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Indoor Bike
Training?
Enter the wonderful world of indoor bike training.
I can hear it now, "How boring!"
by
Sarah Lieneke-Nickle,
www.trisports.com
As the
Holiday season approaches and temperatures steadily drop, triathletes become
faced with a difficult decision, to ride or not to ride. It is early Thursday
morning, you wake up to the sound of the wind howling at your window, the
temperature gauge outside reads 28°, and the chipper weatherman is calling for a
chance of flurries throughout the morning from his cozy warm studio. Now what
would you do? Option 1: Suck it up, layer on all the bike clothes that you own
(which isn't very many because you have only been riding for a year), strap on
your bike light (after all it is still dark out until 7am), place your travel
mug into your water bottle cage and head out the door for a nice winter training
session. Option 2: Decide that it is the off-season anyways, and you don't
really need to ride today do you? Probably no one else is riding right? You just
have a piece of pumpkin pie for breakfast and maybe head back to sleep for a few
minutes in your warm bed. The problem is that somewhere out there, someone is
riding their bike, getting stronger and faster for next season. Not competitive?
How do you think that extra ten pounds you have now gained for eating pie every
morning and sleeping in is going to feel on those first few major climbs of the
year? So what is the solution?
Enter the wonderful world of
indoor bike training. I can hear it now, "How boring!" or "I'm really not that
competitive, I don't need to ride in the winter". The truth is that using a bike
trainer does not have to be boring and it can help you improve your skills on
the bike so that you can be competitive next season. And you can do it all
without stepping foot outside in that nasty weather. Bike trainers have come a
long way in the last ten years, and are now offered in a large selection in both
price and style. Increasingly, triathletes are using them not only in the
winter, but also during the busy workweek in season, for a quality workout in
the bare minimum of time.
Types of
Trainers
There are three main types of
trainers, fan, magnetic and fluid. Fan trainers offer the most basic type of
resistance generated through, you guessed it, a fan. The resistance felt is much
like wind resistance you experience while riding on the road and will smoothly
increase exponentially as you go faster. Resistance capability for fan trainers
is based on the size of the fan on the trainer. Fan trainers are great for the
occasional workout, spinning and low-impact interval work. Magnetic trainers
provide the next step up in resistance. Resistance is adjustable manually or
electronically and increases proportionately to the amount of power applied to
the pedals. Magnetic trainers are very quiet and the wide variety of resistance
allows you to simulate climbing, spinning, sprinting and just about any other
condition you will meet out on the road. Fluid trainers work much like fan
trainers, but offer more resistance, a quieter ride, and a more realistic
road-like feeling. Resistance increases as your cadence increases, making it
great for keeping your heart rate up during hard interval sessions.
And Then
There Were Rollers
Rollers are an alternative to
using the standard rear wheel stationary trainer. Rollers are generally best for
those looking for spinning workouts and for a way to improve balance. To be used
safely, rollers require a great deal more concentration than just hoping on and
going to town. It is recommended that you try intervals on these only when you
become more experienced and feel comfortable on them. Rollers will provide the
beginner with a great steady calorie-burning workout. They can be more fun to
ride as you concentrate on your form, are nearly silent to operate and cause
less wear on your tires than a standard trainer.
Considerations
So what qualities should
you look for when choosing a trainer? Many models come adjustable to accommodate
a variety of wheel sizes so that you can ride your road bike on it one day and
your tri-bike the next. Storage of the trainer when not in use is also
important. Most trainers are foldable now so you can tuck them in a spare closet
or under your bed. And finally, think about versatility. A trainer that only
allows you to get a good spinning workout is fine if you are looking to keep the
holiday pounds off and get your heart pumping, but it is not going to help
improve your leg strength for next season. Many brands of trainers offer one or
more of each type of trainer. Popular brands of trainers with cyclists and
triathletes are
Kinetic, CycleOps, Blackburn and Tacx.
Indoor
Training Boring?
Anyone who gets bored
with their indoor trainer has ample opportunity to cure that with one of the
many videos out there. Ranging from coaches guiding you over the heart-pumping
music to a scenic view of the mountains, trainer videos offer great workouts
that you can grind through to pass the time quickly. Videos tend to be geared
toward working on one of many skills such as time trailing, climbing, sprinting,
spinning, proper cycling technique, etc.
Spinervals, CTS and Cylerobx produce a few of the many
series of videos on the market today. Also becoming increasingly popular are
computerized and virtual reality trainers. These trainers hook up to your PC and
many models will allow you to ride the courses of popular races or program your
own course.
Virtual reality trainers also provide realistic
resistance simulation throughout the video session.
Accessories
Beyond videos, there are
several
accessories available to make riding your trainer more
convenient. A trainer mat will prevent you from scratching up the nice finish on
your wood floors while preventing any chance of slippage through your ride. A
riser block will bring your bike to an even level by bringing your front wheel
up to the level of your wheel. They also will keep you front wheel stable. If
you want to catch-up on some reading or studying while riding, a SpeedReader
will connect to your handlebars and hold a book, magazine, holiday cards that
need to be written, etc. Finally, that big pool of sweat that accumulates at the
end of your session, while impressive, is really kind of gross. A sweat net that
extends from your seat to your handlebars will catch and absorb sweat, missed
sips of water, pie (if you choose to combine the two), etc.
Benefits
And if you are not convinced
yet to run out and buy that new trainer, just think about the benefits of indoor
training.
· You can do it any
time of day. Can't sleep? Hop on the trainer.
· No frenzied
holiday shoppers to share the road with.
· Enjoy a controlled
climate each time you ride. No wind, ice, rain etc.
· Progress easily
monitored and tracked when repeating workouts.
· You can watch your
technique in a mirror, or just admire those great legs.
· Intervals without
interruptions!
Seriously, riding a bike trainer during the winter months will allow the
beginning of next season to be a little less painful and a little more
enjoyable.
After all my convincing, if you
still are leaning towards option 2, and are headed back to bed, just remember
what your competition is up to. Think that no one else is riding this winter?
Well, I'm in Tucson, and we are out there riding. So you better jump on that
trainer, or hope we don't show up at your next race!
Happy
Holidays and Safe Training.
Sarah Lieneke-Nickle
TriSports.com
www.trisports.com
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