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A male cyclist on a country trail with a bright blue sky.

12 Cycling New Year’s Resolutions

As we start a brand new year, there are plenty of opportunities to make this your best cycling year yet! Setting cycling New Year’s resolutions is a great way to identify your goals, see them through, and come out a better biker and person on the other side. If you’re struggling to come up with New Year’s resolutions, we’ve compiled a few great ideas to get you started.

1. Bike at a new location every month.

A cyclists on a bike trail in the middle of a forest during fall.

Cycling around the same old routes can get old. Add some variety to your workouts by biking around a new location each month. Whether you dedicate an entire weekend each month to exploring a new destination or pick a new trail to ride at one of your local parks, finding new destinations to ride is an easy way to add excitement to your regular cycling routine.

2. Complete a long-distance ride.

A couple on a bike path with loads of wild flowers.

Ready to take your biking to the next level? Tackle a new challenge with a long-distance ride. Cycling for several hours, days, or weeks will push you to your limits, but you’ll undoubtedly learn a lot about yourself in the process!

3. Invite a friend to cycle with you.

A group of cyclists in a bike lane.

Biking is an excellent group sport. Introduce a friend to cycling, or make it a goal to befriend another cyclist at a local park and try your hand at group riding. Although there’s a learning curve, you might find that riding with a buddy adds a whole new element to cycling. Plus, you probably love cycling for a reason, right? Why not introduce someone else to the joys of biking and set and achieve new goals together?

4. Try indoor cycling.

View of a cyclists on his indoor trainer from behind.

More and more cyclists are hopping on this bandwagon, and there are plenty of good reasons. Indoor cycling is fun, especially with apps like Vingo that let you bike new and exciting global routes with a personalized avatar. It’s also really convenient and inexpensive. You don’t need a ton of gear to get started, and there are several types of indoor trainers to choose from. You can even cycle virtually with friends if you prefer biking to be a social affair.

5. Make a cycling New Year’s resolution to ride competitively.

Group of cyclists riding competitively under a bridge.

If you’ve been cycling for a while, maybe it’s time to test your limits and sign up for a competitive cycling event. The process of training for an event will give you something to work toward and is an experience that will push you to grow, personally and as a cyclist. Finding a cycling event is easy, too. Do a quick Google search to find local events, or do a nationwide search if you’re okay with traveling to a different location to compete. Whether you prefer a charity ride or a multi-day mountain bike race, you’ll find various competitive events for cyclists of all performance levels. While you train, we can help you figure out what to eat, wear, and provide tips for your first bike race.

6. Try a different type of biking.

A mountain biker about to go up a hill.

Challenge yourself in 2023 by mixing things up with a new cycling discipline. If you prefer road biking, try your hand at mountain biking, gravel biking, time trials, indoor cycling, or another type of biking and reap all the benefits. You will learn how to rise to the challenge and build your endurance, expand your skills, and add some variety to your cycling routine in the process.

7. Set a specific fitness goal.

Cyclists going up a hill on a road with the ocean behind her.

Getting fit is one of the most overdone cycling New Year’s resolutions. And with such a broad goal, it’s easy to lose motivation. Instead, think about the specific ways you’d like to get fit and aim for that. For example, maybe you want to lose 10 pounds cycling. Or, perhaps, you want to improve your VO2 Max or reduce your body fat percentage by 10 percent. You can achieve all these things by biking regularly, but the more specific you are with your goals, the more likely you are to succeed.

Achieving biking goals is an accomplishment in and of itself, but celebrating them can also be fun! When you eventually reach your biking goal, why not treat yourself or your biking friend to a special something? There are excellent biking gifts out there for every type of cyclist, from cycling books to biking apparel, sports hydration systems, biking helmets, and electronics. T

8. Join a cycling club.

Two mountain bikers going up a hill during the middle of the afternoon.

Joining a cycling club is an excellent way to get into the habit of riding regularly. With some new riding buddies, you’ll have a safe and fun way to explore new local routes. You might also develop some great friendships and learn a lot about biking from more experienced cyclists who have plenty of knowledge to share.

9. Improve your cycling power.

Cyclists on the road peddling fast.

Power is one of the primary metrics cyclists measure to assess their performance. Your power, measured in watts, tells you how much energy you transfer to the bike’s pedals over a set amount of time. Improving your power is an excellent cycling New Year’s resolution because it reflects an increase in your performance and speed. 

10. Bike to work instead of driving.

View of a commuter late with cyclists and walkers in the middle of the city wearing work clothes.

If you live in an area where it’s possible to bike to work, it’s a great cycling New Year’s resolution and doing so has plenty of benefits. Commuting on your bicycle several times a week can improve your physical and mental health, saves money, and is better for the environment. Studies indicate you could even lower your risk of developing cancer or cardiovascular disease by biking to work regularly.1 

11. Bike a set number of miles.

Two cyclists taking a sharp turn going up a hill.

Many cyclists also like to track their mileage to measure their success. In 2023, consider setting a mileage goal that’s realistic but still motivating for you. This number will vary significantly from person to person and depends on your cycling habits and fitness level. But whether you aim to bike 1,000 or 100,000 miles this year, working toward a specific goal will help improve your endurance, performance, and keep you accountable.

12. Train with a cycling coach.

Two male cyclists riding side by side.

If you want to improve your cycling performance in 2023, hiring a coach is a great way to do it. Cycling coaches have a wealth of knowledge to share, which can be beneficial in many ways. They can help you develop a personalized training plan, improve your biking skills, break through plateaus, and be an objective third party to identify issues hindering your progress. That said, hiring a coach isn’t for everyone. But if you’re committed to improving your cycling performance, have the time to train regularly, and are open to receiving critical feedback, it might be a great cycling New Year’s resolution for you.

How to stick to your cycling New Year’s resolutions

Many people set goals for the new year only to forget about them a few weeks later. If you want to stick to your cycling New Year’s resolutions, the following tips can help you be successful:

  • Make your goals as specific as possible.
  • Share your goals publicly.
  • Write them down.
  • Track your progress.
  • Break big goals down into smaller, more achievable ones.
  • Learn from your failures.
  • Be patient and take baby steps.

Key Takeaways:

The start of a new year is the perfect time to set new goals. These cycling New Year’s resolutions are just a few ideas to get you started, but they can help you improve your performance and enjoy your cycling even more in 2023.

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Sources:

  1. ​​https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(20)30079-6/fulltext

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