how do you motivate yourself to ride in rubbish weather?

I suffer from severe depression, anxiety and recently had the body blow of being diagnosed with early onset parkinson's.

I still manage to get myself out in bad weather, snow, sleet, rain, wind....etc

I find it helps me get away from "normal" life, wind in my hair and forgot for a couple of hours how shit things are turning at home. FREEDOM.

You just have to wrap up warm and forget the weather, focus on the cycling

Commute in all weathers and just accept it as part of the bike experience but I won't go out riding for pleasure if it's chucking it down. And I definitely won't be getting my 'best' bike covered in mud, salt etc!

Gkam84 am sorry to hear that.i hope that it doesn't get too bad (and good luck with beating depression/anxiety also.the fact that you ride your bike a lot will help you out i reckon.
what you say is true though,i have to follow your advice.tis only water (as peter gabriel sang once

ah stuff the weather,i will definitely be riding my new bike when it turns up (have been waiting for over 20 odd years to get a decent road bike).

good luck in getting better sir and thanks for the reply

Just relish the challenge

After a couple of years of (almost) daily commuting in all weathers in west central Scotland I'd say that if you can persist enough for a couple of months it will just become habit, and the weather really won't bother you. Also I have noticed a big upturn in my mood since I made regular cycling the norm; things just don't bother me as much and I feel confident to take on what life throws at me.
Do it enough to make it habit and you will start to enjoy all the benefits. Mudguards aren't a bad idea too!

Team up with a mate.

Also:

#9

Rule 9.

That's a good feeling.

Even in the worst weather, my bike commute is better than being on the Tube...

externilise the distractions, weather, crap roads, life,s problems and focus on the ride and how good it is to be doing what you enjoy.

One other thing, treat your bike as another member of the family, so when you've thrashed it around, come home and give it a nice clean bath and dry it off thoroughly, it will love you back for longer that way.

Take care of it and you shall have a longer life with it.

When you bike in the rubbish weather, it makes you realise how much funriding in great weather is.

Apparently, the excersise you get from regular cycling (whatever the weather) encourages you body to release some sort of 'happy hormones' - I always feel great after riding. I commute in all weathers and find (as eluded to above - the tube) I don't get the nasty bugs that inhabit trains, tubes and places where hundreds of people gather - a second class ride beats a first class train every time.

A close buddie was actually recommended to start cycling to reduce stress/anxiety which he suffered bad with, he was a different person a few weeks into riding to work. I find a great relief when I ride in the rain - some call me mad but I genuinely love it in the rain.

I do s***t myself (regularly) in the icy weather though.

Go for it but don't wreck your new (excellent) bike - good luck with it and get some decent kit to keep you dry (ish) and warm.

Regards

Trikeman.

Would agree with everything above especially Rule 9 and arrange to ride in a group; rides in poor weather are very memorable occasionally for the wrong reasons. I will never forget a ride in a group where we had a snowball fight whilst riding (we were able to reach down and gather snow) and finding myself riding down hill on sheet ice, there were gaps of dry tarmac but none wide enough to stop, so I was able to almost stop and then had to release the brake and pray. I got to what I thought was the end of the ice, found the 'wet' road was black ice and went down like a sack of spuds without a scratch! Mudguards are also a necessary evil. But where cycling and bad weather are concerned the rule that there is no such thing as bad weather just the wrong clothes is worth remembering. Was thinking this all the way round the 100 mile Exmoor Beast this year, I would have paid a lot of money for a pair of overshoes! It was bitter weather but I still finished

I don't suffer from depression (I don't think) but I do have times when I'm almost inert, like a feeling that I just can't move to do anything. I've learnt that I have to apply real mental focus (actually learnt in martial arts classes) to do what I need to do (e.g. get ready) but then once I'm out, such feelings disappear.

When the weather looks grotty, I console myself with two things: if few(er) others are out training, then I'm catching them up fitness-wise, and that I get the chance to use the posh Rapha rain jacket that I got in a sale. Perhaps treat yourself to something fancy that makes the poor weather a positive?

The other thing is that I try to use familiar routes, but each one infrequently so that almost every ride I can secure a couple of personal records on Strava.

Good luck and stay positive.

