Cycling Life Crisis

Training
1

My entire cycling life has been devoted to racing. From the first time I did an actual bike ride, I had a race in mind. I have now hit a point in my life where I simply can’t devote the hours I used to into training.

I can tell it has affected my fitness as my FTP has probably dropped about 30 watts in the last 2 to 3 months, causing me to feel burnt out. To the point of just letting myself get dropped on hot zones when I know I could have held on for another minute or two before being popped.

I just dont really care to keep doing this if I cant compete and rise up the cycling categories.

Does anyone have any advice on training and improving (Currently a Cat 3) while barely having time in the day to fit in a workout? I have Big Sugar 100 coming up, so I gotta find a way to get some fitness for that. Or am I looking at it the wrong way and should be happy with racing at the top of Cat 3/4 races. Do yall think the burn out is just cause I am unable to roll turns in the lead group? Curious if any of yall have gone through this or have experience.

2

Do you have trails near by? Sounds like time to get a MTB and ride by vibes!
Nothing better for the soul than hitting some singletrack!

8 Likes
3

Ironically, that is where I started. I originally raced dirt bikes, thought a mountain bike race would be fun. Won my first race. Then just never stopped training. Slowly, I’ve migrated to road and gravel as I am better at it and am now considering selling my MTB.

1 Like
4

I think there’s kinda two different issues here. Obviously they’re connected but potentially have two different solutions or approaches

First, is that you don’t have the time in the day to fit in a workout. Is it any workout at all or is it the 2-3 hour workouts you are used to or want to do? (just an example, not that you actually did that)

Second, is that you’re not performing at the level that you want to. I think this is totally expected due to your reduced training time (and likely increased stress). For me, that burnout feeling usually comes down to not that I’m actually performing poorly but rather that I’m expecting myself to perform better than I actually can and then I get upset that I’m not meeting those expectations even though I know going in that I’m likely to fall short.

If this is a temporary restriction, then it might just be a time to take a small step back and enjoy your exercise and switch to just having fun at Big Sugar. If it’s more permanent then kinda the same but you have to find a sustainable workout schedule, let yourself hit a steady state, and then reevaluate your fitness and goals based on what’s achievable.

I also like the idea of switching sports a bit. Running, lifting, MTB, etc. It’s really good to get into something where you don’t have a high level point of reference and where you can see some quick beginner gains from less time commitment.

4 Likes
5

There’s no magic formula for not being able to train.

If you are short on time, the tried and true way is crash training or Carmichael’s Time Crunched Cyclist (the book). Two to three shorter sessions per week of intervals. One or two long endurance ride on the weekend.

Or, just load the event into TR and let it generate a plan with the hours available.

4 Likes
6

Are you saying you don’t care to keep racing if you can’t continue to cat-up or you don’t care to even ride a bike at all?

2 Likes
7

“rise up the cycling categories” sounds like sanctioned USAC racing (I’m assuming you are in the US). Big Sugar is the opposite of that, you either race pro or your race age group. And there are lots of folks just “participating” for fun at Big Sugar, so maybe try to do that?

For events like Big Sugar, you can have all kinds of goals/objectives and still compete. If you’ve been competing as a Cat3, I’m going to assume you aren’t at the front end a race like Big Sugar even when you were in top shape. So, it’s just a matter of setting a realistic goal that is somewhat realistic and scratches the competitive itch (assuming that itch is what motivates you?). Depending on your fitness, just adjust that goal to be appropriate. There are age group podiums to fight for, AG top 10, finishing in X hours, finishing in front of known competitors, etc. Figure out a way to be content with lessor goals when your fitness isn’t as high. I can be pretty competitive, but I’ve found a lot of joy competing in races when I’m not at peak fitness and I don’t care about what place I finish in. I just don’t have the desire to get in top shape for more than 1-2 big races a year and the rest just happen with whatever fitness is lingering. That approach has also let me do things in the off season like rowing and hiking to keep the cycling fresh when the season rolls back around.

