I get a lot of crap about riding inside in the winter. "Why would you ride a trainer? It's so (fill in derogatory comment here). Man up, go outside." Yeah yeah.
Nevermind the fact that, until very, very recently, I lacked essential equipment for riding outside in snow and muck: a bike that isn't a full-on road bike. No, it was a matter of not being tough enough. Do a real trainer workout — not just spinning and watching Lord of the Rings or something — and you'll strike that notion pretty quick.
Anyway, it's not like I didn't want to be outside. There is often a time element involved. I typically have mornings free to ride. Even if it's going to be nice later, morning is my window. You get your work in when you can.
On some days of the week — Friday and Saturday, for example — I have an hour or so of workout time. Spending 15 minutes kitting up to go spin around outside for 40 minutes seems a bit of a waste. In that case, I'll probably hit the trainer, so I can get an actual hour of work in.
But here's a fun fact: I don't actually own a trainer right now. I sold my old CycleOps Magneto last winter, and the trainer I used since then was Munson's. But that trainer is back home now, so I'm looking at an empty basement. Kinda wild, really. (And what of the rollers? They're at the shop, because riding them on a carpeted floor sucks. I'll probably use them once a week for an easier spin.)
I'm not in the biggest hurry to make arrangements for another trainer. After all, I have three weeks until I fire things up. And with the exception of footwear, I'm set for riding outside. But I'm going to have to get ahold of one eventually.
But otherwise, I hope to be outside. Gee, I hope I'm tough enough. Guess we'll find out, won't we?
6 comments:
I find it's tougher to do the indoor training. It takes a lot of strength to keep plugging away on a trainer, especially if you add in intervals, etc. No snide comments from this reader!
And tough is relative. In my area there's little chance of snow, but I think 20 degrees is pretty damn cold for anyone without proper gear.
Testa said that he could distinguish between pro and amateur cyclists when he talked about trainer workouts.
When he told amateurs that trainer time equals double time outside, they'd ask, "So I ride for half as long?" Pros always asked, "Should I do all my workouts on the trainer?"
Eric, you beat me to the punch line. People that hate the indoor trainer make me, as a coach, look like a miracle maker.
The chances of you racing below 32 F is slim. So why train in crap below that? It doesn't make you tougher. If you want to learn to suffer, on the bike, train cold and wet. Now that could happen in a race.
You go outside layered up and your moments are restricted. Not very race specific. Jump on the trainer in your shorts, race specific. I can get you the same quality workout 2 hours on the trainer as 3 hours outside. I'm not even talking about killer death intervals.
Its probably just me, but I always feel slow and sluggish when I have to pile on loads of clothes to go out and train. Marc, don't you think that cross may be an exception to what you are saying re:temperature and training range?
Mike, chances are slim even for cross. How would you train for a one hour race at the max?
I think when I was training seriously, I always had a degree limit. If it was at least 30° without a ton of wind and some sun to warm you up, you head outside and enjoy the fresh air. Otherwise, like others have said, you don't get much benefit from "surviving" in 20° or below. It may be required if we have the same kind of winter as last year since a person could easily go mad being on the trainer that much. But let's just hope we don't have another one of those winters for a very long time.
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