Did you love zooming around on your bike as a child, but find that cycling in adult life consists of little more than the occasional ride on a hired bike when on holiday?

Whatever your reasons for wanting to make cycling a solid habit – fitness, sociability, or just to enjoy a bit of ‘you time’ – it’s a great activity to be involved with and one that can be enjoyed in many different seasons and settings.

So if you want to make cycling a regular habit but aren’t sure where to start, here are five ways you can get, quite literally, back on your bike.

1. Commit to a group ride

In partnership with British Cycling, HSBC UK runs traffic free  Let’s Ride events all over the UK, so you can simply show up, and get riding. From city centre rides to urban rides, the Let’s Ride events are open to the whole family and always great fun to be a part of.

Can’t make any the Let’s Ride events, British Cycling have a whole network of Women’s only Breeze Rides, Guided group rides and Ride social – so if you’re keen to go out with others, there’s no end of options!

2. Set yourself a challenge

Whether it’s a personal goal or training for an official event, setting a specific target to work towards is much more motivating than a vague intention to ride ‘more often’.

If you’ve got a goal to reach, you’ll have to put the hours in to meet it. For inspiration and motivation, British Cycling’s digital training guides are a great place to start.

3. Make it the start and end of your day

Swapping a crowded train ride or traffic-heavy car journey for a bike ride not only gets you on your bike more often without sacrificing precious free time, but also bookends your day with exercise to make you feel great. Just make sure you’re road-savvy and keeping safe.

There’s lots of useful advice to help you commute with confidence on your bike here.

4. Become a member of the British Cycling community

If you’re serious about getting back on your bike, why not make it official?

If you are a customer of HSBC UK you can get free membership to British Cycling, where you can get access to discounts on cycling gear, priority access to tickets for major events, great deals on insurance and loads more.

Plus, you’ll be the newest member in a community of more than 125,000 people of all ability levels who are passionate about getting on their bikes and improving conditions for cycling in the UK. What could be more motivating than that?

5. Try a special style of cycling

From the smooth, steady glide of road cycling to the unpredictable thrill of mountain biking, there are lots of different styles and activities that will bring biking into your lifestyle. And for those of you who want to try something really exciting, there’s always para-cycling...

Want to learn more about how you can get on your bike? Visit letsride.co.uk