How to Stay Motivated

For best results, take one twice daily.
Image source: Campus Cycles. 

Looking to keep your Resolve to Ride More in 2012? According to Peter Bregman, believing motivation is the problem is your first mistake.

After all, you already love to bike. You enjoy harnessing your power to propel forward though time, space and air; the sense of community it brings; the quiet time to decompress on the ride home at the end of the day. Most likely you readily admit to family members and co-workers that you actually enjoy exercising.  The feeling of your lungs expanding going up a climb; of going hard and pushing your heart rate into the next zone; the dull ache in your legs the next morning after a really hard effort that serves as a physical reminder you did something enjoyable and worthwhile. The problem isn't really motivation, Bregman explains. It's follow-through.

Author Ellee Thalheimer finds epic places to ride, like this road in Hells Canyon, to stay motivated.
Practice follow-through by choosing a bike tour of your own in her upcoming book,
Cycling Sojourner: A Guide to the Best Multi-Day Tours in Oregon

Relaying his friend Byron's dilemma, he comments: "Each attempt to 'motivate' himself will only increase his stress and guilt as it widens the gap between his motivation and his follow-through, between how badly he wants to work out and his failure to do so. We have a misconception that if we only cared enough about something, we would do something about it. But that's not true.


"Motivation is in the mind; follow-through is in the practice. Motivation is conceptual; follow-through is practical. In fact, the solution to a motivation problem is the exact opposite of the solution to a follow through problem. The mind is essential to motivation. But with follow through, it's the mind that gets in the way.

So with that in mind, how do we commit to following through with our intentions to ride, train, race, tour, or commute by bike more this year? Here's a few of Bregman's suggestions--put into bike terms--to get you rolling:

• Create an environment that supports your workout goals. Have your [cycling] clothes sitting by your bed and put them on first thing when you wake up. In fact, [ride] first thing, before your mind realizes what you're doing. 

• Use a trainer or commit to work out with a friend. It's harder to argue against your accountability to another person. 

• Decide when and where you're going to [ride] — literally write it in your calendar — and the likelihood of follow-through will increase dramatically. 

• Commit to a concrete plan that is simple to quantify: 45 minutes of movement a day, cut out sugar, [ride any bike in your stable] six days a week. 

• Realize that the follow-through challenge will only last a few seconds. As soon as you put your [cleats] on and start heading to [the trailhead or your favorite stretch of road], your mind will give up arguing with you. 

• Discipline will be useful for the first week as you get back into working out. But after that, momentum will take over and the pleasure of feeling more fit will quiet the internal chatter.

Still stuck in a rut?  Grab your favorite riding buddies and plan a bike trip somewhere epic, such as the Porcupine Rim Trail in Moab, Utah. 

Readers: what tools or techniques do you use to keep on task and following through with your riding and fitness goals?  Post your comments below and let us know!

Ride Year 'Round: Top 10 Tips for Year-Round Pedaling from Seasoned Cyclists

Jay Suburb says, "Never let a little snow keep you from riding."

Autumn typically ushers in a transitional season for cyclists with cooler temps, stiffer winds, additional layers, hunting for the trail under fallen leaves (while trying to recall where the singletrack USED to be), group rides planned around fresh donuts and hot apple cider rather than ice cream, and/or racing 'cross.

While diminishing daylight and distinct chill in the air has some hanging up their bikes for the winter or heading indoors for a spin class, other riders remain resolute in their determination to ride year-round and are stocking up on warm layers, rain gear and good lights to see and be seen.

Here are our Top 10 Tips for Year-Round Riding, courtesy of your fellow cyclists and BicyclingHub fans.

10. Move to California!!!! ~Angie Achen

Castelli's Wool Cycling Cap in Grey Plaid keeps 
your head warm--and hides helmet hair nicely.

9. Ride all winter in Charlotte, North Carolina...Embrace the cold and wear layers, particularly a cap...you need to wear just enough clothes so that you are chilly the first 10-15 minutes. ~Jr DelVasto

8. Dress for the weather.. might be slow riding in the winter with snow but get in your base miles. If it is really cold make sure to not have straight water it freezes faster, mix in an electrolyte. And put your Camelbak under your jacket so it doesn't freeze. ~Kristhal Portugal

7. Don't decide whether to ride in the morning - commit every day before you commute - prep everything the night before and it's always time to ride. ~Max Slade

Winter events like Portland's annual Worst Day of the Year Ride are a great way to stay motivated and have fun with friends.

