Five things to do when there's no cycling on TV

It's easy to get into a nice routine when there are bike races on TV: get stuff done in the morning, have lunch, then watch cycling all afternoon.

But, unlike football or, for some reason, ski jumping, there isn't always cycling to watch, meaning a three hour void to fill each afternoon.

Thankfully, Cycling Weekly is here with a few tips on how to fill your time now Tirreno-Adriatico and Paris-Nice are over.

1. Go for a bike ride

Unless you're lucky enough to be able to ride your bike in the morning before watching other, much fitter people ride their bikes on TV in the afternoon, you have to chose between one and the other.

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Unfortunately, with the racing having been as good as it has recently, you've probably opted for hours on the sofa rather than the saddle, so make the most of the lack of big races on TV and get out to put a few miles in.

2. Catch up on work

If you've been sneakily watching Tirreno-Adriatico and Paris-Nice on the corner of your work computer, quickly minimising the window whenever you see your boss coming over, then you're probably a bit behind on some essential pieces of work by now.

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Make the most of the slight lull in the action not only to catch up, but also to get ahead. After all, with the Classics and the Volta a Catalunya just around the corner, you're productivity is only going to drop once again next week.

3. Watch racing repeats

Yes, we know you watched the final stage of Paris-Nice on Sunday, but it was jolly exciting, so why not watch it again thanks to Eurosport's repeats.

What's more they're probably showing the 2015 edition of E3 Harelbeke or 2008 Paris-Tours or something like that, which will be a better use of your time* than whatever else your doing.

* May not actually be a better use of your time

4. Watch some racing with a load of Belgians you've never heard of

Oh wait, there may not be any WorldTour racing on the telly today, but you've got a bit lower level action at Nokere-Koerse today.

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The start list might be predominantly made up of Belgians that you've never heard of (Joeri Stallaert anyone?) but there are a few decent names like Adam Blythe and Nacer Bouhanni, and, more importantly, cobbles.

5. Get your best bike out of the garage

With the arrival of daffodils onto the shelves of Sainsbury's, spring is officially here, which means it's time to get your best bike out of the garage in preparation for some sunny weather.

Of course not everyone is lucky enough to have a "best bike" stashed away, so if you've got one bike to use all year round, now is the time to rid it of all the winter mud and muck and make sure it looks its best for the summer.