Great stuff above. More prosaically, you will get wet, but overshoes definitely make it less vile. Enjoy. The road in the wet is better than inside in the wet.

thanks a lot for all the advice i just won't be able to help myself when the bike turns up (i just want to start riding it

will post up some videos of it's first outing next week

i will firstly be walking (i know/it's just that the bus fare is so expensive/every spare penny will be going to pay off the bike) from devizes to melksham.then if i'm not dead will try and do a ride that i have planned for it's first outing.

from melksham to lacock.up the steep hill to the main chippenham/devizes road.
cross over to calne.
turn right at the main road (as if going to beckhampton roundabout) but climb back up hill where north wilts golf course is).
cross over the main road at junction (devizes/beckhampton) and head to horton then to pewsey vale. (sorry for the long write up

continue onto marlbrough (stop and have a coffee).then return back to devizes via pewsey vale (by this point i will be feeling like this

i know it's a big ride for me (as i really am not very fit),but i really wanted to give my new bike a decent first outing (will really test my legs on the hills also
if you've read this far award yourself a piece of cake from me for reading all that

Motivation In:

I have to get to work to pay the mortgage

Motivation Out:

I want to get home to be with the kids

In other news, bad weather does not bother me, high wind is the only killer - drains energy.

Sounds like youve got in under control already!

Planning and preperation always overcome procrastination!

I do actually enjoy riding in the rain and feel great for the achievement afterwards knowing mere mortals would never do such a thing but I hate the idea of it the night before and especially the morning I have to get up out fo my cosy bed and leaving my wife there on her own...stealing all the quilt!

Plan your route...DONE
Organise your gear:
Bike....Sounds like youve sorted it, condsider lights/mudguards etc but all extras.
Gear....Just have the basics covered at least, anything WProof top and bottom, warm layers and base layers so you dont get all sticky/sweaty.
Reward...youve got a cafe stop in there, great...what about afterwards? I love planning a long hot bath and usually sort the bath out the nite before (remove the clothes hung out to dry etc).
Food...you need to eat prior, during and after or else you will drain yourself to the point that your conditions will take over completely, before, during and after. Decent dinner and some supper the day before, brekfast/wakeup coffee prior, cereal bars/coffe stop during and have something ready for your return home.

Reasoning: Give yourself a reason to do it, fitness, health, fun, whatever it means to you..and remember that somehow whether it be pictures or books, or even eurosport/dvds. It all helps you to visualise it and plant that seed deep down.

I love cycling in a group....I hate getting out of bed early when I have the option as I so often dont.

Ive only just managed, last week, to get out with my local club for the very first time in 18mths and now im kicking myself I didnt do it sooner.

Still hate getting out of bed early though!

Plan and prepare.

Whenever I look outside and start to wonder about whether I should give the ride a miss, I tell myself 'this time tomorrow/monday/in 2hrs time, I'll be sitting at a desk wishing I was on my bike'. Never fails.

The worst bit is always sitting indoors looking out at the weather. Once I am out there this seems to be the case regardless of rain, wind, tired, hung over, a bit sore etc

Like others have already said just go for it. I sometimes do myself out of a ride by looking out the window and thinking eugh! also when I've got "the black dog" but do manage to get past the front door the first five or so miles I am fighting my inner voice that says, ah a quick left here then another and I'm home. The feelings of accomplishment, self achievement happiness etc etc after a ride far outweigh the frustrations of sitting around doing nothing.
Good luck to you and have fun on your new bike.

just get out and do it

It's always slightly better outside than it looks from inside the house.

Commute, even the shittiest london weather is better than the tube.

Have a crappy bike for towpath excursions.

Mountain Biking! Somehow nicer to get filthy and soaked if there are no cars around and you are 'in' the environment rather than riding thorough it.

MTFU!!!

Plan events and work towards them - this will get you out.

If I don't ride I get very very very shitty indeed (integral part of my depression avoidance mechanism!)

This is what works for me:-

Set a target number of rides or miles that you'd like to achieve in a month. If you have some friends to benchmark against then so much the better. Record your outings on mapmyride or something similar so that you can chart your progress. When bad weather comes your way, you know that you'll still have to go out to hit your target or to put one over on your riding buddies. As many have stated above it is rarely as bad as it looks when it's raining and you love riding your bike anyway right? Just in case you are not aware of the excellent if a little tongue in cheek Velominati rules I'll quote rule #9 for you:

Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.

Fair-weather riding is a luxury reserved for Sunday afternoons and wide boulevards. Those who ride in foul weather – be it cold, wet, or inordinately hot – are members of a special club of riders who, on the morning of a big ride, pull back the curtain to check the weather and, upon seeing rain falling from the skies, allow a wry smile to spread across their face. This is a rider who loves the work.

