I was drawn to this because I’m having issues lately over motivation to ride. Most of it is probably depression seeing what’s going on, but it’s also the weather. Wet/cold/yuck, but his issue is likely total burnout. I’ve had that in other ways in my life. 
I miss my depression. Strongest I ever was 
Yeah, I get that. When I do ride, I’m getting PR’s, so there is that I guess.
And I’ve never, well nearly never, regretted riding, but his issue seems just total burn out. It’s sad I guess…
I would say more high level athletes than not drop their sport completely after their high level careers are over. Some sports it’s just hard to maintain a recreational level participation after the pros. Like American football quarterbacks—are they going to join a league of weekend warriors? They typically quit playing, put on weight, and go into broadcasting.
The pros are all quite driven to improve—if it was just the love of the activity of the sport, I would say that’s insufficient to put up with the routine to be elite. If you just really love to ride, there’s no need to load your hobby down with structured training and year round focus. Just go ride with friends, do charity events, go see the world on your bike.
To get to an elite level, you probably can’t dislike your sport, but you also need to really like the training process…to compete and push yourself, love how it feels to train in solitude, to do a 5 hour ride in the rain today because protocol says so. Once you’ve accomplished what you came for, or get told you can’t ride a child’s toy for money anymore, I am not surprised they often hang the bike up for other pursuits and hobbies.
To keep riding recreationally after a pro career would take a complete reinvention of what it means to ride.
In some ways I envy people who can stick with one sport/hobby/activity for life. I tend to get obsessed with something, do it for some time, then burn out and move on. I’ve done that with cycling a few times.
+1.
I was by today’s standard a mediocre runner, but in the 90’s good enough to make college nationals and get a college scholarship. Once I stopped training and racing competitively, it was REALLY hard on the ego to compare to where I once was. I still very much enjoyed running… but stopped doing workouts and tracking runs. I ditched the training log and kinda just did it when I missed it.
When our first child was born I was gifted a BOB stroller (they are amazing btw) and would take the kid out for runs, which helped me get some exercise and give her a break. I actually entered a few 5ks and made set some “stroller PR’s” which was fun. I got into coaching, which helped, but when running injuries caught up to me I got a bike. With nothing to compare to I was able to train and improve which was nice… though I do wonder how good I would have been if I picked it up 20 years earlier.
I haven’t run a race in 12 years and haven’t run one competitively in 20 and have no desire to. It makes since that those who are fairly elite feel that way with cycling too.
Same here, Cycling, then Running, then a bunch of other stuff and now I’m cycling again at 59. Training like I was in the Olympics (or at least it feels that way). One good thing is I have more disposable income at this age to attempt to ‘buy speed’
Another plus—lower optimal training load. The amount of training I can absorb per week is less now that I’m 50+, I may have a lower ceiling now than 25 yo me, but I don’t need to train 20+ hours to see what I’m capable of.