At this point of the year in January the
winter can really start to feel like it's
dragging on for a very long time
Yes, it's still pleasant to go out riding when
it's cold, but sunny - like today
But often the thought of going out when it's gloomy
and raining, feels less enticing then
dragging your fingernails down a blackboard
And yeah before you say anything in comment,
we know that is blazing hot for you guys down in
Australia and in the rest of the southern hemisphere,
and admittedly it's a beautiful day here in Alta Badia in the Dolomites too,
but for those of us who do get the winter blues what can you do to
stay motivated and get out the front door
Here are our suggestions:
Well maybe you don't even need to go out the door at all
The world of indoor training has been completely
transformed over the last few years
Smart trainers are the rage and different software offers
a range of ways of actually making it entertaining
Swift is a prime example of this
and one that we regularly use ourselves
It's a virtual training world
which allows you to ride or race with others,
win jerseys for beeing the fastest over a lap or climb
Plus a whole host of other features
Like many computer games it's really quite addictive
which is great for making sure that you stay fit
over the winter months.
Riding for the sake of riding
when the weather is like this is fantastic
However writing for the sake of riding
when the weather turns grim
can be basically a drag
So what you need in that situation is a goal
something that's going to get you out the
door in the first place, when in reality
you'd rather stay inside in the warm
sipping on a Double Ristretto Half-Soy
nonfat organic coffee or something
Good choice, but the goal in fact can be anything
although a particularly challenging sport is a
particularly good one so into one now
and one we're going to need to train a
fair bit to get yourself in the right
sort of shape and that at the back of your mind
will help keep you motivated,
but most importantly it will assist in
getting you out the front door
Tradition in cycling has always dictated
that the winter months are all about that bass
*singing* All about that bass bout that bass no treble
And by that they mean long steady rides
But when you think about it,
this doesn't make all that much sense,
does it?
Long hours in the saddle, in cold weather
and maybe if you're really lucky,
could be raining or even snowing
So why not do your shorter and more intense rides over
the winter months and leave the longer
endurance rides, when the weather starts
to get better in the spring
There are some people who have called this reverse periodization
We tend to call it: Being sensible
By the end of the winter you'll be going
very fast and you still have plenty of
time to build up your endurance
Just like goals, rewards are a great way
of motivating yourself in all walks of life,
so rewarding yourself after doing something particularly well,
like getting out on your bike in the cold winter months,
can be a great incentive
Yeah that incentive might take the form
of a beer or three for Dan,
a new piece of Tech for Si,
some donuts for Lasty
- Not sure who wrote this script -
or get this: some double-sided pedals for Matt here
Who did write this script?
F***s sake
Either way, once you've done some good
hard work and got towards one of your major
goals for the year, do make sure you
reward yourself, but not before
One thing that can provide an extra layer of motivation
over the winter months is investing
in the right type of clothing
so getting yourself some very good quality winter specific cycling kit
that is designed for the type of conditions
that you have to ride in, is going to make the experience
of riding in inconvenient weather conditions
a whole lot more comfortable
Let's face it: When you've only got yourself to answer to,
it can be easy enough to
skip that next training session
or not go hard, as you intended to
But if you tell your friends or family,
what your goals and what your training plans are
It's going to give you that little bit extra impetus
to get out and smash your next training session,
because it's a little bit harder to answer to people you like
calling you a lazy slacker
than it is to just answer to the little devil on your shoulder
You're absolutely slacking,
you said we're going hard today - come on!
Speaking of which:
Getting a coach can be a real motivator too
Not only will they check, that you're doing the right training,
but also set your program in the first place
so you don't have to think about it
Yeah, a good qualified coach is going to be able
to ensure that the training you're
doing is perfect for you and the goals
that you personally have in mind
So you won't be out riding your bike and
questioning whether or not you're doing
the right training or if indeed you could
be doing things slightly different
and slightly better
When you're riding in a loop that
starts and finishes at your house
It can be easy enough to take a shortcut,
go home early
and get a nice warm shower
But if you're riding from A to B,
this is practically impossible
So, it's a good idea if you're visiting friends or family not too far away,
to maybe ride home, while your partner drives
And there's another reaso why commuting to and from work
can be absolutely great training
Yeah taking your bike with you, when you
go somewhere with your friends or your
family and then riding home
is a great way of making sure that you
don't take any physical, literal or
metaphorical shortcuts and also if your
friends live at the top of mountain it's a
great way of improving on your descending skills
Isn't it Lasty?
So, there are our suggestions,
but what are yours?
We'd love to know how you motivate yourselves in the winter
And as usual: Leave a comment down below
And if you'd like to get a better sense of what Swift is all about,
we did a live event on the platform
Click down there to check that video out
Alternatively, if you're looking for
motivation and some goals for next year,
why not try one of our epic climbs
A full playlist is right there
Finally if you haven't done so already,
please do click on me and subscribe to GCN
We will be coming up with more great
cycling videos to keep you motivated
throughout the year
Don't forget to like and share as well
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