As the weather turns to gray, you have a lot of options if you have big biking plans for the spring. One of the easiest things you can do is to bring your outdoor bicycle inside and put it on a stand that converts your bike into an exercise bike. Here are a few tips to make your indoor bike rides challenging!

1) Follow the big race – I enjoy my workouts the most when I get inspired by some of my athletic heroes. Turn on a big bike race and bike along with the champions. Enjoy the Tour d’France in your own living room and without some of those giant hills.

2) Change your tires – You don’t need to bring in all that mess into your living room. This is a great time to invest in new tires so that you can enjoy them in the spring and keep your living room clean. Find a great pair of tires that are the same weight as ones you will race with in the future.

3) Don’t get a too fancy stand – You can find stands to fit any budget, and even if you are serious about training, you do not need to buy too fancy a stand, you are only going to use it in the winter. Make sure your stand does not make too much noise, that WILL get annoying after awhile! Speak to your local bike shop if you are unsure what will be the best fit for you.

4) There is an app for that! – It may be hard to stay motivated if you are used to biking in an exciting outdoor environment, but using an app to record your rides and compete with yourself is a great tool to get you through those hard winter months. Kinomaps is an app that will take you through some of the greatest bike races in the world, and you can do it all from your home. This is a great way to spice things up a bit. You can also compete against others to keep you motivated.

5) Netflix is your friend – If you are bored, just turn on Netflix and start watching a long running show like the X-Files from start to finish. You may find that you end up working through ‘just one more episode’ and end up going a lot further than you have planned.