[Closed] Winter motivation

Try some different routes? Ride through the winter and you'll be in much better shape once the warm weather returns 🙂

You are suffering from a lack of new bits. Buy some stupidly cheap,stupidly bright lights and enjoy your trails in the dark.
Edit, you don't mtb anymore. Buy an MTB.
Edit edit. Buy a turbo. That will inspire you to ride your bike. Anything is better than sitting in a cold shed watching the second hand go round a clock in slow motion.

You've just got to push on through. Thankfully I've done it for so long that I know it's always worth going cycling. Especially when it's windy. Always pick a loop that'll guarantee you tailwind out and back. I've got one; no better feeling than cycling back home at 40mph.

Yup, variety. If you're doing the same thing it'll tend to feel better or worse, if you do something else it'll feel different.

(new parts works too, I just took my bike out in the rain intentionally to find out how the new front tyre works in ankle deep mud)

Cycle with other folk - join a club, or see who goes out and when and tag along with them - or get a mate to drag you out, it is easier to get out of the door if you are expected to show up.

Running will help you appreciate cycling.

Processing service orders on a Sunday will help you appreciate running.

Works for me.

SS
Waterproof shorts

Oh- another thing, my mrs is training for the Highland Fling next year (with a trail marathon in Feb in Grizedale as a precursor). She is out running in all weathers and pretty much kicks me out of the door to get out on my bike..

Do you have any external motivation available to you ?

Do other stuff - running (on or off-road), swimming, road cycling, gym. There are a fair few events of different types over the winter to keep you interested.

start racing or enter some kind of event/sportive(yeeuck)so you have a reason to be riding even if its only to get fitter. A lot of the time I wouldn't bother if I wasn't trying to get fitter to race better

Go racing. The aim of not being shit is usually enough to get me out on the bike. Having a plan helps too so it becomes less of a choice.

Im the same, I really CBA in the winter so I've set the road bike up permently on the turbo in the spare bedroom. Everytime I look at it its like that rubbish car that always followed the lads on Top Gear when they were on missions which they would end up in if there's broke 😀

I do use it though, especially for a fast 15 mins after work but to stay on it is just mind numbing.

I go to the gym 3-4 times a week, just started the occasional jog as well which both remind me how good cycling is.

Just wrap up and get out there.

Just think of how fat, unfit and lazy you'll get if you don't get out on the bike. And then none of your clothes will fit you any more either.

I'm going to have to face this very same problem in just over a week - I've spent most of the last five months in Greece, where there is some lovely technical riding and the thought of going back to the wet, wind and greyness that is the
Isle of Man in winter is almost too depressing to think about.
Trust me, if we didn't have other people (parents, kids) to consider then we'd not be leaving.
But I suppose I'll just get on with it, same as always....

I've gone back to running again, 50km a week will keep stop me getting fatter with chrimbo and over the winter period, but will be still using the bike now and again but I won't be in that much of a rush to get back on it now I'm running again.

Just got in from a windy, dark road ride after about 3 months of purely MTB.

Wrapped up nice and snug, I absolutely loved pottering around the lanes at dusk - just a quick wipe of the chain, re-lube and a shower when I got in.

Need to get more hills in though, I'm pretty rusty when it comes to taking them at pace. Or maybe I'd just forgotten how much it hurts.

It's (almost) always fun when you're out on a ride.

It's the first 50m that's the challenge. Just force yourself, or do it in a group and give in to peer pressure!

Go Outdoors.
With about £492.

Make plans with other people.

I actually have the reverse problem summer is where i struggle to be arsed.

I use winter to scope out "hidden" trails and new trails = motivation. It is so much easier to find stuff when there is little foliage and muddy tracks to follow....obviously not something you can really do on a road bike though. I actually enjoy the differences and challenges each season brings to riding and I just appreciate the chance to get out.

A few years back I was mostly roadying and in the same position- started picking random towns a half decent ride away, ideally with a nice cafe, and just belted it there as quickly as I could. Somehow seemed easier to plan than trying to figure out a nice loop. Once I got there it was up to me if the fast or long way home was more appealing- usually the long by that point. You just need some aim in mind to get you down the road

The cross bike seems to be the answer for me at the moment. Have been out on it the last two weekends.

you want someone or something to motivate you?

<holds up mirror>

I recently discovered cafe network on Google maps. It's a good way of finding new places for a cake stop.

