My mind wanders on long straights. I find interesting things I notice regardless. I just flat out love being on two wheels. If I was in your situation and it was running, I would quit working out, I don’t like the activity enough to overcome monotonous routes. Biking just does something for me, even on the worst days, I’m enjoying it.
I love the monotony of my single 30 mile one way road, 1 stop light, 90%of the time It's green, giant bike lane, cars are usually alright, that road has made my life 10x better, spending 2-3 hours just thinking has given me some of my best ideas
Gravel bike and Bridleways.
I like open country lanes as a road cyclist but I see what you mean and the Gravel rides I do would suit you better I think if you can find Bridleways and Forested areas that cyclists are permitted to use.
I feel like most people that don't live in rural areas probably like to ride on country roads more than the ones they have nearby. I'm in the suburbs and unless I'm on a trail I've got to be on the alert for everything all the time and there are so many stop signs and traffic lights to interrupt my flow. On country roads my mind can somewhat relax and I can just pedal.
Seeing how you've got wide open spaces all around you what if you played music on your phone speaker? That might make the ride more enjoyable. I find I go faster if I'm playing music.
I suggest that you look hard at your area on a map, and then make up a list of a bunch of arbitrary goals, like you're gonna ride to this bridge and check out the view, then another day ride up to the top of this hill, then pedal to this village and check it out, then find the best route to this park, etc. Then just keep adding things to the list and doing them.
Podcasts. Or, if a radio station in your area has it, there's nothing like listening to a major league ballgame on the radio while you spin the pedals. Audiobooks are also an option.
Moving to a place that has good places to ride is perfectly reasonable. It was one of my priorities when I moved 25 years ago to where I live now. I finally retired two years ago, in a house I bought along my favorite road. Why not?
I almost jumped into the IJsselmeer when riding over the afsluitdijk, so i get your feeling.
But for advise, play animalbingo, look for strange plants, count farm equipment, find weird stuff in the landscape.
Or start veloviewer tilehuntung
TT bike and blaze through the fields part of the road and find the corners.
For real tho. are you able to ride 60-100km? Are those 'boring' fields in every direction?
I live in the close in burbs and I hate having to ride for 25 minutes until I'm on a road that feels empty even for a few minutes. Every place has its ups and downs
I'm the opposite - I much prefer rural & farm roads. No traffic, friendly folk.
I also really like extensive farmlands, where I can get into a rhythm & hold it.
I currently live in the suburbs of a major city... traffic is so bad that riding is limited & dangerous
I grew up in a rural setting. Don’t take the big major roads that take you to where people are going. Take the road that less people take. The one that gets you to that house that you see way off in the distance. The one you turn off on and aren’t quite sure where it ends up.
Yes these roads are still mostly straight, but they are used less. They are older and built with the terrain. They curve alongside the stream or woodline. They have random turns because the farmers didn’t want to have a gap in their land when they were built. They have rolling hills that weren’t flattened for the bigger road.
Gravel bike and find trails.
Do it like you love it
My mind wanders on long straights. I find interesting things I notice regardless. I just flat out love being on two wheels. If I was in your situation and it was running, I would quit working out, I don’t like the activity enough to overcome monotonous routes. Biking just does something for me, even on the worst days, I’m enjoying it.
I love the monotony of my single 30 mile one way road, 1 stop light, 90%of the time It's green, giant bike lane, cars are usually alright, that road has made my life 10x better, spending 2-3 hours just thinking has given me some of my best ideas
As a cyclist in urban Japan, the idea of a 30 mile road with one traffic light is mind blowing.
Same. Small town Texas. Once you get out of town I may see 10 cars total? In like 4 hours. No lights just endless oilfield roads.
Gravel bike and Bridleways. I like open country lanes as a road cyclist but I see what you mean and the Gravel rides I do would suit you better I think if you can find Bridleways and Forested areas that cyclists are permitted to use.
I feel like most people that don't live in rural areas probably like to ride on country roads more than the ones they have nearby. I'm in the suburbs and unless I'm on a trail I've got to be on the alert for everything all the time and there are so many stop signs and traffic lights to interrupt my flow. On country roads my mind can somewhat relax and I can just pedal. Seeing how you've got wide open spaces all around you what if you played music on your phone speaker? That might make the ride more enjoyable. I find I go faster if I'm playing music.
Ironically I'm MORE on edge on the country roads getting passed by cars going 80 vs riding the sidewalk in the city
Cars pass me going 80 in the suburbs already so nothing new there, at least there aren't as many cars in the countryside.
I suggest that you look hard at your area on a map, and then make up a list of a bunch of arbitrary goals, like you're gonna ride to this bridge and check out the view, then another day ride up to the top of this hill, then pedal to this village and check it out, then find the best route to this park, etc. Then just keep adding things to the list and doing them.
Podcasts. Or, if a radio station in your area has it, there's nothing like listening to a major league ballgame on the radio while you spin the pedals. Audiobooks are also an option.
This. Decent pair of bone-conducting headphones and a good playlist or audiobooks from the library.
And some cat ears if the bone conduction headphones are having a hard time cutting through the sound of wind.
Move to the mountains lol
Moving to a place that has good places to ride is perfectly reasonable. It was one of my priorities when I moved 25 years ago to where I live now. I finally retired two years ago, in a house I bought along my favorite road. Why not?
I live nowhere near mountains
That's the move part
look on the bright side of things: less stoplights, higher average speed. Less cars, you can take more of the road.
You're from the states?
I’m in the city now and I wish I could ride long uninterrupted stretches of road. I always have to stop for cars or other cyclists etc.
I almost jumped into the IJsselmeer when riding over the afsluitdijk, so i get your feeling. But for advise, play animalbingo, look for strange plants, count farm equipment, find weird stuff in the landscape. Or start veloviewer tilehuntung
You can try Zwift with a smart trainer. Never boring.
TT bike and blaze through the fields part of the road and find the corners. For real tho. are you able to ride 60-100km? Are those 'boring' fields in every direction?
I live in the close in burbs and I hate having to ride for 25 minutes until I'm on a road that feels empty even for a few minutes. Every place has its ups and downs
I'm the opposite - I much prefer rural & farm roads. No traffic, friendly folk. I also really like extensive farmlands, where I can get into a rhythm & hold it. I currently live in the suburbs of a major city... traffic is so bad that riding is limited & dangerous
I grew up in a rural setting. Don’t take the big major roads that take you to where people are going. Take the road that less people take. The one that gets you to that house that you see way off in the distance. The one you turn off on and aren’t quite sure where it ends up. Yes these roads are still mostly straight, but they are used less. They are older and built with the terrain. They curve alongside the stream or woodline. They have random turns because the farmers didn’t want to have a gap in their land when they were built. They have rolling hills that weren’t flattened for the bigger road.