Inspiration

We all know that exercise benefits our physical health but what about our mental health? Recent research has shown that two-thirds of people spend less than an hour per day outside during autumn and winter. There's never been a better time to get out on your bike!

I'm a bike racer with a love of brakeless fixed gear circuit races, like the infamous Red Hook Crit. I ride Downhill and Enduro mountain bike events. I've 'bikepacked' in the wilderness. I love fast, thrilling, supremely challenging events.

Yet for some reason, I’m kind of nervous about going for a ride with a toddler.

I had no idea that Sunday rides with the cycling club were ‘a thing’ and I had no idea about group riding etiquette. In in the interests of keeping my new friends rather than being cast out into the wilderness I did some fast learning.

Sportives are brilliant - organised rides to allow you to challenge yourself on beautiful routes, either with existing mates or making new ones. But it's worth going in as prepared as possible, as Juliet found out...

Is there anything that a good bike ride can't solve? OK, Brexit perhaps. And Boris Johnson's hair. That aside, getting out for a pedal is one of the best ways to make things better that humanity has yet invented, as Juliet explains.

In a world in which we're bombarded by ways to compare ourselves to others, it can all feel a bit overwhelming. It's easy not to appreciate your own achievements. All the more reason, Juliet argues, to take stock of where you are and where you’ve come from, comparing yourself against no one else but… yourself!

Just because it’s hard, it doesn’t mean you suck. Sometimes we all need an attitude adjustment. The power of positive thinking is real. And so is the power of negative thoughts.

I’m not sure that making yourself feel bad is necessarily the best start to a year, so how about making a resolution that has nothing to do with deprivation and everything to do fun?

Managing work, family, chores and time on the bike is a fine juggling act. When life gets busy, stress levels ramp up or time is short it can be easy for exercise and recreation to slip down our list of priorities. Juliet Elliott should know...

Like the sport itself, cyclists are a hugely diverse bunch. Much as those in the anti-bike brigade like to think it, we’re actually not all the same. We are everyone. Inciting wars between road users and slagging off everyone who likes riding a bike shouldn’t be the last acceptable form of bigotry.

There's no denying that road racing is really hard. If you want to do yourself justice you're going to have to deal with nerves, physical pain, perhaps some fear and potentially some risk. These are all things I choose to accept. That doesn't make me a badass, it just makes me a bike racer. I'd like to tell you about my first race.

If you’re looking to upgrade your old bike or make the very most out of a new investment these are the best value bike upgrades that make give the biggest increase in cycling performance