None of the geek stuff about cycling will ever thrill me. I am thankful I can afford a nice bike, with good components, and even that is relatively low key for me. I like the computer for telling me how far I've gone, but that's it.
Getting ready, is well, getting ready. You have to do it, but that's what made me start running last year; unfortunately my body doesn't like running so much, but now I will go fitness walking or hike, do yoga, lift. For me, variety is the spice of life. My next plan is to get a touring bike, so we can do more vacations, on our own, with bikes, and have a bike to ride around town, that is more comfortable than my Coda. I actually look forward to the winter, because I discovered I love being outside then, too. The x country ski/snow shoe season is very short here and often involves traveling; I ride 9 months or so out of the year and I thoroughly enjoy the break because of the winter sports I do. It also makes me look forward to riding in March.
I have been exercising for 30 years in some way or other. If I just focused on riding my bike, I would have got bored long ago. Because, when I am 75 years old (doesn't seem so far away now) I want to still be riding and believe me, it's not going to be about how fast I can go up a hill in a hard gear.