5 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Get Out and Ride
At some point after buying a bike, pretty much every rider hits a motivation slump. The initial buzz fades, the excuses pile up, and the bike starts gathering dust in the garage. It's completely normal. The good news is that a few small changes can reignite that spark and remind you exactly why you fell for riding in the first place. Here are five of our favourites.
The quick version
To get your cycling motivation back, mix things up: ride at a time of day that actually suits you, plan a trip somewhere beautiful, sign up for an event to train towards, treat yourself to some fresh kit, and build a playlist that makes the kilometres fly. Small nudges, big difference.
1. Ride at a different time of day
If you groan every time that 4:30 alarm goes off, here's a thought: maybe don't. Some cyclists genuinely love dawn patrol, but plenty of us just aren't wired for it, and dragging yourself out on bad sleep sets a sour tone for the whole ride. Check how much rest you're actually getting. If your body keeps begging you to stay in bed, that's worth listening to.
Try shifting your ride to the evening instead. It gives you something to look forward to after work, whether you ride before dinner to build an appetite or after to burn it off. Swap sunrises for sunsets, spin under the stars a few nights, and find the slot that fits your life. The best time to ride is the one you'll actually stick to.
2. Go somewhere beautiful
When you first bought your bike, you probably pictured sweeping mountain descents, not grinding out the same grey city loop for the hundredth time. So recapture a bit of that magic. Plan a weekend trip to somewhere you've always wanted to ride: a bucket-list trail, a new town, a coastline. The world is stuffed with breathtaking routes that'll get you excited all over again.
Stick a photo of your dream destination near your bike or set it as your phone lock screen for a daily hit of motivation. And you don't always need to go far. Explore your local parks and trails, or drive one town over and ride roads you've never seen. That spirit of exploration is half the reason we ride in the first place.
3. Sign up for an event
Nothing focuses the mind like a date in the calendar. Whether you ride for fitness, fun, or a bit of competition, there's an event to suit you. Most areas host rides through spring and summer, from relaxed charity spins that are perfect for meeting people to more competitive races where you can test the fitness you've been building all year.
Once you've entered, you've got a reason to train. Look into the route and conditions, then build a little of that into your riding so you turn up ready. And if you find you love riding with others, see whether your local club runs group rides. New friends who love bikes might be exactly the motivation you needed.
4. Treat yourself to some new kit
As a kid you dreamed of decking your bike out with bells and streamers. As an adult, you can actually do the grown-up version, and ride in style while you're at it. A fresh jersey, new bibs, or a bit of bar tape can be a surprisingly powerful nudge. Suddenly you're not just going for a ride, you're going out to use the nice new thing you just bought.
Space your little treats out and reward yourself whenever the motivation dips. If cycling is your main hobby, you deserve to feel supported in it, even if that support is coming from you. (We may be biased, but this is our favourite tip.)
5. Make a ride playlist
What's a long ride without a soundtrack? Good music, or a great podcast, has always been one of the best ways to get through almost anything. Time your usual ride and build a playlist that winds down just as you're rolling home. If you ride the same route, try lining up song changes with the spots where you turn or hit a trail.
Experiment, too. If you usually ride to classical, throw on some dance-pop. Queue up that album you always meant to hear as a teenager. There are also loads of ready-made cycling playlists on Spotify if you'd rather someone else did the work. One important note: grab headphones that let you stay aware of the traffic around you, or keep the volume low enough to hear what's coming. Safety first, always.
Ride for the joy of it
Motivation comes and goes, and that's the real challenge of any hobby: keeping the flame alive once the new-bike excitement wears off. So be kind to yourself. You might have bought a bike to get healthy, but the reason to stay on it is all the ways it makes life better. Ride for the joy of it, and the rest follows.
Feeling inspired? Explore the Cycology collection and treat yourself to something that gets you out the door.