Spin class as a reminder of the post ride buzz?

Race cross and be hell bent on getting the best league placing you're capable of, it makes me ride and run during the week to try and get fitter and maybe get into the top 30 one day

have kids.

if you get the opportunity to get out for a ride, you take it no matter what the weather is doing.

Gnarmac is the new mistress to my mtb wife. It avoids the slop and the slog and I can piece together a good loop of little used lanes and tracks to make a fun ride with a bit of sketchiness but not come home clarted on a bike that needs a strip and service every week.

Last week I made a spur of the moment decision to ride c2c in 2 days. Done no riding at all this year but a mate also decided he was coming along. We rode Whitehaven to Sunderland on Wed and Thursday last week in really horrible conditions.

It killed me but we made it, had a laugh and achieved something.

So, my advice is:
Pick adventurous things, ride with people who you don't want to let down and bollocks to the weather...storm Abigail couldn't stop us!

don't do mtb anymore

Perhaps its time to rekindle this fire.

[s]have kids.[/s] get ill, such that you're not able to ride, then get a bit better, then......

if you get the opportunity to get out for a ride, you take it no matter what the weather is doing.

All good advice and I'm only really posting as I might have December off and will need some ideas!

It's never as bad as you think it will be.
Once you get out the door(the hardest part) and get past that first mile or two it changes.Even on the shityist nights,I can honestly say,I have never got back wishing I had stayed in.
As people have said,joining a club or getting some mates to go out with makes it easier.

Aren't you the guy who was really down a week or two ago ?

Never mind the biking, did you find anyone to talk through your general stuff with ?

How's that all going ?

(getting out on a bike will help but maybe you need a bit more help still)

Commuting and not having a car helps 😉 . That and winter circuit racing is a lot more fun than a turbo trainer. Try a Cyclocross race. Seriously. Different perspective and huge fun. You can enter any on the day and ride whatever you want.

Went out for 50km on the trike in the rain yesterday because I had a wrist op on Wednesday. Missing a good SS thrash in the mud, but it was a nice endurance ride with good cake.

have kids. get ill, such that you're not able to ride, then get a bit better, then......

if you get the opportunity to get out for a ride, you take it no matter what the weather is doing.

+1 or do your back in. I would literally bite ANYTHING off now to be able to get out on the bike 40mph winds/rain don't care I'm going stir crazy here 👿

For me it is simply taking a picture of myself in the mirror wearing not very much and thinking "you fat git, you need to sort yourself out".

The other option is to enter yourself into a challenge in spring next year. that'll give you something to train for.

Or simply, just don't ride your bike. It's not your job, so don't. You'll get back to it eventually, and if you don't, well, it's no problem anyway.

So good tips here. For me, I love winter, yes it's cold and sometimes grim, but on those crisp days, big blue sky, there is nothing better than cycling down a deserted country lane.

Having a proper winter bike helps. Full mudguards are a must. You'll enjoy getting it muddy. Unlike the best bike, which I hate getting muddy. You also don't have to clean it after every ride, so that cuts down on post ride faff.

Good winter clothes are essential. Without that any ride will be miserable and cold. I blogged on this very subject last winter: http://ridingcircle.blogspot.com/2014/12/because-winter-is-hard-enough-what.html

Set yourself a challenge. The 500 mile a month thread here is a good start. Sign-up to a few strava challenges, that will also help

Find a few routes with a good cafe stop. Essential in winter

As other shave said, Cyclocross is huge fun and mixes your riding up abit.

Enjoy your next ride, take some pictures, and look back at how fun it was, you never regret any ride you go on.

a) Buy something preferably a new bike
b) refuse to acknowledge winter. DO NOT wear trousers, overshoes, arctic explorer jacket and/or astronaut gloves. Thin but effective base layers are permitted under your normal summer kit
c) Mudguards are not permitted under any circumstances

+1 for proper mudguards. Pure luxury.

Winter bike pictured yesterday...
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Really enjoying the cross bike at the mo. More diversity than roady, without commitment of MTB. Good fun to be had mixing up road stretches with normally unchallenging mtb trails. Can't say I'm pushing myself as hard as I do with the roady, but I am having fun!

If you do buy a winter bike, make sure it's one that you actually enjoy riding. I got very put off riding one winter as the bike I had bought was dull, boring and no fun to ride.

