Cycling in the winter, love it or hate it?
11/01/2026
Cycling can be an extremely enjoyable hobby, there is nothing more satisfying then travelling to a new place on the power of your own body. It gives you time to think and you can make it as easy or difficult as you want.
A question I have been asked is how do you motivate yourself to ride? This is unfortunately a difficult question to answer, especially in the winter. It can be hard to wake up at the crack of dawn, throw on your six hundred layers of clothing and head out into the dark in single digit temperatures. Here are a few things that I try to keep motivation up during these hard months (I will caveat this by saying I’m currently on an inactive streak, so I’m not perfect either.)
Zwift / indoor training
Get an indoor trainer and ride indoors during the winter months. Platforms like Zwift or Rouvy have become very popular in recent years. They have an avatar on the screen going through a virtual world. If you pair software like this with a smart trainer, you can avoid going outside altogether..
A smart trainer changes the resistance you feel simulating going up or down a hill. If your avatar is going up a 10% climb, then it will feel as hard as if you were actually going up a 10% climb in real life!
The Pro's:
- Fun way to stay in shape.
- Lets you ride without having to leave your house.
- Platforms usually have training programs allowing you to tailor your riding to a specific goal.
- Varies your riding. If you live in a super hilly area, this will let you ride easier, flatter courses.
The Con's:
- Can be expensive to get set up. A good trainer is around £500 - £600. The platform you use will likely also have a subscription fee.
- Can be a bit boring doing long hours.
- Need a space to put your set-up.
I personally find indoor training very useful in the winter months. If you are like me and will use any little excuse to not exercise, this is a perfect option. You can keep it set up (if you have the space) and just hop on when you want to ride.
All the gear, no idea
Cycling is an expensive hobby and winter riding makes it all the more expensive. You will need some extra kit in order to stay warm during these colder months which come at a price. There’s nothing worse for sapping your motivation than being freezing cold on your ride.
- Gloves
- A long sleeve jersey
- Bib tights
- A thermal base layer (preferably merino wool)
- Thick socks (don’t have to be cycling specific)
- A buff or neck gaiter
The common phrase you will hear is that there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad gear. Although I don’t fully agree with this I think it does ring true in some situations. You can be quite warm on a sub zero ride, but you need to have the right gear to be comfortable.
Once you have the right gear there is no real difference between riding in the warmer months and winter riding (apart from the ice if you live in places where the temp regularly hits minus numbers).
Club / Social riding
Finally a big motivator is having someone to ride with. I mostly ride solo but if I have organised a ride with someone I am obligated to get up and get out for that ride. The suffering isn't as bad when you have covered 20 miles before you know it because you are yapping away.
You can try to do what I did and sweet talk your friends into getting bikes, this doesn't always work out as they may not have a highly addictive personality like you do and not make one thing their whole personality. They may be into it for a bit and then you are back on your solo rides.
Alternatively you can try to join a local club or community of other cyclists. This is a chance to meet other weirdo’s who think cycling 100 miles in a day is a fun activity. Intensity of rides depends on the club you join but there is a club for everyone. Just make sure they do cafe stops, the joy of cycling is being able to use it as an excuse to eat cake and drink coffee.
Just do it!
Similar to my current mantra when learning to program “Just build the fucking app”, you should just “Get on the fucking bike”. Any riding you do is more than you would do just sitting on your ass at home so just get out or get on the trainer and ride.
The more you ride the more you will solidify the habit and one day you will look forward to getting out on the bike. Hopefully by the time the summer rolls round
~ Luke