Cycle commuting is a year-round activity. Even on a dismal autumn day or through a blustery week in winter, you still have to get to work, just like you did in summer. It makes sense to keep cycling and it is mostly enjoyable, once you’re actually riding. The problem can be finding the motivation to get out of the door and onto your bike. So it’s worth reminding yourself just what your cycle commute gives you, as well as considering ways to make your off-season journeys that little bit easier.

Why it’s better to keep riding

More money saved

You can save thousands of pounds over the course of a year by cycling instead of using other forms of transport. The more you ride, the more you’ll save. It’s one of the easiest ways to cut everyday living costs. If you want a very rough idea, assume you’ll save around £2,000 per year compared to driving, which is about £8 per day. You can be more precise by putting all your commuting transport costs – including hidden ones like depreciation, parking and vehicle excise duty – into a spreadsheet. When you arrive at a daily savings figure, highlight that cell and memorise the amount. Don’t like spreadsheets? A website like Cycle to Work Calculator or Calculate My Money can do the data crunching for you.

More free time

Cycling is often quicker than driving or public transport in urban areas, especially during peak commuting hours. For exact figures, time your journeys door to door. For a rough overview, check out the average traffic speeds on TomTom’s Traffic Index page. London drivers have it worst, losing 141 hours per year to congestion. Average traffic speed in the capital is just 10.3mph (16.5km/h). In Edinburgh it’s 11.6mph and in Manchester 12.9mph – all speeds that a regular cyclist or anyone on an e-bike can comfortably exceed. And these average speeds aren’t specific to rush hours, when they’ll be even slower. What else you could do with the minutes you save each day?

Better health and fitness

You know this already: cycling is good for you. If you ride to work regularly, you’ll easily meet NHS targets for physical activity and keep the side effects of a sedentary lifestyle at bay. While co-workers may complain of putting on weight over winter, due to a combination of less exercise and more comfort eating, you’ll comfortably maintain your normal weight. Have a look at how many calories you burn by cycling. This calculator also shows savings in CO2, so you can see how you’re helping the health of the planet, too.

Avoid winter bugs

Cycling to work reduces the risk of catching a winter cold compared to commuting on public transport. On your bike you don’t sit next to anyone sniffing or coughing, and you don’t touch shared surfaces like door handles and handrails. A study by the University of Nottingham found that passengers on buses and trams were almost six times more likely to catch the common cold. Even if you are exposed to viruses, your healthier lifestyle from cycling will strengthen your immune system, so you’re better placed to fight off infections.

Maintain mental wellbeing

Cycling is as good for your mental health as it is for your physical health. Like other forms of exercise – particularly exercise that takes place outdoors – cycling reduces stress, promotes calmer thinking and boosts your mood, easing symptoms of mild to moderate depression. It’s common to feel less upbeat during the shorter days of the year, and for some this can tip over into Seasonal Affective Disorder. To avoid or mitigate SAD, two of the NHS’s key recommendations are to “get as much natural daylight as you can – try to go outside in the daytime every day” and to “get regular exercise”. Cycle commuting ticks both of these.

How to stay motivated to ride

Be prepared for the conditions

There’s a saying that “there’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing”. Although that’s an exaggeration, it’s true that you’ll be far more comfortable in grimmer conditions if you’re dressed appropriately. A good-quality waterproof jacket and other gear will make miserable rides tolerable, even enjoyable, so you’ll be much less likely to skip them. Similarly, mudguards and good lights for your bike prevent wet roads and dark streets from being ride-cancelling problems. Punctures can be largely avoided by swapping the tyres for a tougher pair.

Don’t count the miles

If you’re regularly riding to work throughout the year, you’re winning at commuting. Don’t feel that you have to match your summer mileage or that you have to cycle every day. It’s fine to skip a day or two because the weather is appalling or because you’re tired. Go easy on yourself. If your commute feels too hard to do twice a day in the depths of winter, consider riding to work in the morning and then taking your bike home on public transport. Alternatively, get a folding bike so that you can go part way to work by car, train, bus or tram, and then ride the rest. You’ll still get a cycling fix without being committed to bashing out as many miles.

Commute with company

When someone else is counting on you to do your commute by bike, it’s much harder to back out. Maybe you can find a commuting buddy – from friends or work colleagues – whose ride to work at least partly overlaps yours. You can then arrange to meet at a set time and place each morning, then ride onwards together. Or maybe you can drop your children off at school or nursery on the way to work? You’ll need the right bike or accessories, but then you’ll enjoy more family time while killing two birds when one stone as far as the journeys are concerned. If there’s no one you can physically ride with, how about virtual company? Join the Cyclescheme Strava Club and earn kudos.

Reward yourself

Once you’ve worked out how much you’re saving by cycling to work each day, move that money into a separate bank account at the end of each week or month. As you continue to commute through the year, you’ll see the balance steadily rising. You can spend this money on holidays or treats without feeling guilty – you’ve earned it by riding your bike! – or just use it to build up a rainy-day fund.

Switch to an e-bike for the winter

An e-bike removes the effort from cycling to work: you can cruise there in pretty much any conditions and over any terrain. You won’t find yourself thinking you can’t be bothered to ride when it genuinely is no bother. Investing in an e-bike doesn’t mean giving up on your ‘manual’ or pedal-only bike. In better weather or when you’re feeling on form, you can still savour a human-power-only ride. When you just want to get there as easily as possible, hop on the e-bike. You don’t have to spend a fortune to get a good one. Budget brands with well-regarded models under £2,000 include Estarli, MiRider and Tenways.