In this article we discuss 10 tips to help you keep motivated with your daily cycle commute.

Now that it’s getting cool it’s time to keep your riding motivation high in order to keep your commuting going throughout the winter months. Here are ten great tips to help you to commit all winter long…

  1. Have more than one bike that you ride to work. Its great to make the change between bikes to mix it up. Jump on your fixi, mountain bike or take your weekend racer for a spin for a change.
  2. Use public transport for some of the trip. This is a great way to manage the time you are on the bike during the cooler months by taking the train or bus for some of the way. Or you could drive part of the way if you can and commute from there.
  3. Commute to work using just one gear on your multi speed bike. It might take to a few goes to figure out the best gear for the ride into work. Then once you have it picked try riding in the next easiest or hardest gear to get some over speed revving and strength endurance training going.
  4. Make a point of going on a mission to remove one of more road hazards (nails, screws, tacks, and big chunks of debris) from the road during your daily commute. Make sure that when you do stop you do it safely.
  5. Seek out new routes to work, go long, or try to find a shorter route. Take a ride next to parklands or by the sea to change the view.
  6. Get your friends involved. Its much more motivating if you make the agreement to ride with your cycling buddies to work. That way you all support each other in your commitment to commute. Also, the time goes past more quickly if you have someone to chat to on your ride.
  7. Use your camera phone or an inexpensive compact digital camera to take a few snaps and update your Facebook page on the run into work. Sometimes the best time of the day to take a photograph coincides with your commute in and out of work. Take a moment to get off the bike and snap off a shot or two of the sunset, sunrise or the dramatic clouds if the weather is bad and share your experience with your mates.
  8. Give yourself a small reward for achieving the goal of commuting to work all week
  9. Say hi to everyone you pass on the bike, runners and people walking their dog. Give them a great big smile and you’ll surprise yourself at how good you’ll feel when you finish your commute.
  10. Get some jobs done on your commute. Pick up something or run an errand as part of your commute.

Well I hope that this has helped you make your commute a little more motivating.