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Tips to Stay Motivated This Winter
Written by
Greg Kaplan
Almost everyone experiences a lack of motivation in the offseason thanks to dwindling daylight and uninviting temps. Use these tips to keep rolling even when the rolling gets tough.
Set a Goal With a Friend
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Whether you want to shed (or gain) a few pounds, increase your FTP or just get faster, identifying a goal with a friend or group will make you more likely to stick to your commitment.
Pro Tip: You're much more likely to stick with resolutions and commitments if they're made publicly rather than silent promises made to yourself. Try posting about them on social media or talking through them with family and friends to keep yourself accountable.
Pro Tip: You're much more likely to stick with resolutions and commitments if they're made publicly rather than silent promises made to yourself. Try posting about them on social media or talking through them with family and friends to keep yourself accountable.
Find:
Your Next RideSet a Goal With a Friend
1 of 10
Whether you want to shed (or gain) a few pounds, increase your FTP or just get faster, identifying a goal with a friend or group will make you more likely to stick to your commitment.
Pro Tip: You're much more likely to stick with resolutions and commitments if they're made publicly rather than silent promises made to yourself. Try posting about them on social media or talking through them with family and friends to keep yourself accountable.
Pro Tip: You're much more likely to stick with resolutions and commitments if they're made publicly rather than silent promises made to yourself. Try posting about them on social media or talking through them with family and friends to keep yourself accountable.
Find:
Your Next RideBe Social
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If you're stuck inside when you'd rather be outside, riding solo on the trainer is bound to get monotonous. It's a lot more fun to ride with a friend who is in the same room with you, hammering away and feeling the pain just like you are.
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Your Next RideGet on a Training Plan
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If you want to see performance increases but don't want to worry about what and when to do specific training sessions, get on a structured training plan.
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Your Next RideFocus on Incremental Improvements
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By setting achievable goals—shaving a few seconds of your favorite route every few weeks or bumping up your power output by just a few watts each month—you'll stay more motivated to hit your targets when they are within reach.
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Your Next RideCross Train on the Bike
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Whether you hop on a fat bike or mountain bike or try a spin class, getting a different perspective on the bike will keep you mentally fresh and excited—even if it's just excitement to get back to your old standby road bike.
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Your Next RideDress Appropriately
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Dressing appropriately will help you stay comfortable and motivated. If you're too cold on a ride, it's hard to want to keep pushing the pedals. If you don't have proper cold weather cycling gear, you owe it to yourself to fix that.
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Your Next RideBe a Streaker
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Get on a ride streak. Even if it just means riding a few miles a day, challenge yourself to get on the bike no matter what—even if just for a short ride. Start with an attainable goal, such as three consecutive days. One you've checked that off, shoot for a week. After seven days on the bike, riding every day for a month won't seem as unatainable as it might have on day zero.
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Your Next RideReward Yourself
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Are you dying for a new bike but don't think you owe it to yourself? Set a challenging offseason goal—like bumping your FTP by 10 percent or riding 40K in under an hour—and reward yourself if you hit it.