Ride indoors as much as you like all week, then plan a NEW route on the weekend that you have to drive to. Even if it’s an hour drive it could likely open up new terrain and routes, giving you something to look forward to.
Or, just ride indoors until you feel like riding outside. For me due to weather, I basically rode entirely indoors from December through March. I think my biggest stretch was 5 months of indoor riding.
I have to admit that I don’t get the whole wife/girlfriend/partner is too slow thing. That’s on the faster rider to change the ride context. Why does the ride have to be on your terms? Does every ride have to be “full on”? Does every ride have to be a “training ride” or have to hit certain numbers. There’s no harm in turning it down and just enjoy riding for the ride and one should feel lucky they have a partner who enjoys it (mine doesn’t).
While I ride solo 99% of the time anyways, I am finding I am enjoying it more and actually putting up better numbers by flipping over to the map screen and not checking stats as I ride.
Agreed, i regularly ride with my partner who is considerably slower so I adjust to speed she feels comfortable riding at.
I can’t ever imagine trying to gain some sort of training effect from that ride, thats just common sense. It would find it ridiculous that we could ever be in a position to argue about me riding to fast.
What next, dropping an elderly relative.
I forgot about this thread of mine. These things come and go. Like I said now I dread my kickr but there will come a day when I will put my bike on it again and just mindlessly zone out
People have mentioned gravel and MTB, but I also have a fixed gear (with a front brake) and a vintage 80s Pinarello with downtube shifters, 52/42 rings and a six speed freewheel. The fixie especially is a such a different experience and challenge that those were always memorable rides. Although I will admit after a bad accident I am exclusively on the trainer (Zwift and Fulgaz most often) and I don’t ride outside anymore. I’m not totally opposed to riding outside, but I’m too anxious and aggravated to enjoy the ride around my urban area. I’m surprisingly OK with just being inside. And maybe I will get back outside again some time. Things change.
The same happened to me last year. I started taking the train to the start which expanded the unknown territory. Now I often take the train back too. But this takes more time and planning.
I love to ride outside in new places. I often don‘t plan the rides anymore and just ride somewhere. Explored quite a lot like this.
I tried to expand the explorer tiles from veloviewer.
Also riding inside is ok - it’s super time efficient.
Sounds to me like what you need is to be challenged. Are there no faster groups out there? Try and find a group that will drop you on every ride unless you’re switched on.
I used to be a ride-outdoors-no-matter-what-conditions type of rider. Now I’m old, I like it comfortable and my basement. And I’m clearly a Covid lock-down-victim, if it wasn’t for my family I would stay at home all the time. And I quit racing.
Winter and early spring I can’t bring myself to ride outdoors anymore. Too much hassle with all the dressing up and bike cleaning afterwards. And often you have to stick too roads during this time. Awful because of cars.
I still need to get fresh air though. Running! And currently, here in the South of Germany we’ve had rain all the time this year, it’s really nice for cycling. However, I can understand everyone with less optimal cycling opportunities to stick to the trainer. Not even gravel is an option to avoid cars? In which part of Germany do you live?
I wouldn’t worry too much, we all go through so many phases in our life. This is your indoor trainer phase 
do you still like cycling indoors?
do you like being outdoors in other stuff?
if yes and yes, maybe keep up indoors and take up more and take up an outside activity…even if it’s not endurance? golf…fishing…whatever.
i think being outdoors is more important than what you actually do there.
if you stopped liking cycling maybe you need a break?
but yeah don’t do it if you don’t like it.
It’s the close passes and the pot holes for me,(UK). It’s also cheaper and has less overall friction : toilets, drinks, music… So I just cycle, or rather train, inside.
Seven years of indoor fun and fitness, not sure my foray into outdoor workouts this year has been worthwhile at all.
This is an important topic. We all go through phases or even get tired of doing something. My competitive days as a runner are long behind me (now 57) so the bike is a wonderful luxury that reminds me of why I loved running. Now in my 8th year of riding it still feels like a cheat code for life. Corny, I know. However, I look for excuses to ride indoors. I’m already looking forward to training inside during our Ohio winters. I love the indoor setup, the safety, easy of getting ready, ease of a potty break without worrying about getting spotted, headphone (won’t wear them outside), movies, etc. Last winter I discovered the kettlebell and can’t wait to leave maintenance mode and go crazy in Nov when I don’t ride. I can see myself shifting to less cycling (or doing it differently) in favor of mixing it up. This is the first year I ever felt that way. Don’t feel bad about it. It’s okay. Maybe if you don’t force it, you’ll come back to outdoor cycling naturally. Just do what you like and embrace it.
Thanks to everyone for the good input.
Yes i like being outdoors but the last years outdoor = cycling. I must find something else to do outdoor first
Gravel could be an option. But her in Cologne we don’t have many options. Would love to have the south germany terrain here.
There are fast groups here but not near. 1 hour bike ride to the start and 1 hour back + 2 hour group ride. I can not invest 4 hours on a work day. On weekdays there are no fast groups. My second problem with the fast groups are the danger. This year the group has 3 crashes with broken bones and a handful crashes with only scratches.
You are just a short drive from some really great cycling like Limburg in the Netherlands and the border areas with Belgium/Netherlands and Luxemburg in general in fact I was thinking of heading to that general area the next few days but for me it’s a much longer drive
I’d often stay indoors than a solo outdoors spin. Just more efficient and bank some family credit. Avoid the car related issues (which I always found better on the european mainland compared to Ireland!)
I did pivot to doing my key workouts during the week, and then I treat the weekend spins as social so don’t feel the irritation if slower than hoped a few years ago. My club has different group levels, so while all things being equal “my” group would be the race group, I’m generally coming off the back of a hard workout, so the next level down and good chats wins most times.
Can’t help on the girlfriend, can’t get my better half to consider cycling/ ebike etc and is happy for it to my thing!
I like riding indoors because it’s efficient with my time. On the weekend I will typically drive somewhere to ride. But during the week it’s the trainer. But I’m likely not as focused as many here. Granted cycling is my favorite hobby but I do still like to run and get on the rower. If I don’t mix it up I’ll start hating cycling.
Which came first? The return of Sim racing or the reduction of cycling?
I posted in February about having new passions and it kind of took out the cycling. I realize what I had liked the most wasn’t losing weight, riding outdoors or steadily climbing the finish order.
Rather it was the chess game of improving my own performance. Addicting to PR in a race after barely finishing the year before. Thrilling to check weather for no wind and change around a rest day to somehow knock off a long out and back in record time.
When I cut back a bit for a new business, my fitness dropped slowly. However it might as well have been as if I never rode because losing 10% of my FTP meant I couldn’t challenge any of my PRs. Thus the motivation left. It was my competitive outlet all along, not a health thing. Now I left weights and wonder when I’ll make use of that dedicated Zwift room.