Those who "ghosted" cycling

not cycling, but running.
I am not doing road racing anymore… at least not as many as i did 3 years ago (once every 5 or 6 weeks 5k or less race). I just change to do triathlons…
and like someone else said, I feel like I enjoy the journey more than destination.
I have been on “training” for almost 10 years. Always training for something or other… and I feel I like that… even when there is no race attached to it…

I’ve had a few periods where I’ve “ghosted” group rides and races.

I started in 1980 when I was 13, so a lot of years of this.

99-01, I sold my bike and switched to running and lifting weights. I had gone full into racing as a Cat 2 and doing my PhD, and I was tired of bike racing and academia. I had done a lot of bar band gigs in my 20s, so I got my guitar back out, worked on my voice, and spent a few years doing entry-level singer-songwriter gigs (back then you could do 10 coffeehouse and bookstore gigs a month – Borders and Barnes and Noble were an easy 50 bucks a night…not quit your day job money, but a lot of steady work on your craft).

'02-18, I was back into racing now and then. I loved training, did the group ride now and then, but mostly I was just into my own thing. I teach HS, so it was just easier to get out at 4PM rather than wait until the 6PM group ride. I set music aside, because I was a local hack, and bike racing seemed more fun (but, let’s face it, even if you’re a Cat 2 or one of the local fast Masters, you’re a local hack at that, too – a point that didn’t quite register with me as a narrowed myself down to a middle-aged bike jock).

After '20 I stopped racing. And this last fall, I got my instrument out again after nearly a decade of not touching it, nor doing any vocal training. Now I’m practicing for an hour or so, then getting on the trainer or the rowing erg for an hour. I’m not even riding outside when it’s nice, though that will probably change on the weekends.

Cycling is such a time-intensive sport. Right now I’m kicking myself a bit for not touching a guitar very much for the last twenty years. It would be more satisfying to be able to do more with my technique, both vocally and with the guitar. I got bike crazy in my 40s and early 50s. I write that off to middle-aged insanity.

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RCC,

I am new to this forum and not as avid as a cyclist as many, but believe I am also suffering from pudendal neuralgia/pelvic floor dysfunction. If you don’t mind sharing, what was the extent and timeline of your recovery/treatment? Was it strictly PT or were you able to find care through other physicians. I am impressed that you were able to run as I don’t think my body would be able to do as such currently - I’ve stopped cycling and am really just doing stretches and walking. Not to hijack this forum, but any info is greatly appreciated; especially from someone who made it though to the other side and is back riding!

In any evet, congratulations on your recovery.

Hi @Hrvatcycle
There is a whole thread on this one:

There is a lot of useful information there.

My summary would be that i’ve had this for about 18 months now. I think it was brought on as much by stress as from cycling. I gave up riding entirely for 6 months and this maybe helped a tiny bit, but it certainly didn’t cure it. The only thing it cured was my ability to ride up hills fast :frowning: During this time i still ran lots because running didn’t cause me any problems. In general the only thing that causes me problems is sitting down.
I’ve seen a NHS PT who gave me a few ideas but was otherwise not much use.
I bought a sit-stand desk which means that i don’t have to sit down all day anymore. - this helps a lot.
I sit on a giant rubber birth ball at my desk most of the time instead of an office chair (at home only :slight_smile: ) - this helps a lot.
I stretch for 5-10 minutes every day - this helps more than anything, i think.
I really try and keep a sense of not having a tense pelvic floor. Every few seconds or minutes i think to relax my internal muscles. It’s like the opposite of a Kegel move. -This helps a bit.
I can ride on the trainer again. I try and limit it to 1 hour and try not to do consecutive days. I also try and stand every few minutes. This is manageable - never comfortable, and i couldn’t imagine being able to jump on and ride for 5 hours ever again… maybe one day.

In general it is far from cured but it is manageable. I keep an Excel on my desktop called “Pain - day to day” and i note my pain levels and anything that might be related. It’s generally about 4/10, sometimes it’s a 6.5 with the note “Stressy day” next to it.

I was speaking to a urologist the other day and he said that there is pretty much nothing he can do to cure it but also that sometimes during surgery a nerve might get hit and it can take up to 18 months to calm itself down to normal again. So it’s going to be a long journey.

Take it easy, I hope you find a way through it. It’s not fun, but it hopefully won’t be a disaster.

Late reply here but I’ve cycled on and off for say 20 years. I used to ride race horses and have had quite a few knee surgeries (13 to be exact) and cycling is always what is recommended to help recover from knee injuries so every time I got hurt I’d get on the bike but once I was ok to ride horses again the bike would be sold. I had a big accident in 2016 and have been unable to ride horses since so I’ve stuck with the bike (I always enjoyed watching cycling throughout my life) but I do find it a bit frustrating because I have zero talent for it where as I was a pretty ok horse rider. I find if I train on my own and ride on my own I quite enjoy it but as soon as I go to a group ride and realise how slow i am compared to most of the others I get down on myself so I pretty much just stick to riding on my own now. I also do more gravel riding than road these days. Something really magical about being out in the countryside off the beaten path

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