By figuring out which time of day you’d prefer to schedule rides, you’ll have a better chance at getting consistent saddle time. – By Selene Yeager
For many riders, consistently finding time to ride boils down to finding the right time to ride — the time of day when they have the fewest interruptions and potential disruptions. Consider the pros and cons of the morning, midday, and evening hours.
Sunrise Ride
Many of my friends tell me that if they don’t pull “dawn patrol” or ride at “first bird,” they don’t ride. It takes some discipline, but this is the time that consistently tops the list when cyclists explain how they squeeze more rides into their week. E-mails, texts, and calls from people who need things from you build up as the day wears on. Life doesn’t pitch many curveballs at 6:00 or 7:00 a.m. So by getting out the door early, you avoid those distractions. As a bonus, you also avoid a lot of traffic, and in the summer, the scorching heat of the day. By the time you get to work, your workout is done, and the day is yours. All these benefits may be why research consistently shows that morning exercisers stick to their routines better than those who try to fit it in at other times of the day.
The biggest obstacle to a rise-and-ride plan is that “rise” part. It’s amazing how many excuses you can dream up while your head is resting on a soft pillow. Make it hard to talk yourself out of riding by placing all of your clothes in a neat pile directly in your line of sight from said pillow before you go to bed. Also prepare your water bottles and have them in the fridge ready to go. If you go to the trouble to pave the way the night before, you’ll be far less likely to let yourself down come morning.
Read: 9 Ways To Become A Morning Rider
Lunch Break
Many cyclists have lunch ride clubs gathering with riders in the area of their workplace to ride during their lunch hour. This is an excellent option if you can swing it. But it takes a little preparation.
You have to find a place to ride. Local parks are a great option if you’re in the city. Or maybe you can find some back roads to string together a good 15-25km loop if you work in a more suburban or rural setting. You also need to pack your stuff and be a quick-change artist in the office restroom. But once you try it, you’ll be hooked. This midday “brain shower,” as a friend of mine calls it, improves your mood, refreshes your energy, and boosts your productivity for the rest of the day. You can just grab a healthy lunch (or bring one with you) to eat at your desk after you ride.
Assuming that you don’t have a barrier, like a boss who will breathe fire if you’re away from your desk for more than 45 minutes, the most common midday riding quandary is post-ride cleanup. If your office building has a shower facility and locker room (many do), you’re in luck. But truthfully, you don’t necessarily need a shower, even after a sweaty ride. A quick toweling down and cleaning up with some baby wipes will leave you feeling fresh in a snap. As for your hair, a little gel or mousse and a blast with a travel hair dryer will help lift it back in place.
Evening Spin
There’s no better way to release the stress of the day than to ride away from it. During the workweek, this is also the time of day when most rides organised by your cycling club hit the road. So you’ll have the added motivation of meeting up with people and being able to enjoy the company of others at the end of your day.
The barriers here are fairly obvious. While post-work is undoubtedly one of the most popular times to work out (just try to get on any gym treadmill at 6:00 p.m.), it’s also a popular time for life’s admin which includes school board meetings, the odd grocery stockup and a host of other extracurricular and community activities. Your best bet is to schedule your evening rides as you would any other meeting: Put it on the calendar and commit to it.
Consider Bike Commuting
Before people rode bikes for exercise and fun, they rode them for transportation. In light of rising fuel costs and global climate change, many are discovering that getting around by bike saves money and emissions, and comes with a side benefit of getting in shape.
Read: This Is What Happens When You Ride Every Day
Use Your Weekends
To get better at cycling, it helps to ride at least three or four days a week. The weekend is your chance to seize two of them without the time constraints of work. They’re also the times when you’re most likely to find shop rides, club rides, charity rides, and friends who are available to spin along on a long, rambling ride.
Get up early, and you can sail around for two blissful hours and still get back in time to have breakfast with the family. Even if you have other obligations, you can usually squeeze in a ride around them.
This excerpt is from Bicycling’s Big Book of Cycling for Women.