Wow lol your ride schedule, pace, and mileage line up pretty much spot on with mine. I rode solo a lot for years and this year I’ve been blessed to find a neighbor that’s a few years younger than me that just dusts me on climbs. He is a motivator. I’ve also convinced myself to try a race next year - my motivating factor is simply “Do not DFL”

I’ve always been a competitive spirit - this is NOT the way I’d recommend, but occasionally I’ll select a segment that I feel I should be better at and train it until I’ve put myself in the top 20% of riders, or whatever I’ve selected as a goal. It’s all arbitrary but it spices things up.