Often it is the little things that stop a lapsed rider from getting back on the bike: the aches and pains, the saddle sores, the blisters, the chills, the mud that sticks and follows you home. It is natural to go for a ride or two and, disheartened, want to put the bike back in the shed for another few months.
One of the best things you can do as you prepare to get back on the bike is to set a goal. There is a fine balance here: aim too high and it can become disheartening in itself; aim too low and it rather misses the point of setting one in the first place. The ultimate goal should be ambitious but achievable, and the incremental steps that lead there should offer genuine gratification – although it is not for everyone.
“I’ve seen [goals] put people off,” says Marshall Thomas, a professional cycling coach and coach trainer on British Cycling’s education programme. “I’ve seen people who just want to progressing gradually. I’m actually coaching a guy who just wants some structure, and someone to report back to, which makes my job a little more difficult. But I find a series of goals can be massively motivating.
“What is important is to have an ultimate goal, yes, but remember Rome wasn’t built in a day. You need process goals – for example one of my goals is to drop two kilograms so I’ve got more energy on the hills. A process goal for me is to break it down by weeks, so to lose 0.2kg every week. How am I going to achieve that? Two slices of toast instead of three! Little things like that. A lot of riders have an ultimate goal, but they forget you need stepping stones.”
Perhaps the target is a weight or a power output or a certain distance to cover. Perhaps it is a race. Perhaps it is a particular challenge that some friends are doing in a few months’ time, or just that hill up the road that has always seemed unconquerable. It doesn’t really matter, so long as the goal can be broken down and acts as the motivator you need to get riding, and to keep coming back for more.
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