys I ride mountain bikes with though...

HTFU (as in Harden The F*** Up) and I wear one of those little rubber wristbands with this on it when I race. Sometimes I look at the wristband and say it to myself up really big hills.

TUP (as in Toughen Up Princess) - a little less effective!

But back in wholesome "Mother mode" there's just about nothing that beats singing "one little, two little, three little indians...." or "10 little ducks went out one day..." They've helped me through a few half marathons but I don't use them so much on the bike - maybe I should! And you can always add to the number of ducks that went out for those really long hills!:)

[five one]

My hill climbing mantra is singing the song "Spinning Wheel" by Blood, Sweat & Tears in my head. It's about the right rhythm for a slow climb and reminds me to keep spinning.

[Fujichants]

When climbing, I repeat to myself: kill, kill, kill the hill.

That, and "it's ok, just breathe, you'll be there soon", even if i'm not!

[Zen]

'upright and forward' :)

[malkin]

I remember Robert Pursig in ZatAoMM saying "good good good good..." on a run and I do that sometimes.

When I'm out of breath I inhale on nnnnnn (my tongue cuddles around my left front tooth, because it gets sensitive to the air going by) and exhale on wwwoooooo.

When I'm on the rollers and I get mad thinking about work, I recite Psalm 23, because the "preparest a table for me in the presence of mine enemies" part always cracks me up to picture a conference room table with annoying work people. I'm never sure how the 'still waters' part fits in my life at all, but the "restoreth my soul" part is spot on for riding.

[GraysonKelly]

Alright, I'm a goober and can't believe I'm gonna confess this...I don't have a mantra other than "don't get hit, don't get hit" when trucks pass me. When I'm climbing hills, I start singing (very softly) the theme song from that old TV show "The Greatest American Hero". If i can sing it then I'm staying pretty much in the right heart rate zone and it helps maintain my cadence. It's corny, I know but that's what I do. Sometimes when I'm on a flat or relatively flat section, I get bored and start reciting either the Gettysburg Address or O Captain, My Captain or some other poem. My body doesn't like when my brain goes unengaged for too long.
Gray
PS I really like the "Ride it Like You Stole It" thing. I'm thinking of making a plaque with that on it to hang up in the living room.

[malkin]

I do Gettysburg address sometimes to fall asleep.

[Aggie_Ama]

It is either "Can't never could" which my mom always replied to my saying "I can't" or "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can" from of course The Little Engine That Could. On the road it is usually only when climbing, mountain biking about every 25 seconds. :p

[OakLeaf]

When it's a question of making it up a hill, or not - I came up with this one years ago on a solo unsupported tour:

Take it easy
Take it slow
Stay cool
What's the rush?
Don't push.

[shootingstar]

For hills: Just go around and around on that granny gear if you need to.

[deedolce]

I'd love a black cycling tank with that written on it in hot pink 'Toughen Up Princess' :D Although at almost 50, I'm much to old to be a Princess, but I sure like how it sounds, when I my inner whiner starts complaining! :p

[DebTX]

For hills: Just go around and around on that granny gear if you need to.

When I first looked for help learning to climb, experienced riders would tell me that all the time (just use the granny gear).

But as an out of shape newbie, I'm already in the granny gear on most hills. And it's not like I'm spinning my way up with a cadence of 120. I'm lucky to maintain a cadence of 40-50 on my 6% grade nemesis hill. For me, if the mantra doesn't work to keep my feet peddling, I'm gonna have to hop off the bike and walk it.

But progress is progress: During season 1, I walked every hill.
Last season I rode them all (not elegantly, mind you) - but I made it to the top "upright and on the bike", which was glorious :D

My goal for next season is a climbing cadence of 50-60.

"I am strong and gettting stronger all the time..."

[Lakerider]

"Ride like the wind!"

The wind can slow me down, but I won't let it stop me!

[TrekTheKaty]

I can't get "No pain, No gain" out of my head. My new one came from my hubby two days ago--"Since when do we stop half way up a hill?"

I would buy a "ride it like you stole it" jersey. And I hesitate to share "TUP" with hubby.

[channlluv]

Okay, I'm not a big hill rider, but when I'm doing my version of hammer, I've got Salt n' Pepa in my head: "Ooo, baby, baby, b-b-b-baby, baby, push it, push it real good, doop-di-doop-do-doop-di-dooby-dooby-doop-di-doop..." you get the idea.

And when I'm just cruising, ,my mantra is my goal weight, set to this rap song I heard in a movie once, "One-thirty-fi-i-i-ive, one-thirty-fi-i-i-i-ive, one-thirty-five, yeah, one-thirty-five." Keeps me on point. And sometimes I sing to myself, "I am awesome, I feel great. I am awesome, I feel great. My body is strong and I feel great." Kinda goofy, but it keeps me positive.

Roxy

[kenyonchris]

I want to know where to get a little bracelet that says "HTFU" .... I totally love that. That's my new mantra when I am getting the crap beat out of me in Defensive tactics (my old one was,"Ow!").

