Ever been mid-ride, staring down an endless stretch of road, and suddenly it hits—your legs feel like lead and everything feels harder than it should?
**cue silent scream** What was I thinking?!
Yes…we’ve all been there and it is totally normal.
So how do you push through it? Should you even?
Maybe….let’s talk about it.
Affiliate Disclosure: I’m here to help you grow as a rider and runner. So to keep things running smoothly and the content free, I participate in the Amazon Services program and select affiliate networks. So, when you click on those affiliate links, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Why wanting to quit mid-ride is totally normal (and how to push through it)
Imagine you’ve been pedaling for HOURS (or at least it seems like it).
And suddenly, every turn of the pedal feels like working through peanut butter.
That inner talk?
It goes from, “I’ve got this” ➡️ “Maybe I should take a nap?”
That’s mental fatigue…aka your brain is as tired as your legs, and it can feel like a wall you can’t bust through.
Here’s what’s going on ⬇️
Too many decisions 🥴
You’ve made a ton of decisions before you even started riding your bike.
- What route should I take?
- How should I pace myself?
- Is it going to be hot? Or cool? What should I wear to stay comfy?
Not enough snacks 🍿
When you haven’t eaten enough, your body + brain hit the brakes.
Technically, glycogen — a stored form of energy that you use when you’re cycling, runs out. Your blood sugar drops and your body + brain slow down.
You’re bored 🥱
Indoor rides or endless roads can make it easy to zone out and lose focus.
You’re feeling the burn🔥
Your muscles are screaming at you to stop and that gets hard to ignore and keep going.
The good news is, you don’t have to figure this out alone.
My 4-Week Beginner Cycling Training Plan gives you clear steps to build endurance, ride regularly, and stay motivated—no guesswork needed.
Ready to quit? Here’s how to push through the mental struggle
Think small sections
Focusing on your entire ride — especially when it’s a new longer distance — can feel like staring up Everest and thinking, ‘How will I ever make it to the top?’
My advice? Forget thinking about the whole ride. It’s the fast track to quitting.
Instead, let’s break it up into small chunks — let’s say the next 10 min. Does it feel easier to move for the next 10 min?
You’ll keep stacking those 10 minutes on top of each other to reach your total distance.
⏱ Not into time chunks? Here are a few other ideas:
- Cycling on a hilly route? ➡️ “Just to the top of the hill. Then I’ll coast downhill.”
- Long road ride? ➡️ “I’ll ride to the next mile marker. And then have a snack.”
- Indoor bike ride? ➡️ “I’ll ride for 2 songs. 🎶 And take it easy for the next one.”
So the goal? It’s to trick yourself into believing this bike ride isn’t as bad as it seems.
Breaking your ride into small, manageable chunks? That’s the secret to getting through it.
That’s exactly the approach we take in my 4-Week Beginner Cycling Training Plan—helping you build endurance and stay on track, step by step.
➡️Want to check it out? Click here to get started!⬅️
You = coach: A simple trick to keep going when it’s tough
Here’s the 💫magic💫 for you ➡️
Instead of saying ‘I’ve got this’, try ‘You’ve got this.’
Why?
Because it creates a little distance from what you’re feeling, which makes that encouragement hit harder…and feel more believable.
Throw in the word ‘you’ and your brain starts to see things in a new way.
It’s like a coach cheering for you from the sidelines, and suddenly, you find the strength to do it because someone else believes in you.
Now, you get to be that voice for yourself.
Let’s take some deep breaths
It’s really called belly breathing or if you want to get technical — diaphragmatic breathing.
📌 This move gets you in the zone, making those tough miles feel way more doable.
We’ve all done deep breathing before, but here’s a quick refresher:
➡️ Take deep breaths, letting your belly expand as you fill your lungs completely
➡️ Then, release all that air as you exhale.
To practice while cycling, focus on expanding your belly as you inhale and pulling it in as you exhale.
When you do this on the bike, you’ll:
✅ Take in more oxygen that feeds your muscles so you can travel more miles without getting tired.
✅ Calm your nerves, especially during tough rides or in bike races.
Picture your pedaling as a perfect circle
📌 It’ll take your focus from discomfort and channel it into something productive and manageable.
Let’s dig into it a little more.
➡️ Smooth pedaling = mental focus
When you imagine your pedaling as a perfect circle, your brain shifts from “I can’t do this” to something you can control.
‘I can’t’ ➡️ ‘I can’
It’s like giving your mind a mini project to stay busy with, breaking up that mental fatigue.
➡️ Save your legs from burning out
Focusing on smooth, circular motion stops you from “mashing” the pedals.
Instead, you’re using your energy smarter, not harder, which means your legs will thank you later.
➡️ Boost speed & endurance
By smoothing out those “dead spots” (where power fizzles), every pedal stroke packs more punch.
The result? You’ll ride faster, longer, and with less effort. It’s a total win. 🙌🏽
➡️ Dead spots? They’re energy vampires.
And they suck the power right out of your pedal stroke.
Smooth them out to stop the power drain. 🔋And now, you’ve got more energy ⚡️ to power through those tough miles.
Ready to stop overthinking your ride and start feeling good on your bike?
My 4-Week Beginner Cycling Training Plan keeps it simple—clear steps, no stress, just steady progress.
Sources
Implementation Intentions and Shielding Goal Striving From Unwanted Thoughts and Feelings
Leave a Reply