We have just been through “Blue Monday” officially the most depressing day of the year. I can see why this would be the case. The euphoria and early ambition of new year has ebbed away, it is still a week or so until payday and it is bonkers cold out there! However, it doesn’t need to be that way. “Blue Monday” this year could have been in reference to the clear blue sky over head, little wind and regardless of a few icy patches in the most shaded areas it was a perfect day for cycling – if you are prepared for it.
Being under-prepared for cycling can come in three iterations and all will cut away at your cycling enthusiasm quickly, and powerfully, so make sure you don’t fall into the traps.
Firstly, be prepared to fail mechanically. There are a lot of moving parts on a bike and these wear down overtime and break. A well maintained bike is not only easier to ride (gears working properly, bearings rolling well, etc), but it is also less likely to stop working during a ride. There is no doubt that the cycling gods are watching us all, as you can bet your bottom bracket that a puncture whilst out riding will happen at precisely the same time it starts to rain. The quickest way to turn this from a light shower to a torrential downpour is to realise you don’t have a replacement inner tube or a puncture repair kit. You should always have a basic repair kit with you, but this is especially true during the winter months.
If you don’t take a repair kit, as you wouldn’t know what to do with it if there was a problem, then book yourself into one of ourbike mechanics evening classes!
Secondly, be prepared to fail physically. Riding in the cold, and even the rain, shouldn’t be a problem as long as you are appropriately dressed and have enough fuel. Make sure you have warm enough clothes for your ride, and don’t forget your hat and gloves – easily done, but on a 4 hour ride it can have serious consequences.
Take the colder temperatures into account when considering your energy levels – you need a lot more energy just to keep warm in the winter and this must be reflected in your eating and drinking before and during a ride. It is far too easy to forget to take on energy, and you will very quickly drop off the edge, into a very dark, dark, place – and there is no coming back from it whilst out on the bike. Plan your food sensibly if you want to avoid “bonking” and having to take shelter in a local shop and calling a family member to come and pick you up!
Thirdly, and most importantly, be prepared to fail mentally. Very few of us are so in tune with our physical ability that we can plan our training and diet down to the smallest detail and get it right. You will make mistakes. You will probably go on rides that were too big. You will probably cave in and eat the cake you had been promising to avoid this year. You will probably wake up one morning and decide to sleep in rather than do the hour on the indoor trainer that you had planned. It’s ok. It happens to everyone, but take ownership of it, and don’t let the mistakes become a repeat event. Learn from it. If you had planned to exercise every day of the week, and after 13 days you have crumbled, learn from it. Adjust your training plan, but don’t let the individual failures become the norm. Learn from them. You haven’t failed, you simply misjudged it. Keep going, and come Spring you will be glad you persevered.
Publicly committing to something can be a great way to make sure you do it, so why not sign up to our shop ride on Strava and join us for a sociable ride from the shop. The ride lasts about an hour, we ride together but you go at your own pace on the climbs, with us regrouping at the top. No one is left behind. Join the shop club “We Cycle” on Strava for more information.
