No numbers, no glory: a happy mindset to be in entering 2021

What's keeping your motivation alive as we enter the new year?

Image: Michelle Arthurs-Brennan

Roadies love numbers, right? Average power, FTP watts, QOM time to beat on that-there climb out of Kent. Well, I’m afraid to say that this Christmas/New Year period I have near abandoned the watt-o-meter, and my distance numbers have been laughable for a road riding tech editor*. Not because I’ve not been riding, but because I’ve been cheating on the road bike, big time. Even when it’s wet and mushy (thanks for the ongoing earworm, Cardi B).

Why? Well, at the moment, predominantly because ‘weather’. Temperatures haven’t been far above 2ºC for what feels like weeks, and when it’s not foggy the sky is sheeting down dumps of precipitation ready and waiting to transform itself into a tarmac ice-rink overnight. It's likely that I'm being paranoid, but where I live it's impossible to get out without going up and I’d rather be paranoid than an extra statistic amid the A&E count.

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Michelle Arthurs-Brennan

Michelle Arthurs-Brennan the Editor of Cycling Weekly website. An NCTJ qualified traditional journalist by trade, Michelle began her career working for local newspapers. She's worked within the cycling industry since 2012, and joined the Cycling Weekly team in 2017, having previously been Editor at Total Women's Cycling. Prior to welcoming her daughter in 2022, Michelle raced on the road, track, and in time trials, and still rides as much as she can - albeit a fair proportion indoors, for now.