As we get into the depths of December here in the U.K. winter is very much setting in. At this time of the year the cold, dark and often wet weather settles in. In winter, it can be hard to convince yourself that you will enjoy being outside on the bike. Harder still, to convince yourself to stay indoors on a turbo trainer.

I have a few strategies for success that have helped me stay disciplined. This helps me keep my bike fitness through the winter months while actively enjoying myself in the process.

How to make sure I get plenty of outdoor rides, no matter the weather?

To keep me disciplined at this time of year I plan a ride for the first half of next year. It has to be an adventure that I will look forward to. I make sure it is big enough to require a decent bike fitness, so I must train for it. Inviting others to join me helps surround me with a community with a shared goal. The community gives both social enjoyment and accountability.

By having this long term goal, it give me something to visualise and focus on as I am getting ready to venture out onto the cold winter roads. I have done this for next year and will post more on this soon.

What about Indoors?

The second part is about how to maintain consistency in winter, which I do through the use of my turbo trainer and Zwift. It took me a while to figure out how to enjoy Zwift in a way that would keep me consistent. I am not someone who enjoys training for races or focusing too hard on specific performance metrics. Instead I want to make sure I have enough fitness to enjoy some epic days in the saddle. For me this means that I have two approaches for Zwift.

The first approach to Zwift being to jump on and ride easy, zone 2. I put my favourite cycling channels on YouTube on the TV in the background. I pick the flatter courses so I do not have to focus too much on the game itself, unless I choose to.

The second approach for Zwift is to select a climb in Zwift’s climb portal. I enjoy these when I want to have a harder indoor ride. The nice thing about the climb portal is that you get average power and time for each segment of the climb. I try to hold a specific minimum average power for all segments, holding myself to account as I push for the summit. The other nice part is that you get a time for the climb and some feedback on where you sit in the overall attempts. This appeals to my analytical side.

This combination of focusing on some positive experience I will have when spring/summer returns combined with finding ways to really enjoy indoor training keep me disciplined and consistent through the cold, dark and often wet winter months.