Winter Sucks For Riding. Here’s How I Learnt To Love It.

It’s dark, cold, and wet, but winter can be one of the most rewarding times to ride your bike. Conor explains how a shift in mindset can turn the toughest season into a refreshing adventure, helping you build consistency and a solid foundation for the year ahead. From the beauty of crisp, quiet roads to the satisfaction of braving the elements, discover the hidden joys of winter cycling.

Chapters: ⏱️
0:00 – It Sucks, But I Love It
0:43 – A Back-To-Basics Mentality & Building Winter Consistency
2:10 – The Dawn-To-Dusk Adventure
2:33- Preparing For The Elements
3:13 – The Magic of Quiet Winter Roads
4:42 – Why The Pros Miss The Cold
6:23 – Need Inspiration? The Oslo Dawn Patrol

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What’s the one thing that gets you out on the bike when it’s cold and dark? Share your best winter cycling motivation tips in the comments below! 👇

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Winter sucks for riding. Compared to summer, it can be pretty dark, cold, wet, and miserable. But you know what? I love it. I love riding in winter. But it can be easy to get put off heading out the door on your bike at this time of year. However, with the right mindset, can be one of the best months to ride in my opinion. Look, I hear you. Are you mad, Connor? I get it. I totally agree. Look, summer’s day, shorts, jersey, no wind, blue skies, absolute perfection. But on the other side, I feel I’ve always had this affinity to riding during the colder months. I think one of the reasons for this is that winter for me, especially when I was racing, has always been a time of year when I began training again. I was starting to log longer rides. I was able to really enjoy my riding at this time of year without being stressed about race results, more specific training or any sort of goals because there were less goals to be mindful of. I could enjoy longer rides running for the sake of it in a way that I kind of did when I first discovered cycling. It’s the sort of thing that really got me into this sport. And winter for me was always my opportunity to do that. discover new routes, ride more in a group at a slightly slower pace, and also just try and ride really long all day if that’s what it took. And for me, this was always really refreshing. It was kind of like a back to basics style of riding. Winter was and still is an opportunity to rack up those sort of rides. Plus, this time of year, there are far fewer distractions to your riding, I think, compared to summer, which can get pretty busy. And that means any sort of training that you might be doing, there’s less disturbances. Now, especially after Christmas, I think the calendar does get clearer, which means you can focus a bit more on achieving what you might want to be doing on the bike. And I think consistency, that is what I’ve always believed, has been really key to building my own fitness. I think as well, winter does increase the feeling that rides are more of an adventure. You can start a ride when the sun’s rising or you can finish when the sun’s setting or actually at this time of year you can do you can do both and that is pretty special. Go out on one long ride dawn till dusk and actually at the same time that’s kind of achievable too. The weather during these months it can be at its worst for the whole year. And I know, I understand no one really enjoys riding in sleeting, pouring rain, but still you can get yourself ready for it and you can make yourself prepared. You can get your kit ready too, which is most important so that when you do head out of the door, you’re ready for what gets thrown at you. thicker tires, chunkier tires, mud guards, gravel bike, anyone, and you can get your kit sorted so you’re fully ready for it and you don’t feel like you’re caught unawares. And this totally makes riding during winter so much easier. Of course, it is tougher to ride in winter, and I totally agree with that. The elements, they throw more at you, and it generally is harder. But you know what? I actually I really enjoy this part of it. I enjoy getting out there and kind of braving the elements and running through places which in summer are quite busy, but in winter they’re much quieter, they take on a different dimension. You have this feeling that you’re the only one just kind of out there experiencing it. And whilst the roads close to GCN HQ are hardly the wilderness here in northern Somerset, still riding at winter, it satisfies this kind of itch I have for adventure of going out there in the conditions, having that kind of mini adventure close to home um without having to travel too far. And I think it’s that same sort of itch which getting up for a really early ride at sunrise scratches. And for me, I just I just love that. I really enjoy it. Speaking of where the conditions and the fact that they are harsher, that’s true. But at the same time, there’s plenty of times when actually they’re they’re not. The the rain stops, the sun shines, the skies are blue, and it is an absolute pleasure to ride a bike. And I think you appreciate these moments more during winter because they are fewer and further between. It’s those mornings when you head out. It’s a crisp cold morning. There’s no wind and it is just absolutely beautiful. A joy to ride. I actually remember when I was based down in Nice in the south of France when I was still racing and one of the riders who I trained quite a lot with actually decided to move back to northern Europe mainly because I think they missed those kind of like days where the winter really bites. you have that crisp cold mornings and afternoons when you’re riding. Um, and to them when they weren’t having that in their riding, it was it was like there was something missing. Um, so they moved back for that. So, I guess I’m not the only one who thinks this is a beautiful season to be riding in, especially if you get it at its coldest. If you want some inspiration other than me to get out there and get riding, check out the Oslo Dawn Patrol. 5:40 a.m. every week all year. Rain or shine or snow, they are on their bikes. And there are groups like this everywhere in places that have far tougher winters than I’m used to. In fact, I’d really like to join one of these group rides one day. They look absolutely fantastic. And do let us know in the comments section down below if you’ve been on one or maybe there’s another group ride that we should know about that takes place throughout the winter months. and we’ll try our best to maybe maybe join you guys one day. Would be awesome. When it can suck, but only if you let it. And I think if you do get the right mindset coming into these moms, you can really make the most of it. And we’re about to get into it right here in the northern hemisphere. And I hope this video has given you a bit of inspiration to get out there on your bike and get into it. And those of you in the southern southern hemisphere, well, enjoy your summer. And I hope you’ve enjoyed this video, too. Thanks for watching everyone and we’ll see you on the next one.