Right around the time that everyone starts talking about next year’s cycling goals–see GCN’s “Further or Faster: Which is Your Goal” for an example of what I mean–is when I start feeling a bit burned out on cycling. But I have a way to get the joy back. And it’s got nothing to do with setting ambitious mileage or race-related goals.
It’s about a goal aimed at turning every ride into a micro adventure that brings a smile to your face. Here’s how it came about…
A few years ago I decided to try to ride on all of January’s 31 days. The goal had no other requirements. Just ride. Every day.
What I discovered is that with no pressure to achieve a certain heart rate or pedal a certain distance, my rides were transformed. Maybe I’d grab my commuter bike and poke around the neighborhood. Or I’d let the day slip by and find myself out for a night ride.
I couldn’t shake myself of the need to record my rides, so my compromise was that most days I kept my GPS in a handlebar bag so that I could just ride without looking at a map or data. One day I played “Strava segment avoidance” by starting my ride with no planned route and instead trying to follow a route where I thought I would cover as few Strava segments as possible.
Riding became about exploration and adventure again. I discovered new roads and also saw old roads in new ways.
As I think back on my experiment, I realize that it epitomizes the Comova spirit of utilizing the bicycle as a tool for adventures that nurture joy, curiosity, compassion and connection. (See
So to get you in that spirit, I present to you Comova’s Spirit of Adventure January Cycling Challenge!
What do you get for completing the challenge?
What are the rules of the challenge?
Riding all 31 days of January in my original experiment turned out to create some unnecessary stress. So we’re calling this the “24/31 challenge.” That means all you have to do to complete the challenge is ride on 24 of January’s 31 days.
That’s it! It doesn’t matter how long a ride is. Ideally, in the spirit of adventure, you’ll push yourself to the edge of your comfort zone by squeezing in a couple rides in conditions or to places that you wouldn’t normally ride in. It could be a rain ride or a nighttime ride, for example. Or see How to Make Your Next Ride a Cycling Adventure for ideas we shared in a previous post.
But ultimately all that is required is to ride on 24 days in January. If a daily lap around your block is the only riding you can squeeze in, that’s fine!
How do you get your discount?
Email letsride@comovacycling.com by February 4 with a link to your Strava profile (or other activity-tracking profile). We’ll verify your 24 days of riding in January and send you a discount voucher.
Want a bonus?
Bump your discount up to 15% by including in your email a description of the experience. What did you discover? What were the new places you ventured to? Were there surprises? Did you rekindle a joy for riding? Or was it a grind to complete the challenge?
I look forward to hearing your stories and will compile them into a future post.
