We do this for fun, right?

​We miss this sometimes: or at least, speaking for myself, I do.

Winter in the UK can be a tough time for cyclists, particularly those who get their kicks from racing in the summer months. We all know if you want to be competitive you have to train consistently and with structure despite the shit nasty weather and dark nights.

Speaking for my own meagre performance levels as a rider, I know I need to train pretty hard just to be rubbish.

We do this because our fun, satisfaction, enjoyment, call it what you will, comes from applying effort and pushing ourselves a bit. As racing cyclists we thrive on the satisfaction that comes from working hard, sometimes against the elements. We know it’s going to pay off in the summer too.

But it’s easy to overdo it. We can lose sight of the fun element which is so often the reason we started riding a bike in the first place. Maybe we don’t ride unless we are strapped up with performance measuring gizmos and our session has a specific training goal.

Three things to remember perhaps

1. Unless you’re a professional, you ride a bike for fun. When you stop enjoying it, take a break, because nobody is paying you.
2. A legitimate training goal for a ride (or multiple rides) is ‘not going bat shit mental’.  If you’ve got 3 hours planned but you actually fancy a bimble on the mountain bike and a pint with your mates, do that. Your coach can always re-plan your sessions – it’s what we do
3. Don’t take any notice of the ‘MTFU’ ‘it’s not training if it’s not raining’ ‘Rule 5’ brigade. It’s all bollocks. The people who shout the loudest are usually all hat and no ranch. Your health, both physical and mental comes first, and most of us have to be in one piece for work on Monday. 

​Stay sane and remember to have fun…!