I keep trying to make my self go out on a bike pack even a fridy night jaunt up to gregs hut with breakfast at hart side caffe .... but
its cold,
its dark
its verry windy
its wet
there is long periods of darkness and if im not IIT-ing through it but casulaly touring that equals bordom
im soft
skiing would be better but the ski season is naf so instead of going to scotland i could just sulk
there is mud
etc.... hahaha

but i come on here and see other peoples bivi a month etc etc and just wounder how do you get your selves out winter bike packing ??? as yes i will get out in easter and do something but there is many weekends before that !!!

What about going with someone else? Is usually a good motivator

To be fair, apart from the weekly wednesday night rides i've hardly ridden off-road this year.
Conditions arnt great/inspiring and sometimes its good to have a break from things, otherwise it can become a bit routine.

See how many BAM people get through Feb/Mar

Motivation to ride is at rock bottom this winter, struggling with the cold due to circulation problems


Ive barely ridden a couple miles this past 3onths but gotten around it by hiking more. Regular 6 to 12 mile walks, occasionally further, easier to keep feet warm and dress well walking compared to cycling, tried running too but not great at it.

Hoping when the temps rise my circulation will improve enough to put more miles in, i guess im just soft

Bivvy a month is one cure, I decided to give it a go to get over that winter slump. Believe it or not it's fun! January was fun, a trip to a forest where I hadn't been before, crystal clear skies with a sound track of foxes and owls while sipping Jura malt. This month I ran out the house after driving back from Devon because mrs dummy told me she was away this weekend, packed and out in 1/2 an hour. Why? Because I enjoy it, sometimes it's cold, wet or hard but when you get back home on Sunday you will feel alive again. If you don't enjoy it don't do it, personally I enjoy overcoming the weather, if nothing else it makes summer trips seem easy

Lots of commute mileage here, but after 2 days lying under an old Ford Focus replacing suspension bushes abd exhaust bits in the wind and rain, my planned bivvy tonight ended with a warm shower and hot food.

My only goal for the year has been and gone, so no more motivation for the next ten months

Hello coffee shops....

How about its only 9 weeks to the WRT?

I guess i admit i haven't been enjoying this winter riding, once its no longer fun "even the type 2 kind" then whats the point?

But i have enjoyed braving some nasty weather on foot so not all bad!

I guess ive always considered myself more all round outdoors than strictly cycling, so alterating sports with the seasons keeps things intetesting

I've not ridden for a good while due to torn intercostal muscles very sore but getting better but motivation has gone

Fear can be a great motivational tool ... enter something stupid. Something that's just far enough away that means you need to 'train' right now in order to stand a chance of completing it.

Shap is a chilly spot in July, never mind this time of year.

Surprised Richard has not told you to MTFU yet!

I have a similar lacklustre feeling towards winter riding, and prefer to knock out intervals on the turbo or road rides with the local club (no MTB wing) than eroding both my drive train and sense of humour wallowing in mud. Better things to do when conditions are poo, with the knowledge I will get back into it fresh when conditions improve.

I worry a little about skill fade, but my technique probably culminated in 2009, and has been getting worse ever since anyway!

benp1 wrote:What about going with someone else? Is usually a good motivator

That.

ZeroDarkBivi wrote:Surprised Richard has not told you to MTFU yet!

I have a similar lacklustre feeling towards winter riding, and prefer to knock out intervals on the turbo or road rides with the local club (no MTB wing) than eroding both my drive train and sense of humour wallowing in mud.

That's the exact opposite to me. I do most of my riding October to May as I cant stand being hot (and not being built for riding around in just a Lycra top doesn't help) so mostly its all done in the cold. Coder the better for me ans sod the drive train its a bike after all!

I didn't even realize there was a season for bike packing.... early season or not

last couple of weeks i have been a bit low.
some very good news on the health front lifted my spirits massively.
28 miles yesterday, 29 miles today were both brilliant.

Bearbonesnorm wrote:Fear can be a great motivational tool ... enter something stupid. Something that's just far enough away that means you need to 'train' right now in order to stand a chance of completing it.

I think this was my motivation for entering the Brauton 150. However since doing that I've actually ridden less!

Dare I suggest having a mini-me?

You may ride less but by god, you rarely lack the motivation to get out when the opportunities arise

ZeroDarkBivi wrote:Surprised Richard has not told you to MTFU yet!

Indeed!

I've only done a bit of off road, mostly because my riding partner has basically quit on me. That said, I've still been out regularly in some seriously "sub standard" weather.

Even my turbo work hasn't been without climate hardship. A couple of times I've been in a sub zero garage, too cold to put my industrial fan on so I end up sweating my arse off even though it's literally freezing in there.

Its surprising how quickly you can lose muscle from time off the bike now, my last time was barely a few miles and my legs we're burning again! I haven't had lactic buildup in ages!

Im noticably skinnier around my thighs and glutes where i used to be ridiculously out of proportion from cycling, even hiking doesnt work these muscles anywhere near as much as before.

The plus side is over winter ive gotten into yoga and bodyweight exercise and now have some semblance of a 5 pack* for the first time in my life so the cold hasnt done me too bad

Motivation for wheels may be low but motivation to keep fit is at its highest, especially now i have the spare time to exercise at home

*abdominal pack no6 was lost long ago to an Op and has scar tissue preventing muscle growth

HaYWiRe wrote:Its surprising how quickly you can lose muscle from time off the bike now, my last time was barely a few miles and my legs we're burning again! I haven't had lactic buildup in ages!

Im noticably skinnier around my thighs and glutes where i used to be ridiculously out of proportion from cycling, even hiking doesnt work these muscles anywhere near as much as before.

The plus side is over winter ive gotten into yoga and bodyweight exercise and now have some semblance of a 5 pack* for the first time in my life so the cold hasnt done me too bad

Motivation for wheels may be low but motivation to keep fit is at its highest, especially now i have the spare time to exercise at home

*abdominal pack no6 was lost long ago to an Op and has scar tissue preventing muscle growth

If you do need to build up glutes and quads then squats will do that. Big time!

Worth being shown the proper technique. It's easy to not learn forwards enough and not engage the muscles you want to though.

Still, doesnt seem to build them as much as road cycling in full aero tuck did, my glutes are more "average athlete" now rather than massively out of proportion.

I was pretty much 98% all thighs and 2% muscle everywhere else i think i prefered to call my arms "aerodynamic" rather than "athletic" back then, so typical roadie build

It took me years to realise that glutes are your bum muscles.

Yorlin wrote:

Screen Shot 2017-02-28 at 10.36.04.png

It took me years to realise that glutes are your bum muscles.

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