It’s getting darker earlier and staying darker later. The temperatures are dropping. Cozying up in front of the fire and watching cheesy Christmas movies on the couch sounds a lot more tempting than hauling yourself down to the basement to do an interval session. The winter workout blues are a very real thing, but you don’t have to succumb.
Here, three coaches and serious cyclists are sharing their best tips to keep your mental motivation up in the dark winter months so you can avoid a slump—and sharing a few specific ways to shift your training to suit your mood.
Take a Real Break (If You Haven’t Already)
It used to be obvious when it was time for a cycling off-season: Racing was over for the year, and it was too cold or snowy to ride, so you took a few weeks off the bike entirely. When you returned, you were caught up on “life stuff” (like finally organizing the garage) and you were feeling excited about getting back in the saddle. But now, thanks to gravel, cyclocross, fat bike and e-sport racing, the line between in-season and off-season becomes blurry. And with trainers getting smarter and easier to use, it’s a seamless transition from indoor to outdoor riding.
But you need a break! If you’re low on motivation, one of the best questions to ask yourself is simple: When was the last time you took a few days off the bike? Ryan Kohler of Fast Talk Labs says that he sees this often in his coaching practice: Riders simply don’t stop until they’re mentally or physically burned out. If you fall into this category, don’t panic about dwindling motivation, just take a week off the bike and see how you feel after that!
Make Sure Nothing More Serious Is Happening
A little slump is absolutely normal but if you’re feeling a lack of motivation, a lingering sense of fatigue, lower energy levels across the board, or have a cold that just won’t seem to quit, it may be time to check in with a doctor and get some bloodwork done.
Charlotte Backus, cycling coach and Wattbike ambassador, says sometimes, there can be a more serious underlying issue, whether it’s a vitamin or mineral deficiency or a cold that’s actually developed into pneumonia. (Backus herself has suffered from that and admits if she had headed to the doctor earlier, she would have saved herself weeks of recovery time.)
Put Your “Why” Somewhere Visible
We know that having a “why”—whether it’s a fitness-based goal like improving your power-to-weight ratio or a race-based goal like the 200-mile Unbound gravel race in June—can be helpful in getting motivated to train on a daily basis. But sometimes, we need an even more tangible reminder of that original “why,” and Backus recommends figuring out a way to make it visual and visible.
This could mean putting a countdown to race day on your phone (the Countdown app is free and has a widget for your home screen). It might mean putting a certain power number on an index card and taping it next to the screen in front of your indoor trainer. It could look like writing your goal out on your bathroom mirror with a dry erase marker.
Find a way to remind yourself daily of the reason you ride, and getting on the bike will become a lot easier.
Gather Friends for Accountability
In the winter, former pro Christian Vande Velde, who now works with the Breakaway App, which provides AI-based coaching for cyclists, can be found in his basement chatting on the phone—and riding up steep climbs. Vande Velde may not be in the Pro Tour any longer, but his indoor cycling community still looks like an early aughts Tour de France breakaway.
He regularly hops on Zwift and on FaceTime with a few fellow former racers including George Hincapie, and the group of TDF retirees ruthlessly chase each other all over Zwift Island. He says that having friends expecting you to join in for the ride makes it more fun, and much harder to skip.
Have a Permanent Setup
Motivation comes in part from preparedness: If you know it’s going to take you 15 minutes to get your trainer set up so you can start your ride, you’re a lot more likely to skip the ride in favor of literally anything else. That’s why Backus is a big fan of having a permanent trainer setup somewhere in the house, whether that’s your bike on a Wahoo Kickr or a full permanent stationary bike like Wattbike.
Having that designated area (which may also include a home gym setup with a yoga mat and some weights) speeds up the process of getting started, which leaves you less room to lose what little motivation you can muster.
She also recommends having clean cycling kit at the ready, along with the other essentials like towels, water bottles, and shoes. Streamline the process of getting on the bike, and you’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to convince yourself to do a spin.
Treat Yourself
You can make winter workouts far more festive (and enjoyable) with a few tiny tweaks. Rather than trying to separate the festive season from your cycling, embrace it! That cheesy Christmas movie can be streamed onto the screen in front of your bike rather than from the couch. Christmas cookies make fantastic in-ride fuel sources. Hot apple cider is a perfect recovery drink after a chilly long ride. You can wrangle a few friends to do a night ride through a neighborhood known for its amazing Christmas light displays.
And of course, there are plenty of cycling challenges like the Rapha Festive 500 that happen in December and January that you can use to keep yourself motivated.
Switch Things Up
If you’re a year-round cyclist, you may simply be feeling a bit burned out on the bike, or your butt may just need a break from all that saddle time. Kohler is a huge fan of cross-training, both with strength training as a supplement to cycling and with sports that can replace some rides. Cross-country skiing and running in the winter are cyclist favorites for their aerobic benefits as well as the chance to get outside and enjoy time in nature.
Strength training also gives you the chance to either swap out one on-bike workout for a strength session at home or even book a session with a personal trainer at the gym to maximize your strength gains.
Know Your Bare Minimum
Often, we get demotivated because the amount of work we need to do seems daunting or overwhelming. This is especially true when you’re supposed to be out riding the trainer solo in the garage, but work or family life is demanding more and more of your time. In these cases, don’t blow off your workout entirely: Know what your bare minimum/maintenance mode version of training can look like.
Kohler points out that it only takes a few hours of riding per week—broken into sessions as short as 45 minutes—to maintain your cycling fitness. So, if you’re struggling to motivate yourself to improve on the bike this winter, just downshift to maintenance mode for a couple of weeks and see how that feels. You won’t take a step backwards from your cycling and fitness goals, and you may see an increase in motivation when the workouts feel more do-able.
Just Start Moving
Still not feeling motivated? You may just need to get on your bike and start pedaling. “Get dressed, get on the bike, and go through the motions,” says Vande Velde. “That first 15 minutes of riding is always the hardest. But before you know it, you get the blood flowing, adrenaline takes over and you're fine. You have no idea what your limits truly are. Action breeds motivation: You might feel demotivated, but once you get on and you get moving, suddenly, you're going to find that you’re a little more motivated than you thought you were.”
Molly writes about cycling, nutrition and training with an emphasis on bringing more women into sport. She's the author of nine books including the Shred Girls series and is the founder of Strong Girl Publishing. She co-hosts The Consummate Athlete Podcast and spends most of her free time biking and running on trails, occasionally joined by her mini-dachshund.
