Calling all fair weather cyclists! If you or someone you know has been hibernating or sticking to some form of indoor exercise over the past few months, or even if you are totally new to cycling and thinking about starting - now is definitely the time to ‘get back out there’!

Daylight commutes, longer evenings on the bike after work, being able to wash the bike in sunlight, post ride beer gardens at the weekend with friends... The list could literally go on for days. There is no better time than now to start cycling (and kudos to those of you who ride year round, even when the temperatures are well into the minus).

So if for whatever reason you have got out of the way of riding, then here is our guide to help make getting back on the bike for Spring 2019 as seamless as possible.

Set Yourself Goals

The best place to start is to set goals and make a note of them somewhere. It will kickstart your motivation to get back on the bike from the word go and help you keep track of our progress at the same time. There are loads of cycling apps to help you keep a record of your rides.

When getting back into cycling, start with goals that are easy enough for you to achieve. It could be something as basic as cycling three days per week, cycling to work or taking on a longer epic ride every weekend with your friends. Once you smash your first few goals, you can then move onto some new ones that are maybe that bit more challenging for you to conquer. They say it takes around three weeks for something to become a ‘habit’... before you know it, you’ll be flying!

Ride To Work

Depending on how far away you live from your place of work, commuting by bike can be a quick and easy way to get yourself back into cycling. Once you’ve mastered the commute, you can then start to extend your ride in either the morning or the evening if you want to build up your miles gradually.

Treat Yourself

What’s the only thing that comes close to new bike day? That would be ‘new kit day', wouldn’t it? This one usually works for us… So why not motivate yourself to ride more with some nice new cycling kit? Like anything, rewarding yourself for your hard work can help with that initial motivation.

Keep It Social

From our team here at See.Sense, this is probably the best piece of advice we could ever give you. Our staff very much see cycling as a social thing. As colleagues (and friends too of course), we absolutely love heading out for a ride together after work or on the weekends. And there’s something about the milder weather that just makes it that bit more appealing, maybe that's just the ice-cream, though!

So keep cycling enjoyable by sharing it with your friends, family or colleagues. By keeping making it sociable and going for a coffee/cake stop, this will make your rides more of an ‘outing’ and more enjoyable.

Challenge Yourself

Speaking of goals… and speaking of the social side of cycling too... Why not sign yourself up to a local sportive this summer? Once you’ve found one, sign up online as soon as you can. Many sportives are organised in aid of a charity - and paying your entry fee in advance can help keep you motivated. And if you sign up now, there is still plenty of time to train!

The Only Ride You Regret Is The One You Didn’t Do!

Our final tip? Just get out there and ride! Whether it was an injury, extra hours at work, family life or other responsibilities that meant you had to take a break from the bike. The above advice will all be useful to you, but at the end of the day if you want to ride again, just get out there and do it!  

So get out there and ride, and send this to someone who needs some motivation to get out and ride this Spring.