9 reasons to be cheerful as the clocks go forward this weekend

This weekend the clocks go forward signalling the beginning of British Summer Time. We might lose an hour of sleep on Sunday morning, but the benefits far outweigh this in our opinion. Here are 9 reasons to be excited about the clocks changing.

1. Commuting in daylight

Commuting through the winter can be tough with miserable weather and much darkness, but now we can look forward to leaving the lights at home and commuting in the daylight. It might even be time to try out some new routes or lengthen the commute home with an extra loop or couple of hills added just for the sheer pleasure of it.

2. You’ll get outside more

The most obvious benefit of the clocks going forward is that sunset will happen an hour later, so the longer evenings will benefit cyclists wanting to extend their evening rides. The extra daylight will also see evening training crit races, track sessions and local chain gangs get going again after a winter spent hibernating or locked on the smart trainer.

Oh, don't forget to think about sunscreen as well at this time of year. Here's how to avoid sunburn and stay comfortable.

3. Pack away the smart trainer

Smart trainers have become massively popular in the last couple of years and made a huge impact on how many cyclists get through the winter months. No more slogging through rain and gale-force winds, now it’s the virtual roads of Zwift and other popular online training services that let you get the miles in without facing the winter weather. But now the clocks have changed perhaps it’s time to put the smart trainer away and head back outside and do some real cycling?

4. Winter is behind us and the summer is coming

I love spring and the clocks changing signals that the winter is now firmly in the rearview mirror and ahead lay endless warm sunny days made for cycling. Okay, we can’t guarantee the weather will be perfect, but it’s generally on an upwards trend with warming air and less horrid conditions to contend with.

5. More daylight is good for your mood and motivation

Plenty of studies suggest that sunlight is good for your health with an uplift in mood due to higher levels of serotonin in your brain. So you can shake away the winter blues and lethargy and embrace increased levels of happiness and motivation that comes with more hours of daylight.

6. Get your legs out

Finally, you can ditch all those heavy layers of thermal winter clothing needed to stave off the cold and rain of the winter and switch to lighter summer and spring clothing. This change alone can make you feel lighter and faster on the bike, and it’ll soon be warm enough to get your legs and arms out as well.

7. Get your best bike out

If you’re still of the opinion that you should hide your summer best bike away during the winter months to protect it from salt and dirt, then now could be the time to get it out and prep it for the summer months. If you’ve been riding a heavy training bike through the winter, the switch to a lighter bike can be a transformative experience. You’ll instantly feel faster and that's a lovely experience.

8. Time to plan goal events and adventures

Now that winter is behind us we can start to plan for the summer ahead and look at events, races, charity rides and adventures we want to achieve before the clocks go back in October. This might be the year to ride your first 100km distance, maybe you can want to embark on a bikepacking trip, or maybe you just want to ride your bike more frequently. 

9. Be able to have a post-ride drink and sit outside

Ah, the sweet joy of sitting outside and enjoying your favourite cold beverage after a pleasant bike ride. It sure beats huddling inside a warm cafe escaping the cold and rain of a winter bicycle ride. This alone is a reason to celebrate the change of clocks.

But could this be the last time the clocks change? It might have gotten lost in all the Brexit news, but last week the European Parliament backed a proposal to stop the twice-yearly clock change and choose winter or summer time permanently. It remains to be seen whether the UK will choose either remain permanently on summer or winter time unless the government chooses not to abandon the change which has been in effect since 1916 when it was first introduced.

Let us know what you like about the clocks changing in the comments below.