How do I stay motivated to ride outdoors during colder months?

QUESTION: I live in an area where it gets cold, but most of the time, the roads are still safe to ride on. But the very thought of riding in the cold itself seems to sap my desire to even try. How do I stay motivated to ride outdoors during colder months? (P.S. I hate riding indoors on a trainer, so don’t even bother sending me there!) —Jon L.

RBR’S STAN PURDUM REPLIES: Many and probably most riders share this problem. I’ve heard self-motivation described as pulling yourself out of a swamp by your own hair! 

Still, those who keep riding outdoors throughout the winter often have developed routines and other practices to help them get moving.

For example, if the plan is to get up the next day and ride, some riders use the evening before to lay out all the clothing they will need to wear to stay warm on the bike, and thus eliminate the it’s-too-much-hassle-to-get-ready excuse. The routine of doing this helps to get one moving. 

Regarding what to wear — since that varies according to the feels-like temperature and other conditions — having that figured out in advance also removes a hurdle to getting out there. Here’s the chart I use to take the guesswork out of how many layers to wear.

Other riders will purchase something new to wear on the bike (merino wool base layers seem to be all the rage currently) and thus “obligate” themselves to put it to use.

Another motivator is preparing a bike specially equipped for winter riding, and thus sparing your more-expensive steed. It might have fenders to keep road slop off your back and out of your socks, and more aggressive tire treads, and it certainly ought to have lights both front and rear. It might even have flat pedals, so you can wear snow boots or something similar to keep your feet warm. So after you put all that effort and expense into setting up a winter bike, it would be a shame to just let it sit in the garage, right?

It’s also possible that a self-set goal can help sustain your will to ride outdoors. The goal might be, for example, to hit three-fourths of your summer weekly miles target.

Perhaps the strongest motivator is to have a riding buddy or a group to pedal with. If you’ve agreed to ride together, you don’t want to be the one to not show up. And the fact that you can all stop for coffee and pastries after the ride is another good reason not to stay home on cold days. 

Most riders find that once they push past the disinclination to head out riding, they seldom turn around. And after a short while, they even begin to enjoy being out there, cocooned against the cold in their multilayered kit — and with their endorphins flowing. (By the way, make a mental note of how good you felt once you got going, so you can use that as a “kick in the pants” the next time your motivation to ride in the cold is low.)

Finally, if you’re really serious about wanting a motivator, consider a carrot-and-stick approach. The “carrot” could be some kind of reward if you reach x-number of miles riding outdoors or x-number of rides during the winter months — perhaps allowing yourself to buy that new high-end road bike you’ve been drooling over. Regarding the “stick,” since you dislike riding a trainer indoors, you could obligate yourself to purchase a Zwift Ride With Kickr Core ($1300), along with a one-year subscription to Zwift ($200). To make this real, give your credit card info to someone you trust, along with ironclad instructions to place the order on such-and-such a date if you don’t hit your outdoor cycling goal.

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Stan Purdum has ridden several long-distance bike trips, including an across-America ride recounted in his book Roll Around Heaven All Day, and a trek on U.S. 62, from Niagara Falls, New York, to El Paso, Texas, the subject of his book Playing in Traffic. Stan, a freelance writer and editor, lives in Ohio. See more at www.StanPurdum.com.