You may be struggling on the road mile after mile or week after week and feeling you're not getting any stronger. But there are plenty of ways to step up your motivation and make sure you stay engaged with the bike and your long terms goals. Riding with a friend or in a group is just one of them.
The video below offers some really practical advice on basic tricks, some of them mental, that you can try while out on the bike to keep yourself motivated.
They can help you out on a long or difficult ride by simply breaking up the pain a little bit, and some can aid you to keep going when you're working towards a racing goal or striving simply to get fit over a longer period of time.
Some topics include
- Training with a friend or in a group; preferably people with the same goals and of similar abilities.
- Focus on a landmark; when getting it tough, pick something up ahead and just focus on getting that far. And when you reach it, pick another feature on the road ahead.
- Pretend you’re riding a big pro race like the Tour de France; let your mind wander and get into the spirit of it. The miles will tick past a lot quicker than you think.
- Remind yourself why you’re training in the first place; keep reminding yourself you’re working towards a goal – be it racing or sportive based or simply to get fitter or reach a weight loss target.
- Take a break; it’s no crime to climb off and have a coffee to refresh mentally.
- Adjust your programme to ensure you don’t over train and do yourself more harm than good. It’s OK to knock off the effort and miles every now and again even if it means deviating from a training programme.
- Take control of your effort by focusing on your breathing.
- Focus on your pedalling; pushing down with one set of muscles and pulling up with another.
- Set yourself small goals like simply sticking on a harder short segment at the end of an interval to give yourself a sense of achievement.
- Sing to yourself; we’re serious, it can help. Try it!
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