In the end I downgraded a summer bike and rode that, it has no guards or other winter essentials but it's fast and I love riding it so that means I'm more likely to venture out.

If you're struggling for motivation to ride, don't ride. Either time off the bike will make you miss it, and give you the motivation, or it won't, in which case time to do something else, and perhaps come back to it in the spring. That's OK - you don't have to ride ALL the time.

For me, the motivation is the knowledge that any significant breaks from riding means I'll lose fitness, which has taken quite a bit of effort to build up. That, and knowing that my racing buddies will be training, and I don't want to fall behind.

A coach once said to me "the hardest step when training, is the one out the front door". Rings true to me...

+1 for proper mudguards. Pure luxury.
Winter bike pictured yesterday...

A Ribble? On Parbold Hill?? And the sniper positioned on the top of Dolan Towers didn't get you??? 😉

As others have said, it's all about the kit. There's not such thing as bad weather if you have good kit.

I was off the bike for 3 months this year after a bad crash, so I bought a pair of winter road shoes, a new rain jacket, and I've been praying for the weather to turn!!

Seriously, it's always the first 10 minutes that are the toughest. After that sudden moment when you feel the cold water running down between your arse cheeks, it never gets any worse.

I rode yesterday in storm-force winds and driving rain, and in a perverse sort of way, I loved every minute of it!

The Sunday club group was whittled down to a hardcore of 4 by the weather forecast... We set off as friends and came home a band of brothers, reveling in the Strava hero kudos from all the wusses that could only manage a sufferfest or trainerroad sesh.

I love winter riding!

Going against the grain somewhat, take some time off a week, a month, six weeks it doesn't matter. Uninstall strava so you're not being bombarded by other people doing four rides a week and put your feet up read a book, learn to cook somthing new or do absolutely nothing if that's what takes your fancy.

If you're anything like me then the pressure to be out riding will be something you put on yourself and then when you don't go out riding you feel worse and it becomes a vicious cycle.

Go out and ride if you want to and when the spring comes around your motivation will be picking up again right about the time when you'll want to be upping the milage for summer goals. It's pointless sickening yourself just because you feel you _have_ to go out.

There's nothing that sucks the joy out of something faster than when a 'want to do' becomes a 'have to do'

+1 for making plans with other people.

I have all good intentions of a solo night ride, until I get through the front door and decide it is too <insert lame excuse here>. If I have plans with other people, I just get on with it and always feel so much better for it.

Did my first proper mountain bike ride today in 'proper' Winter conditions after not going on the bike for a week due to lack of motivation with the poor weather. It was bad overall. Couldn't believe how much harder it is now. It felt rediculously slow, uncomfortable and hard work. I felt like I was getting a constant head wind all the way round. It was miserable and grey. It was wet and muddy as hell. I got a puncture in a particularly cold and windy place and it was horrendous trying to fix it. Hands covered in mud and shit trying to get the tyre on/off as well. The ride felt like a killer and a lot of back ache yet it was only 18 miles. If this is what Winter riding is all about I can understand why I was doing 10X less riding last Winter than Summer.
Plus its not even proper Winter yet, when you add the much colder temperatures ontop of all this crap its going to get even worse.

Some of my recent, horrible weather rides have been the best fun I've had on the bike all year. When the weather's too grim for a ride (or when there's not enough daylight) I go running instead.

Gypsum, that is exactly where I'm at. I feel I'm putting pressure on myself to ride as I have an expensive bike in the shed and should be using it. Then when I don't I get angry with myself.

Yes I am the guy that was and still is a bit down, haven't managed to talk to anyone and wondering where my life is going and if I'm a let down to the people around me. But upon reflection although I'm not in an amazing place I have a lot less to worry about than some people in the world so need to be happy with what I have.

Join your local gym.

I've ridden to mine this morning, brought a bmx off ebay, chuck on as hoody, get on the path n get yourself there. Really enjoy it!

I did balk at the steps to the bike rack though, I really should have rode them

Get decent lights, decent kit and set yourself a challenge. Last 2 years I've done the Rapha 500 which is tough in wind, ice and rain. To do the final 50 miles on New Year's Eve I drove out to the forest and went up and down a straight stretch of road for 2.5 hours watching the sunset and the stars come out....New Years beers were earned.

