How to keep local rides exciting

It’s hard to get sick of cycling itself, but, sometimes as the summer days get shorter, the thought of riding your classic route once again can become a bit less appealing. Feeling bored on your rides can leave you a bit unmotivated, but there are a number of solutions for your local ride lethargy. Here are a few ways you can make cycling the same streets feel exciting again.

Ride a favourite route backwards

It seems basic, but riding up your regular descents and down your regular climbs can add a whole new element of excitement to a route you thought you knew inside and out. At worst, you’ll realize why you always ride the route in one direction, but you’ll likely find some interesting new features in a familiar place.

Review the route before you leave to make sure there aren’t any awkward turns or one-way streets.

Look for a local cycling group

Riding with others is a great way to pump yourself up to ride, find new routes and meet new people. Even if you’re already part of one group (as long as it’s not a racing team) there’s nothing stopping you from joining another. Try searching for clubs and groups on social media such as Instagram or Facebook, as many don’t have a proper webpage.

Create a local cycling group

If you know a few other enthusiastic cyclists in your area, there is nothing stopping you from making a group chat, email thread or even a Discord to connect everyone together. You’ll create connections, community and (if the chat really gets going) cyclists will start to organize rides, alleviating you of the burden of trying to figure out when/where you want to bike.

Ride all the roads

Connect Wandrer.earth to your Strava account and try to ride new kilometres every time you ride. The challenge will force you out of your routine, and you may find some exciting new roads that you never knew existed.

Go for a KOM/QOM

Fire up your Strava and look for a local segment that is safe to ride quickly. The Big Hill that everyone trains on might not be within reach, but there are hundreds of thousands of segments that you could target for a fastest time. A good segment is one located on, or around a route you typically ride, as you’ll be able to ride it frequently, get a good feel for it and compare your progress over time.

Take a friend out on a ride

A friend just getting back on the bike or an occasional cyclist will seriously appreciate the opportunity to ride with someone who knows the lay of the land. As you show your friend your favourite roads and segments, you’ll probably be reminded of why you like riding them so much in the first place. There’s nothing like looking at an activity through the eyes of someone just getting into it—the excitement is often contagious.