I raced Big Sugar last year on my MTB and had a blast racing hard all day with my “offseason” fitness just for fun. When I’m super fit, I might contend for an AG podium at a race like that, but I didn’t care about where I finished. I’m doing big Sugar again this year, I always do a couple fall events with crappy fitness and they are some of most enjoyable events I do all year (just a different type of enjoyment). But I truly love racing my bike in big mass start events when I don’t have performance goals for the race. If you can’t figure out a way to enjoy bike racing without constant improvement in results, that doesn’t feel sustainable to me. At some point, we are all going to slow down (less training and/or just getting older). I plan to enjoy racing (or at least participating) when I’m really slow and old.

3 Likes
8

The problem I’ve found with gravel or road fondos and the like is that I never know who is in my category or age bracket at any time so I’m never racing head to head against anyone. It’s not super satisfying to see the next day that I was top 10 or 20 or whatever in my age bracket. Thus, I just do these kinds of rides for fun.

1 Like
9

That I dont Care to keep riding if I cant race and be competitive. I understand that the higher up you get, the less your chance is that you will make it to a higher category, but I still want to be able to compete in the categories Im in and not just start downgrading.

10

Are you ‘just riding’ at present, or are you on a TR training plan? If you’re not on a plan, my suggestion would be that you start one. TR seems to be geared toward time-crunched cyclists, which sounds like where you’re at right now.

As the end of the racing season is approaching, maybe look at a few races at which you’d like to perform well in 2026 and set up a training plan with those as your A events. If nothing else, this will give you a goal each day (even if the goal is rest/recovery), which can be motivating in itself.

1 Like
11

I feel ya @SUZ18! It’s a tough place to be, expectations vs. reality. At one point or another, we all experience it.

I think getting on a TR plan will be the best path forward if you want to remain competitive but don’t have enough time, especially because our plans focus on training the specific energy systems needed for your event/race, with plans ranging from as low as 3 training days a week.

Here is more info:

1 Like
12

A mix. I do not currently have any kinda training platform. I just kinda do intervals today. Long ride this day and so on. Yeah. I think I am going to try a TR plan to get ready for Big Sugar.

2 Likes
13

It has been several decades since I faced this same issue. Work, relationships, maybe even parenting get in the way of the type of training it takes to go from a Cat 3 to a Cat 2, then again even more to get to Cat 1.

We never had TrainerRoad back then but the same principles applied. Find time 2-3 times per week for shorter, highly intense workouts on the wind trainer, then hopefully a long ride or 2 on the weekend.

It wasn’t easy at all, or pretty, but you could be at the sharp end of the 3’s and get to the 2’s then 1’s in a couple years.

TrainerRoad now will make it much easier.

3 Likes
14

I get this, and I determined that personally I didn’t LOVE bike racing. Like given the choice, would I want to train to be able to just ride in a fondo? Not really. I did it because I was good at it, I like bikes. I like riding bikes… but eventually after 20-some years of endurance sports (mostly running and triathlon), after a pretty good race, I just wasn’t feeling it anymore. I was a few points from my Cat 2 upgrade when I pulled the plug, personally.

For USAC, there’s no downgrading. You can race cat 3 for the rest of your life, and once you’re in masters age groups, you can usually race anything as a 3 (many masters races are 1/2/3). But whether or not you really compete is a different matter. So you’ve got the ticket to the dance to be able to enter whatever event in whatever category you want, probably short of P12.

But the bottom line is no one else really cares if you’re a 1 or a 2 or a 3. It doesn’t define you. What matters is if you’re enjoying the training process and race days. If you’re not, then why are you doing it?

We all eventually stop racing, most of us by choice. :slightly_smiling_face: No shame in it.

All that said, structured training can really help provide motivation and having someone or something plan it for you can make it a lot simpler and less stressful. I had a coach and/or used TR for years because I wanted to just come home, jump on bike, execute workout. Even when I self-coached for most of my racing career, I plotted my weeks out in advance so there was no burden of thinking “what do I do today?” after work or early in the morning.

Unloading that burden onto a program like TR or a coach may help light the spark for you, let you see some progress in a shorter period of time, etc. Or if it doesn’t “take”, maybe it’s time to think about what’s next!