I listen to good music in the one bud of my ipod I wear, and start off every ride remembering my personal motto of life in general, "No pain, no palm, no guts, no glory; no thorn, no throne; no cross, no crown." Everything worth doing is hard. Then I hit it. I may tell myself a the beginning that I am going for a nice spin, but I always wind up pushing harder, faster, longer.

Best hill climbing song, "Gangsta's Paradise"

[martaw]

When I first looked for help learning to climb, experienced riders would tell me that all the time (just use the granny gear).

But as an out of shape newbie, I'm already in the granny gear on most hills. And it's not like I'm spinning my way up with a cadence of 120. I'm lucky to maintain a cadence of 40-50 on my 6% grade nemesis hill. For me, if the mantra doesn't work to keep my feet peddling, I'm gonna have to hop off the bike and walk it.

But progress is progress: During season 1, I walked every hill.
Last season I rode them all (not elegantly, mind you) - but I made it to the top "upright and on the bike", which was glorious :D

My goal for next season is a climbing cadence of 50-60.



"I am strong and gettting stronger all the time..."

I am so much like you I just started and so far I walk most hills up!

[Kelly728]

HTFU (as in Harden The F*** Up) and I wear one of those little rubber wristbands with this on it when I race. Sometimes I look at the wristband and say it to myself up really big hills.


I need that!

I tend to attack myself..things like HTFU, Suck it up, You suck, etc. Quite effective and motivating. :D

[Reesha]

When I'm feeling a 'bikers high' it's usually:

"Allez! Allez! Allez!"

I've even said it out loud!

When I'm struggling it's a fairly simple:

"Do it!" Over and over again in my head.

Yeah, not real interesting, but it does the trick! My favorite is the joyful "Allez!" exclamations though. Just reminds me how much I love being on my bike.

[Jiffer]

Just recently, when I'm the first one taking off with a group, I've been saying, "Catch me if you can!" Sometimes we are about to climb and there's no doubt whatsoever that I will be caught and passed immediately. But on a downhill, watch out! :D

Near the end of a 72 mile ride, after having done 74 the previous day, and now at the end it seemed there was hill after hill after hill, I finally started yelling out, "I LOVE hills! Hills are my FAVORITE! Bring on the hills!" It started out as a goofy thing to say for no good reason, but I decided it really did mentally help! :p

[Lakerider]

I just finished riding in misty rain. I could have quit and gone back home, but I kept telling myself, "I won't melt!". Actually it felt great! I love to ride in a misty rain, especially on a hot day. I've gotten just as wet on hot days from sweat!

[Loraura]

Mine is: "It's only temporary pain!"

I have also gone mad-silly declaring loudly my love for hills on a long ride that seemed to end straight up hill the last 10 miles. It actually worked for me, too.

[redrhodie]

My mantra is "pedal soft".

[bmccasland]

Breathe In, Breathe Out

I try to control my breathing, to keep myself from riding into an asthma attack.

[Chile Pepper]

This cracked me up:


I want to know where to get a little bracelet that says "HTFU" .... I totally love that. That's my new mantra when I am getting the crap beat out of me in Defensive tactics (my old one was,"Ow!").

I tend to fall into PJ Harvey's Victory or Moby's Lift me up. But I definitely like TUP.

[Owlie]

Right now, it's "Ow, my butt...ow...my butt...ooh, a squirrel!":p

[Urlea]

"Push the fatigue out with every pedal". and "Spin, spin, spin"

[Lakerider]

When I ride I have a goal of how many miles I plan to go. Many times - just as I'm about to meet that goal a little voice in my head says, "You can go another mile!"
I'll usually push my self and go at least 1 more mile. Today that little voice wouldn't stop and I went 10 more.

It was hot and sunny today with an occasional cloud for shade. I teach pre-kindergarten so children's songs often pop up in my head.
There's a song that goes,
"Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun, please shine down on me..."

As I was riding I was hoping for more clouds so in my head I sang,
"Mr. Cloud, Cloud, Mr. Fluffy Cloud, please hang over me..."

[colby]

Sometimes if it's windy I tell myself "i am a leaf on the wind" (sometimes I'll say it out loud)... though I know that didn't end well in the movie, it mentally calms me down. I have done the same "BRING IT ON" stuff that others have mentioned if the conditions are nasty (I've done that running, too, and mentally it's helped).

I talk to my bike a lot. Sometimes I'm concerned people are listening. Mostly I don't care. ;) It's usually encouraging stuff, like "we're doing great" or "we're almost there" or "let's do this hill." If I say it out loud, it has to be positive. Sometimes if I'm riding with others who are behind me (or I pass) or need to be "pulled" through difficult terrain (hills, wind) I'll talk to them, too, but I don't want someone to feel like I'm talking "down" to them. Sometimes normal conversation, too, but that's usually just a distraction, albeit often a welcome one.

