Slump or what?

[Bike Writer]

I feel like I'm going through a sluggish slump with riding. Looking over my riding log I'm not over-training, I take enough rest days. I vary the intensity of my rides with some being strenuous and hilly and others being easy rides on flat trails. About 5 weeks ago I was feeling at the top of my form, today I felt like a slug. My legs just feel heavy and won't perform like I want them to and they poop out. In the last couple of weeks I start off very weak and about 1/4 to 1/2 way into my ride something clicks and I get a big burst of strength and stamina, often finishing quite strong and feeling like I could go longer. Today I had one burst of energy about 1/2 way into my ride but it didn't last long, just 2-3 miles and petered out. I finished, of course, but it was just so-so. Does this happen to you?

[ny biker]

I tend to get sluggish mentally rather than physically. I reach a point where I have to force myself to get on the bike. That's when it's time to do something else for a while.

I usually leave town for a week every summer for vacation, and I don't bring a bike with me. It's sets my conditioning back a bit when the vacation is over but I think the mental break of doing other things (or nothing) is worth it.

[Crankin]

Sometimes you just need to take the first 5-10 miles a slower pace. I always need to do a long warm up, which is why I don't do well on a lot of group rides, which takeoff like a bat out of hell. Yet, I often find that many times, even though I might have felt like i was struggling in the beginning of a ride, when I ride with other people, I'm often right near the front at the end of a ride, and my climbing is really strong, too. It's always been like this.
I agree with NY Biker, too. Nothing makes you want to ride more than taking time off from it. I have less miles this year, due to weather, work, and now I'm recovering from a sinus infection that has totally knocked me out. We are leaving this morning for what was supposed to be a weekend of hard riding int he Berkshires; the weather has pretty much eliminated that, and we are not even taking the bikes. We might get some hiking in, and I know I will be really ready to ride next week.

[Bike Writer]

Crankin, this is typical for me too. My body likes a long warm-up too and I also tend to not do too well at group rides that start out too quickly. So far this has been mostly a physical problem because I still have the strong desire but the flesh isn't as willing. But it's starting to turn mental and I'm starting to dread that part of getting over the hump or warm-up period. Dread might be too strong, more like I'm not looking forward to that part and looking for ways to avoid it. I'm about to do a short errand run passing out flyers for the 4th of July activities around town to local businesses, I could do this by car but it's actually more convenient to do it by bike so I'll just have to see how this goes. I'm not looking to get anything out of this ride except to complete a task and maybe that's why I'm not apprehensive about it? Bicycling is similar to golf in that there is a very strong tie between the mechanics and the mental aspect.

nybiker, I know I could defeat myself mentally on a golf course, perhaps this is part of the problem even if I'm not realizing it.

It's nice to know others experience this too.

[goldfinch]

Sometimes when I start I feel incredibly tired and slow. Most of the time it goes away after about 20 minutes on the bike. Some days are off days and I just cut it short.

[hebe]

Could it be partly due to the summer heat? With me it's sometimes weather, sometimes other stuff that's on my mind. Well done for getting out there and riding.