Wise coach once say: never quit on a bad day. When you have a good day and you’re still thinking it’s time to quit, it’s probably time to quit.

5 Likes
15

I know multiple cases where people have downgraded 2>3 and one who went 3>4, you just need to make your case to your local usac folks. Unfortunately, I see more people just get frustrated when they are in over their head and quit racing rather than face the “shame” of asking for a downgrade. And around here (Texas), almost all masters road/crit races are 1-4, so anyone except cat5 can enter. And I honestly don’t understand the desire to upgrade unless you can’t register for the races you want to do (ie- need to move up to get harder competition). Like you said, nobody cares what cat is on your license. And if there are people who care, I don’t care that they care.

+1 on enjoying the training. I still really enjoy the racing, but have moved away from the USAC/sanctioned stuff and focus on the mass start “fun” events (gravel mostly). There is serious competition at the pointy end, but you can also just treat those events like fun/hard group rides and enjoy the day with no pressure. Racing vs. riding an event for fun isn’t a black and white thing for me, it’s just a matter of showing up and going hard with whatever fitness I have at the time.

2 Likes
16

Yeah, sorry, I meant no one was going to MAKE them downgrade. They can stay a 3 forever.

3 Likes
17

Most of the local XCO races around here don’t require a license, so you race whatever class you want. That way you can pick a class where you have a chance to have some competition in sight during the race.

Sorry you are in a funk. I don’t know if it’s better to take a break until you find motivation, or kinda simmer along until motivation returns.

I’ve raced off and on over the years as motivation and time have allowed. I haven’t had the season I wanted this year, my Cat 2 results are rather moving in the wrong direction. I have ID’d some things to work on for next season and still have some motivation see if I can upgrade to Cat 1 and get beaten by a faster group of riders. :slight_smile: I believe one of the keys to enjoying racing as a 50+ Masters like me is to both work hard for better results, while not getting tied up in the results. To keep race day fun no matter how the results come in. Focusing on process goals over results goals.

I’ll be doing a TR Masters (low volume) plan going forward, both because of time restraints and how much volume I can absorb. Maybe eventually I’ll tire of structured training and racing, but for now I enjoy it.

2 Likes
18

Just to add what kurt said, I quit in my 30s after racing on and off since I was a junior and then barely touched the bike for ten years. I really really regret those ten years. In my mind, it was hard to go from super fit racer to recreational club rider but, you know what, all those club riders had a lot of fun while I sat on the bench.

These days I enjoy being my own coach and experimenting with structured training. I’ve tried most of the various protocols, interval formats, build cycles, building TTE, etc. It’s fun just figuring out what works for me while staying fit.

5 Likes
19

If people are thinking about “quitting” (I prefer “retiring from”) competitive endeavors, I always encourage them to have something they’re “quitting to”. It’s OK to couch potato for a little bit as you’ve likely spent years grinding away, but have a sense of something else you’re going to do that you enjoy if you want to be happy. Maybe that’s club/recreational riding… for many of us type "As” that’s tough because we remember what we were… so sometimes having something entirely different is a good thing.

6 Likes
20

Hi,

this one hits me in all the feels. From about 16 to 30 I was very into competitive golf, golf was my life. I got married had a couple of kids and playing high level golf and trying move up in my career, improving my health, having a happy family and other life commitments didn’t balance.

At first I would try to drop in and play a tournament with no practice, I got away with this for a year and then the wheels came off. I walked away, if I couldn’t devote the time I wanted to play at the level I wanted then I didn’t want to do it.

I switched to triathlon, I could train early or late, on my lunch, and indoors. I raced for 10 years and this scratched my competitive itch until it didn’t. Injuries and aging made results tougher to achieve. I raced a few years ago, half-assed it, had a terrible experience, and walked away (retired :slight_smile: for now) .

My son is now into golf, and the fire to be good at golf is back, I am even getting back into tournament play. I also got into gravel racing, I am terrible at it, but all the results and performances are new. I am driven to get better.

Long story short, the days are long, the years are short. You need to figure out what will make you happy, if the sport isn’t doing it, find another, no one will judge you.

4 Likes