The only other rule that you really need to know is #5.
There's nothing quite like telling your friends to MTFU when they've been shirking rainy rides.

Enjoy that new bike, I bet you'll love it!
I always feel great after I've been out on mine, I hope that it's the same for you.

Excuses? Have some of mine! Here's a few of 'em-----it's raining, it's too hot, too cold, it's snowy, it's windy, it's too far, it's not far enough to bother, too much traffic, this stuff (to transport) will weigh my bonk-bag down, there's nothing to lock the bike to at the cafe-stop, I'm a bit tired, I'm not really fit enough, my head aches, my (left)knee doesn't feel right....and ultimately the classic copout: I'll go tomorrow!
At 16 I joined a club, and for 18 months the weather--any kind, including snow & ice-- was entirely irrelevant. Bring it on! The worse it gets, the more HEROIC you feel. And as has been mentioned elsewhere, hard rides stimulate your feel-good endorphins (peptide neuro-transmitters in yer brain, innit) which are well known to lift your spirits. However, having said all that, I'd advise you NOT to instantly sally forth into a downpour unless you have to. That's my philosophy these days, but if I do get stuck in the wet stuff, I just get stuck in. "I can do this! Rain & wind don't beat me---I beat rain & wind! And it's doing me good---ALL OVER!"
And after the battle, how do you feel? Relaxed--and happier.
P.R.

Seconded - public transport from 'burbs into weegie-toon (AKA Glasgow to the southerners) is totally depressing and NOT how I choose to start my day

Make a public commitment to someone that you are going to ride X days per week and ask them to check up on you - amazing how avoiding having to making lame excuses can focus the mind and determination.....

Commute in all weathers across London,

Just think of the alternative, sitting in traffic or squashed on tube.

Cycling gives Same time whatever the time, weather......

The hardest part is getting out if the door, pack the night before so fewer excuses.

Nice if destination has hot showers..

My wife called my bluff on Sunday. Weather was terrible ouside, friend decided not to venture out, I didn't really fancy it either tbh. Then: "You mean you spent all that money on a bloody bike but you're not going to ride it?" That was all I needed. Conditions were pretty awful but I'm glad I went.

Errr...might be slightly masochistic, but I love it when I turn up at work soaking wet/blue with cold/running sweat etc and my work colleagues hurl abuse at me as a front for their total respect.

Comments like "How far is it to your house" and "How long does it take you....must be mad" just fire me up to do it again and again.

I'll get my coat.......

My excuse? The bikes live in a damp, unheated shed. Had the MTB for 6 years and there's lots of rusty bolts etc on it. Only had the road bike a year and don't want it going the same way by riding it in bad weather.

Poor excuse I know! Any tips for keeping the bikes tip top given the damp shed they live in?

thats a nice ride, I work in Devizes and use various parts of that route for testing the bikes and extending my commute home to Westbury.

If you see a roadcc jersey darting through the Devizes traffic be sure to wave

will do stuke

i have to admit,i didn't do the ride that i planned above (got my tarmac sport yesterday).due to the weather/lack of fitness i ended up cycling from melksham cycle centre to lacock,then up bowden hill.turning right to bromham,then going back to rowde (via hawkstreet country lane).then devizes. slightly shorter than i planned

i do plan on doing the above route sometime soon though hopefully friday/or next week if the weather improves.

but i cannot wait to start riding my new bike regularly

'Errr...might be slightly masochistic, but I love it when I turn up at work soaking wet/blue with cold/running sweat etc and my work colleagues hurl abuse at me as a front for their total respect.'

Even better, *I* have dry clothes to change into after my commute. *They* do not.

Win/Win.

I'd have to say that this year has had the worst weather for cycling.

Three times my current club cancelled the Thursday Time Trial due to bad weather. One time I rode the course with my winter gloves on and a waterproof jacket. I don't recall it ever raining so much in my lifetime.

The current weather isn't much better either.

There's three kinds of weather I avoid riding in - high winds and rain, ice and snow. All of these are like a suicide mission.

As for motivation - I ride to and from work by bike and I save on transport fares.

Give the bike a good clean and wipe down after use. Spray the bolts with a protective film or just replace them every so often, they are not expensive. At a minimum wipe down the chain and relube with a wet lube if out in bad weather. Advise the owner to familiarise himself with the rules and to HTFU.

Have to say I loved my battle into work yesterday morning in the wind and rain....once you get out there it's fine after a couple of minutes:)

+1: same applies.