Sometimes I sing "she'll be comin' round the mountain when she comes" when riding hilly terrain. It makes me smile. I always imagine people coming out to meet me and all kinds of silly stuff.

I do make up songs sometimes, or make up songs to the words of other songs. One day when I saw a snake, I was making up a "badger, badger, badger badger, mushroom mushroom! oooh it's a snake!" song (a web video on weebls-stuff.com) except with marmots, snakes, and something other than mushrooms that took me a while to figure out (thus I sang the song for multiple miles of distracting enjoyment, and here I can't even remember what I substituted for mushrooms).

[Urlea]

Colby- I love that you are a fan of firefly/serenity too! :D

[colby]

Colby- I love that you are a fan of firefly/serenity too! :D

I have to admit I didn't watch it when it was on TV, and it was the movie that got me into it. I wasn't a huge Buffy/Angel fan (and I also admit that I'm not watching Dollhouse), but after I saw the movie I had to go back and watch the series. Something about the movie was just a good combination of campy, sci-fi, future, past... it was great.

end hijack! ;)

[tantrumbean]

I like "No chain, no gain!" and, on hills, I keep telling myself "The hills can't get bigger, but I can get fitter!"

[grey]

I just focus on breathing when it comes to hills - I measure each breath and each number of cranks per - and keep it super even. I kick tail on hills - I pass everyone - but then everyone passes me on the downhill so it all evens out. :cool:

[Lakerider]

I love coasting down a hill with the wind in my face. Up hill - not so much fun, but I remind myself
It's going up the hills that make me stronger!

[HappyTexasMom]

Hehe...this thread helped me this morning when I fell at my first stoplight (which is like, 2 minutes into my ride). First time that's ever happened...I just had a misfire on the brakes and stopped before I had both feet out of the clips. I wasn't seriously injured, but I did scrape my knee. More than anything I was embarrassed (because I did it in front of a huge line of cars). I wanted to just ride off in the other direction (i.e., back home) and get away. Then I started off and the wind stung my knee. But I just told myself "Suck it up, Princess" and "Harden the F*** Up" which made me laugh, and then I was fine. :)

[Lakerider]

How about a mantra when you're not riding your bike. When I find myself doing something that is wasting my time, like standing in the check out line or being put on hold when I make a phone call I can't help but think,
I could be riding my bike instead of doing this!

[colby]

I remembered this morning riding to work that I forgot to mention one of my hill mantras. When snowboarding with my dad (he skis, and teaches skiing, so he's got a lot of ski-endurance) he always says "rest on the lift" or "rest at the bottom" so we keep riding the entire hill from top to bottom instead of resting in the middle. I turn that into "rest at the top" or "rest on the downhill" to keep myself pedaling up AND OVER the hill rather than feeling burnt in the middle of the hill. It also makes me think of snowboarding with my dad, which makes me happy. ;)

[aleia23]

When training for the MS150 here in Pennsylvania, my husband would make me keep doing hills over and over again. The one song that kept playing in my head was "Stronger" by Kanye West..."that which does not kill me can only make me stronger."

Although, some of those hills tried...;)

[kenyonchris]

I was on the patrol bike today, in the 102 heat, wearing my kevlar, my dark blue heat encasement suit (aka summer uniform), my gunbelt, and my trusty steed the trek mountain bike we use for patrol (NOT my Colnago road bike) and I sat at the base of one of our steepest, longest, meanest hills (not all officers CAN ride up it...and I am the only woman on the unit!) and decided that I would ride up it, and I would NOT do it in mountain bike granny gear. So I thought *HARDEN THE F*C* UP" and up I went. A crew of workers were standing at the top, looking at me like I had just stepped off a space ship.

Funny thing, though, was that I called out on it, in part to make myself do it, and in part to let the other officers on duty that I was tackling THE HILL ON ROLAND. So it went, "312, Neighborhood check." (312 is me). Dispatch says, "312?"...awaiting my location. I pause for dramatics, "I'M OUT ON ROLAND." All this is at the base of this monster hill. Dispatch, who has no idea that this really means, hey everybody sitting in your nice air conditioned cars, I am getting ready to go up this hill, says, "10-4". So I start up. I get about halfway up this thing, spinning hard, blood pounding in my ears, when I hear dispatch say, "312? What was your location again?" I was like, are you kidding me? I have to take my hand off the handlebar, keep pedaling or tip over (and with it that steep I would never have gotten started again), key up on the mike, and say, "ROLAND!" but as forcefully as I say it, I can't quite get enough air in my lungs (the vest doesn't help this process) so it comes out as a squeek. One of the officers listening got on and said, "Dispatch, she is out on Roland. It's a big hill." So I lost some of my street cred.

But I got up it. Then got to whizz down the other side and pedal on to the QT for a slushie. A lady said, "THey make you ride that bike in the heat? Oh sweetie, you are flushed!" I laughed. I GET to ride the bike in the heat!