11 Ways to Boost Your Motivation to Ride

The worst rides are the ones when I stare at my power meter, fret that the numbers on the screen are too small, and squirm as the minutes and seconds slowly tick by. No matter how you gauge your workouts–heart rate, power, average speed, time–diverting your attention away from the handlebars and toward on the experience itself will help the miles fly by.

I love how a replacement chain feels so smooth that even my legs seem to get a boost. Along with a couple of brand-new chains, I keep rolls of handlebar tape, tires, and cables and housing on hand to freshen up my “office” whenever it starts to feel drab.

Cycling has a capacity for adventure that not many other forms of exercise offer. In the last month, my favorite ride destinations have included a far-off Amish Bakery in North Carolina, the Coors factory outside Denver, and a famous taco stand in Tucson.

Appeal to your type A side by adding a stop or two to take care of errands. A light shoe bag doubles as a great backpack that can fit into a jersey pocket if you want to carry something for only part of the time.

Don’t be ambivalent. If you tell your cycling buddies that you’ll definitely show up, it will be harder to back out.

The fitness freaks among us tend to rely on the familiar roads because we know they’ll give us the workout we’re looking for. But the novelty of new scenery sometimes makes up for the predictability of traveling the same roads over and over and over.

Fueling properly on long rides is crucial, and the ideal snacks are sugary ones that might otherwise qualify as junk food. Don’t limit yourself to energy bars that taste like cardboard. Snickers, Pop-Tarts, and soda are popular fuel sources that we can’t get away with eating the rest of the time.

Wind direction, elevation, and even sunlight (especially in the winter when the sun is low) all factor into how I choose each day’s route. My goal is to finish each ride in as pleasant and safe a direction possible to reinforce a positive association with my bicycle.

I usually shoot for a range of time or intervals on each ride, and planning to do the high end of the range often makes me want to quit before staring. But if I give myself permission to do only the minimum, it’s easier to get started and I often find the motivation I need to complete the extra work once I get to it.

Everyone has a weakness. For me it’s an affinity for self-serve frozen yogurt. My rule is that I have permission to stop for fro-yo whenever I complete the maximum range of time or intervals in an assigned workout.