How To Keep Your Cycling New Year’s Resolution
As we enter the new year, many of us set resolutions that will improve or otherwise bring meaning into our lives.
For new or established cyclists, riding our bikes is a big part of our day-to-day, so new year’s resolutions centered around being a better cyclist feel like a natural fit. Because cycling touches on so many aspects of our lives and values — physical fitness, mental well-being, and even environmental consciousness — setting broad-reaching goals feels natural, too!
But how can we set goals we are sure to keep instead of pie-in-the-sky dreams that will be hard to work towards?
Image by Tim Mossholder (via Unsplash)
Setting your goals on the bike for the new year.
Unlike many resolutions that feel like sacrifices, cycling can bring us immediate enjoyment while also building toward long-term improvements and benefits. Maybe that’s a big part why many gravitate towards it when choosing a new year’s resolution.
But no matter how much you might enjoy riding your bike short term, it’s also about thinking long term. Some of the most common new year’s resolutions according to polling center around health, such as eating a better diet (19%), exercising more (17%), or even losing weight (15%). In fact, each of these factors plays a part in being a strong cyclist.
Whether you’re commuting to work, training for your first century ride, or just exploring nature and the world around you, cycling can be part of achievable goals for every level of commitment and fitness.
Read more: 5 Classic Cross-Training Workouts to Boost Your Cycling This Year
How do I choose an area of cycling for my new year’s resolution?
When considering a cycling-related resolution, it’s really essential to consider what motivates you to do so. Some may focus on quantitative targets, such as a specific weekly mileage or longer planned routes. Others prefer qualitative improvements, such as exploring new trails every month… or simply making more time to appreciate nature during their rides. A practical goal, like commuting by bike twice weekly or joining a first group ride, can be the most tangible of choices. Finally, you can set your sights on participating in organized events, like a local charity ride or gran fondo.
The beauty of cycling lies in its versatility – your goals can evolve with you, and lend themselves to growing your capabilities even as you exceed your expectations.
Why do new year’s resolutions often fade?
Even the strongest commitments have a penchant for fading over time. A lot of enthusiasm in January can wane by March, and this pattern affects cycling resolutions as much as any others.
The biggest reason that resolutions fail isn’t a lack of motivation — it’s the approach taken towards choosing and meeting goals.
It’s easy to set an overly ambitious target without considering lifestyle changes needed to meet that target. Weather can derail winter riding plans, while unrealistic time commitments needed can clash with existing responsibilities. Perhaps most importantly, the natural human tendency to seek immediate results can lead to disappointment. When progress feels slow, where do you find the willpower to keep going? If you are training alone, that can also diminish your motivation, especially when compared to the social support found in group fitness activities like Pilates or a spin class.
It may hurt a little to hear this spelled out so bluntly. After all, you wouldn’t be quitting a new year’s resolution so quickly after making it… would you?
The reality is that even if you love cycling, it’s a good idea to make the best resolutions you can make to set yourself up for success. Understanding the common pitfalls is the first step toward creating sustainable cycling habits.
Photo by Viktor Bystrov (via Unsplash)
Creating sustainable cycling habits in the new year.
Success in keeping cycling resolutions requires thoughtful planning and realistic expectations.
The first step is to be realistic about your own capacity to carry out your plans. Rather than declaring “I’ll ride every day,” start with some specific, achievable targets like “I’ll ride Tuesday and Thursday mornings for at least half an hour.” Breaking your larger goals into smaller ones makes your progress more measurable. And even if that progress feels slower than you would like, motivation will be much easier to maintain.
Also, keep in mind that flexibility is important. If morning rides prove too challenging, experiment with lunch or evening outings instead. Adapting your goals isn’t failing: it’s responding intelligently to parts of a situation that weren’t taken into account before.
To really amp up the sustainability of your resolution, consider keeping a cycling journal to track progress. That way, you can start to identify patterns in what works best for your schedule and energy levels.
Use SMART goals to build towards your resolutions step by step.
Have you heard of SMART goals? This goal setting framework involves breaking down objectives into smaller steps, and cyclists can use it, too, for all types of training.
Instead of a vague resolution like “ride more,” a SMART cycling goal should be:
- Specific (for example, “complete three 20-mile rides per week”)
- Measurable (tracking mileage, duration, or frequency of riding)
- Attainable (accounting for current fitness or constraints)
- Realistic (considering factors like weather, or work and family commitments)
- Time-bound (setting clear weekly or monthly milestones)
For instance, rather than saying “I want to be able to do long rides,” a cyclist might set a SMART goal like “I will complete that 50-mile charity ride on June 1st by training three times per week, starting by aiming for 15-mile rides in January and adding 5 miles per month.”
Read more: Mike Kirby: Ride Long, Ride Happy
A structured approach will guide you when creating your day-to-day training plans, as well as better monitor your progress and adjust goals as needed.
Photo by Cathryn Lavery (via Unsplash)
The progressive nature of cycling improvement can help keep motivation high.
One of cycling’s most rewarding aspects is how improvement occurs naturally with consistent riding. As your cardiovascular system becomes more efficient, tough hills that once seemed scary suddenly feel manageable. Muscle memory develops, improving your pedaling technique and efficiency. And these improvements compound. As riding becomes easier, you naturally want to ride more, creating a positive feedback loop of progress.
Most of the time, you might not even notice these changes right away. With the hyperawareness of your new resolution, though, you will be eager to see progress. Embrace it! No matter your starting fitness level, you’re guaranteed to see improvement that will spur you on to keep going. Use the pace of your progress to inform new goal setting as the year progresses. You might be surprised how different you feel in January of next year!
Read more: 6 Unexpected Skills You Learn From Cycling
Don’t forget: keep the joy in your rides.
Never lose sight of what drew you to cycling in the first place — the simple pleasure of the bike. A lot can be said about training to be a better cyclist. But while goals provide direction, the true reward lies in the act itself. If you love cycling, and love feeling the fresh air and the wind in your face, you will want to keep going regardless of whether you meet a concrete goal you laid out.
That’s okay! Maybe the real resolution should be just to enjoy cycling. As I discussed before, though, that isn’t a measurable goal — unless you make it one. Can you think of ways to make your resolution not just focused on training and getting stronger or faster… but actually enjoying your time on the bike?
If you’re keeping a cycling journal, this can be a creative aspect of your process. Whether you’re meeting your training targets or just taking a rest-day cruise, every moment on the bike can be meaningful. Why don’t you write about it?
Read more: The Joy of the Coffee Ride
No matter what, remember that every cyclist — from Tour de France champions to the old people you see on eBikes at your local trail — is fueled by that same basic joy of riding. Isn’t that great?
It’s time to embark on a new year’s resolution!
As you start the new year with cycling resolutions in mind, remember that every ride moves you forward… literally and metaphorically. I hope you feel more confident setting goals for the new year that meet your needs and inspire you to enjoy your bike. Your cycling journey is uniquely yours, and so are your personal victories. With a smart new year’s resolution, you’re setting yourself up for a year of your own meaningful achievements, big and small, and no small dose of enjoyment on your bike.
The road ahead is yours to explore — are you ready for the year of riding that awaits?
Are you setting a cycling resolution on January 1st? What goals do you have in mind? Let us know in the comments or on social media! ★
