Do you have a riding buddy? In addition to my longer ride(s) on the weekend, I ride at least twice a week with a friend. Usually Tues/Thur. This is a BIG motivation. It gets me out of bed in the morning to ride on days I might not have. Riding with her is social and fun, plus we push each other to do our best. I try to challenge myself to stick with her on the hills (my nemesis) and sometimes I push her to ride faster on the flats and downhills. We are like minded in our riding goals and desire to get stronger and faster, and being about the same level, it's perfect. She also happens to be a super close friend of mine, so that helps, too.

For a long time I rode by myself and was perfectly content doing so. I was motivated (usually) and liked to just go when I wanted to go. Plus I wasn't as strong as my two closest cycling buddies and hated feeling like I was holding them back. That's the biggest thing that motivated me to get out there. I wanted so badly to be stronger and faster so I could be at the same level as them. Well, now I am ... woo hoo! My "other" close cycling buddy is a school teacher on a year round schedule, so we can only ride with her on weekends and when she is off track, which is November, so it's coming up.

The other thing that motivates me to ride is club rides on weekends and organized rides that I sign up for. I love the social aspect of cycling. Cyclists, for the most part, are very friendly, so it's usually pretty easy to chat with any of them. At least in my experience.

So, my number one suggestion is to find yourself a riding buddy and my number two suggestion is to do club rides, if you aren't already.

Oh oh! One more comment. I took a yoga class last night for the first time. I always hear how wonderful it is, particularly for cyclists, so I tried it and loved it. It's great for your core, as well as other things. It's a fun way to mix up the cycling, which is my number one physical activity.