This year I have a kiddy taking all my time, so I've bought a kickr and looking at trainerroad and zwift for some motivation. Zwift seems okay for the 'just going for a ride' whilst trainerroad will replace my suffer fest sessions

wondering where my life is going and if I'm a let down to the people around me

I feel like that most of the time too, and I know it's a bit of a cliché, but riding my bike really does help.

Try and find some new routes, to give you something new to do. I spent half of Friday night working out a route in my head for Saturday morning, that a) was around 30 miles, and b) would be suitable for a bit of on and a bit of off-road.

I really enjoyed the ride, and came back feeling energised.

EDIT: As DT78 said, maybe set yourself a challenge. This month I am trying to do the climbing 6000 m in a month on Strava

Having previously had a Turbo Trainer which barely saw any use I really struggle to motivate myself to get out and ride in the filthy weather, especially when other time constraints would usually limit me to a road ride rather than a mountain bike ride.

I signed up to Zwift about 10 days ago having taken the plunge on a used Elite Turbo Muin off here and I'm absolutely loving it. It's properly grim outside this morning and there is no way I would have gone out today but I've just put 30 miles in. All while the kids are playing in the other room and the Mrs is having a lie in. It's brilliant and properly addictive so I reckon my winter motivation is sorted this year.

Oh no! I have ignored all the good advice on here and bottled an event today! I got up at 7 loaded the car got a few miles down the road until the howling gale blowing rain like shotgun pellets made me turn round and come home. Of course now I feel really bad. the wind and rain are still going at it but I really should have given it a shot. My only excuse is that I rode for 3 hours on Thursday in p***ing rain and didn't enjoy it much .
I am now really getting on Mrs FOGs nerves , shuffling about, staring wistfully out of the window, sighing etc.
If I am not careful I will spend a large amount of money while sat here at the computer just to make me feel I should ride. In fact I may go to the garage and measure the clearance for some wider rims......

I'm shit at manualling but puddles are a great motivator for practising. And in general if you can get out and ride when conditions are bad you'll be flying when it gets better. Having others to ride with helps me when it's like this, too easy to stay in unless you've made plans to ride with others.

It's properly grim outside this morning and there is no way I would have gone out today but I've just put 30 miles in

😀

How many laps of the front room was that?

BMX + indoor skatepark on miserable weather days.

MTB on the crisp cold winter days (when winter really kicks in)

No to turbo, no to the gym.

Keep it fun.

All the motivation I need
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The monthly Strava climbing challenges have been my motivation this year.
One more to go ?

I'm in the "i have to go out riding" camp, trying to break the habit so i'm in the "i want to go riding" camp, tough though.

Getting too much into treating it as a chore that i have to do or else i'm going to become weak and unfit, but it's when i'm having fun that i get strong and fit.

Glad to see some of the responses saying you don't HAVE to go riding, trying to teach myself this.

+1 Strava Challenges .. got 6 this month, for bike and running' never used them before and its certainly gives me the boost to get out ... roll on December

A useful trick I learned was to make the first step of any process as easy as possible just to gain some momentum. In this instance it could be ´get dressed in cycle gear´ at the absolute minimum. Once that arduous task is complete, pat yourself on the back and go back to what you were doing. Next day add ´leave house with bike and cycle 1km´ and make progress from there.

Actually been enjoying riding in the rain and cold lately, but I was buggered if I was going to head out on the road in that wind today.

Maybe Mtb tomorrow though.

Commuting and not having a car helps

It's difficult. I've got a 100km mtb race in February (in Australia) so I need to stay in shape (relatively…) for December and January. But it's tough to maintain form throughout the worst months. I sacked off a ride today because the trees were bent double. It might have done some good to go out but I was weak (and hungover). I don't do turbos and can't see how I can get hard miles in over the winter. I'd recommend a spring target - last year a bunch of us signed up for Paris-Roubaix (can do it on mtbs or road bikes) and it was a brilliant incentive (and a great ride). But mid-Feb for a hot mtb ride, that's different.

December is usually a less hectic work month for me so I try and get my life in general back on track. Once I embrace the cold, dark, wet rides I quite like it. Safety is the only concern but again once I'm out it usually feels Ok.
If I can get hold of a little bit of form in Dec then then I feel ahead of the game in Jan Feb - more positive.
Also if I manage to commute on the bike (I have not for a few years but did my first on Fri) then its a game changer in terms of how at ease I feel with myself.