Also Rule 5

How timely. I work from home one day a week and get out for an hour at lunch. I'm sat here looking at the wind battering the small conifer in the back garden and listening to it howling down the chimney.

However, if I don't go out, I'll regret it.

Your route takes in some of the roads I use on my commute i.e. Melksham to Lacock, if you are getting up Bowden hill without issue you must be pretty fit already. You can always go up Naish hill too for some variety and less traffic.
I go a different way to you from Lacock on to Kington Langley near Chippenham, 20 miles each way.
I ride in all weather conditions.
The roads are cruddy all the time recently, I fell off on Monday turning left a bit too keenly apparently, front wheel slid out from under me, fractured thumb, duffed up shoulder, 2 days off, back on today, bit silly really but I love it no matter the weather.
Used to worry about keeping dry but even with all the rain we have you rarely get soaked and when you do, so what, you dry.

Get some good lights and go out just before dawn. Nothing like seeing the sky brighten up an hearing the birds singing. I leave the house at 5:30 most mornings to do a 30 mile commute to work (direct route would only be 7 miles) by 6:30 it starts getting light and you can hear the birds. On quiet country roads it's a nice thing to see nature waking up. I often see deer as well.

p.s mtb shoes with less holes in rather than road shoes, and overshoes to keep your feet warm and dry help. Not much worse on a ride than wet feet on a cold windy day.

again thanks for all your replies

i got the tarmac on tuesday (fantastic bike it was windy but luckily it wasn't raining much.

i ended up doing a shorter ride for my first ride than what i originally planned (i did just about manage bowden hill on the bike/but felt like my lungs were about to exit my chest at the top
i just returned to devizes via rowde in the end.

i am planning on taking it out for it's first proper ride tomorrow (the route i originally planned).the weather is meant to be a lot better than today (no rain/wind

i did a map of the route on google (no gps/cycle computer). it's going to be over 50 miles with nearly 2000 ft of climbing

quick route guide (from devizes to rowde,then country lane to 3 magpies/melksham cycle centre (to get gears adjusted).
then going to bowden hill from melksham,go towards calne,but cut off by heddington steps.follow country lane until it joins the road that goes up hill to north wilts gof club.
then continue on road (over main beckhampton road) to horton,then pewsey vale.
climb the hill and continue to marlbrough.
stop for a coffee,then back via pewsey vale again to devizes

i cannot wait tbh to start riding the bike properly

will do i ride report tomorrow/pics when i get back

edit here's tomorrow's weather for devizes region to prove it is meant to be nice http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/sn10?day=1

Conditions today were as bad as I can remember on a bike ride. Had to get off and push a few times it was so gusty. Better weather tomorrow though!

I also forgot this video. If you like intellectual musical comedy and don't mind some swearing.

Watch this....Some people have it worse

http://youtu.be/0GCyMtNl8T8

Congrats on the new bike. I spotted the vids too.

I saw your posts on stw and here (I ride mtb as well - do you still have your one?)

It's great to have variety and any cycling is better than none so try and get out as much as you can.

I wish you all the best with winning the battle v depression.

thanks a lot Super Domestique (and to everyone else also
yes i still have my charge duster (skinny steel mtb in fluro kawasaki green it's a lovely bike (but not when it's covered in chalky clay (that wiltshire terrain is renowned for

i went out on the road bike today (for it's first proper ride).i have to admit that i couldn't stump up to the 50 mile ride i had planned (i ended up missing pewsey vale/marlbrough part/it was 27.1 miles according to google maps/no cycle computer atm).i also had to stop near the top of the hill (from calne to north wilts golf club i was knackered

i really love riding the tarmac.it's a fantastic bike.i also was in the big ring this time (for most of the way i had my saddle height too low for my first ride

i plan on going out at least twice a week from now on (do 25-30 mile rides)

allez

I went out with my father in law a couple of months ago and 5 mins into our ride the heavens opened.
It was the worst rain i had seen in years and to compound it all a lorry splashed a massive mud puddle over us waiting at a junction. I was ready to chuck it but we kept on going. We done nearly 50 miles on some of ayrshires best roads and were both in agreement it was one of our best ever rides.
Its a great feeling to finish a ride in shitty weather, a sense of fuck you weather im out on my bike and thats it.

Im not too keen on the wind though, as someone pointed out earlier it can be energy sapping

F*** me Have you seen the forecast for tomorrow (Sat) Where are the car keys.......