Why you should cycle more – and how to do it

Did you make any new year resolutions in January? As we go into February, have you stuck to them? If not, you’re not alone. Almost half of people who make resolutions have given up on them by the end of January.

If you pledged to get fit, improve your wellbeing, spend more time with friends or get out on your bike more but have found yourself spending more time on the sofa than achieving your goals, it’s not too late to turn things around.

Don’t give up now

There are many reasons why people give up on their resolutions. But these can largely be reduced to four overarching problems: lack of motivation; being too vague (‘get fit’ rather than ‘cycle 20km’); life getting in the way (aiming to go to an exercise class that clashes with your usual dinner time); and all-or-nothing thinking (you eat one doughnut so you chuck in the whole health plan).

Sticking to your goals doesn’t have to be hard and we’ve looked into the science behind setting resolutions that stick. To put it simply, you just need to work out which of the four problems outlined above are getting in your way – and keep in mind that it might be more than one – and address that.

First: motivation. This is your ‘why’ – why are you doing this? If your answer is ‘I don’t know’ or ‘because it’s January’ then chances are you’ve already given up. Think of a specific reason why you want to pursue a particular goal. If, for example, your resolution was to cycle to work, your reasons might be to improve your physical fitness, save money or reduce your carbon footprint.

When you’re considering giving in and taking the car or bus, you can remind yourself of these reasons. Think about how much money you save each time you cycle or how much fitter you’ll feel by getting the bike out.

If your goals are too vague, it’s easy to give up on them. ‘I’ll get fit this year’ is commendable, but it doesn’t give you anything to work towards. Instead, set yourself an achievable, concrete aim such as ‘I will cycle to work twice a week’ or ‘I will cycle 50km per week’. This is why ‘Couch to 5k’ worked so well. It provided a realistic, tangible goal to aim for.

Identify what’s getting in the way. Maybe you really want to go to that Wednesday night yoga class, but it clashes with your dinner time. You could try eating earlier or later, but you’ll give up because the class simply doesn’t fit with your lifestyle.

The same is true for cycling. If you love spending Sunday morning with a mug of hot chocolate while watching Sunday Brunch, planning a long leisurely ride in the country just isn’t going to work for you. Instead, take an honest look at your lifestyle and find ways to fit your new behaviour into it. Those country roads are there on Saturday mornings too, after all.

But even with all this in place, life happens and sometimes you end up driving or on the bus. Instead of seeing this as a failure and deciding you might as well give up, just see it as a one-off – these things happen.

Use it as a learning experience: why didn’t you cycle this time and what can you do about it? Maybe you slept in and thought you didn’t have time. So go to bed a bit earlier and prepare as much as you can the night before. You’ll have more time in the morning and feel a lot less pressured.

Why cycling should be one of your resolutions

Maybe you didn’t make any resolutions this year. It’s never too late to set yourself some goals – the start of a new year might be traditional, but any time will do. And cycling more is a great goal to pursue.

There are many reasons why cycling more is good for you, which we’ve gone into in detail. It’s a great way of getting fit, it improves your mental wellbeing and it’s one of the least carbon-intensive ways of getting around.

Cycling is the solution to so many resolutions. If you’re aiming to get fit, it’s great low-impact cardiovascular exercise that’s accessible to most people. Swapping short car journeys for cycling will save you money and is more environmentally friendly. Joining a club means you’ll meet more people and improve your social life.

It’s relatively easy to do. Many of us learnt when we were children. For those who didn’t, there are organisations all over the UK that teach basic cycling skills to adults. Check out organisations such as CycleSisters and JoyRiders, as well as Bikeability. Your local council might offer free cycling lessons, so have a look at the website. Cycling UK also runs several projects that offer skills sessions and even free bike loans – find out if there’s one near you.

You do, of course, need a bike, but these can be picked up quite cheaply secondhand and unlike, say, the gym, there are no ongoing fees. You can do it whenever is convenient to you – there are no opening times or set classes. There’ll be no more running for the bus, only for the doors to close in your face, or sitting stuck in traffic. But you might have to come up with a new excuse for being late …

So whether you’re reigniting January’s resolutions or setting yourself some new ones, more cycling should definitely be on the list. The trick to sticking to them is to set yourself small, achievable ‘mini-goals’.

Sticking to your cycling resolutions

The best approach is to break down your goals into bite-sized actions that are easy to articulate and to achieve. ‘I will cycle more’ is very admirable, but it’s too vague and doesn’t give you anything concrete to aim for. So here are some smaller tasks you can consider.

Set yourself a challenge

This can be anything but it needs to be specific: a set number of kilometres per week, training for a 100km ride or completing a particular route are all good examples. Make it realistic but still demanding – you’re much more likely to stick to your goal if it stretches you.

It should also be measurable. Being able to track your progress is motivating and you can celebrate each time you reach a small milestone. Breaking down your challenge into even smaller chunks is helpful too.

Swap short journeys

This is one of the simplest ways to cycle more. Look at those journeys you usually drive or take public transport and identify some that you could cycle. Again, be specific: decide on the exact number of journeys you can swap each week.

Think about how far you’re prepared to ride and consider things like where you’ll park your bike and how you’ll transport anything you need such as a change of clothes for work or the shopping.

Take part in an event

You can combine this with your challenge: if you want to ride 100km, find an organised ride or sportive that you can sign up for. This will give you a set date and event to aim for, which is great for providing accountability. There are sportives all over the UK so there’s sure to be one that works for you.

It doesn’t have to be anything so formal, though. Taking part in a local ride put on by a cycle group is just as good. Cycling UK has comprehensive events listings so you can look for something near you.

If you’re looking for something that will really push you, you could try one of our fundraising challenges. These organised long-distance events include such iconic rides as Land’s End to John o’ Groats and give you the chance to raise money for Cycling UK.

Try something new

Be bike curious! Maybe you’re a dedicated roadie with a hankering to try some off-road riding on forest tracks or you’d love to give bikepacking a go. Learning something new is a great way to increase your time in the saddle and stay motivated.

If you’re unsure where to start, you’ll find loads of tips and knowledge on our advice pages. Also check out the Cycling UK forum, where you can ask any burning questions. 

Join a group

This is an excellent one if you’re also interested in increasing your social connections. It’ll also give you accountability. It’s easy to sack off a ride when the only person you’re letting down is yourself, but it gets much harder when you know lots of other people are waiting for you.

If you have any doubts about joining a club, read our tips on choosing the right one for you.