6. I take my bike to work and get a ride in during my lunch break. A short ride is better than an hour on the trainer! ~Scott Trombley

5. Petition your city, county, boro to install MORE bike lanes, especially in the busy central district. It can encourage more road-sharing and actually saves lives. ~Mark Flanigan

Would you ride your bike in THIS? Photo courtesy of MSN.com

4. For up north, studded tires take the worry out of wiping out in the snow and ice. Dress up warm and go out in a snow storm, no cars on the roads and enjoy the beauty of the stillness in the snow, except you pedaling! ~Mary Connor, Marquette, MI

3. What about cake? Cake's got layers. The keys for me are my head for overall comfort, and good stuff for my hands and feet. Best hand comfort comes from a good-fitting bike (which will help you keep blood flowing to your fingers). The rest of my body is easy to manage with layering. ~Roger Barr

2. I figure it's as cold out here whether I ride, walk or take the bus. Where I live, in Philadelphia, it's far easier and quicker for me to ride to work on my 2 mile commute to the office. It takes tops, 15 minutes. But if I walk or take the bus, it's much longer and I'm out in the elements getting colder or wetter. I wear thinner layers so I'm not bundled up like the little brother in A Christmas Story. I don a beanie cap under my helmet and an earband over my helmet. I save at least 4 bucks a day, save time and aggravation and I get some exercise while logging about 20 miles a week that I otherwise wouldn't have. All by allowing me a fancier coffee and/or a pastry treat once in a while with the bucks I save and the calories I burn. ~The Bicycle Chef


1. Fenders, a good hose and lots of chain lube! ~Scott Sherman

Staying Motivated Thru Winter

Top 10 ways to make riding on an indoor trainer more enjoyable

Winter in upstate New York: not the most bike-friendly place to ride.

Whether Punxsutawney Phil spied his shadow or not earlier this month in your neck of the woods, or the global warming phenomenon has barraged your hometown with torrential rain, massive flooding, 10 ft. snowdrifts, or bitter cold, by mid-February cyclists in many parts of North America are experiencing a serious case of cabin fever. How do we stay motivated to ride, train, remain healthy and get in shape when our feet are itching to clip in to the pedals but the roads and/or trail conditions forbid it?



Move over, Frosty; in times like these, an indoor trainer might become your most reliable winter companion.

Sure, we became cyclists to go out and explore the great outdoors, not fix our back wheels to a stationary object and ride in place. But if weather, circumstances or time constraints dictate your workout schedule, then it might be time to crank up the tunes and indulge in some interval sessions. Keeping them challenging, fast, and relatively short (1 hour 3 times a week suffices for many, especially when paired with weightlifting or other cross-training winter activities), you can keep your legs "tuned up" for spring while avoiding the mind-numbing boredom staring at four walls typically brings.

We polled fellow cyclists our Facebook fan page to find out, What keeps you motivated and spinning your wheels thru winter? Based on the variety of responses and suggestions offered, BicyclingHub.com presents the top 10 ways to make riding on an indoor trainer more enjoyable.

10. Watch a Paris-Roubaix video while listening to iPod LOUD. ~Roger M.

9. Good music, good friends, cool video, do it naked! ~Colleen T.

8. We try to mix up the places we actually ride (buddy's houses, basements, etc.) this helps with the same ol same ol. Follow the lead of the host trainer to get a good mix of workouts. ~Todd P.

7. I'll go with good tunes or a movie, but I also like Spinervals and Carmichael training videos. ~Jim M.

6. Thesufferfest.com has nice video workouts! Nicely produced. (they don't pay me to say this!) ~Mark N.

5. I live in SE Florida, why bother training inside? ~RJ H.

4. Not sure but I am going to find out. Setting up my rollers in the garage tonight. Gonna try the mountain biking DVD's first, then maybe some interval training DVD's and then Netflix. Beer will probably be involved with all three at some point. ~John R.

3. Watching TV and having a training plan that isn't boring - changes up every day. ~Sue S.

2. Take up a spin class ..great training for the winter. ~Beatrice I. D.

1. Ride outside, dress appropriately. ~Chad M.

You know the old Norwegian saying, "There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing?" BicyclingHub.com couldn't agree more.

With the appropriate gear and a good attitude, you can make even the Worst Day of the Year your best ride yet.

The Scorpion is Back: Order Your Spring 2011 Castelli Gear Now and Save an EXTRA 10% off ALL Castelli

January is typically the month of New Year's resolutions to RIDE MORE, craft food plans, head to the gym for indoor spin classes and weight training, and of course building those essential base miles. In order to help you stay motivated when you're locked to the trainer or braving the elements with visions of springtime races and long summer rides dancing in your head, BicyclingHub.com is throwing a special pre-season sale on our entire Castelli catalog.

Now thru February 1st, save an EXTRA 10% on ALL Castelli apparel and accessories with coupon code CASTELLI10 at checkout. Whether it's a pair of winter gloves or booties, Merino wool baselayer, or Spring 2011 pre-season orders for the coolest new Castelli jerseys, shorts and bibshorts in the Spring/Summer 2011 line-up, we've got you covered. Featuring Prosecco Strada fabric for extra breathability and comfort and some of the sharpest new designs on the market, Castelli will keep you looking hot and feeling cool all season long.