That's the difference, I don't generally ride a bike, "for training'. I ride bikes because I truly enjoy it for it's own reward. Calling it sad is probably a bit of an overstatement but I can't help but feel if you are telling me how great indoor cycling is, you are missing something about the joy of cycling.

To each his own.

I rather be clubbed like a baby harp seal than do all my riding inside

I get that. I have a gravel bike and a mountain bike that I ride outdoors, for fun. I also go hiking and kayaking with the family for fun. I generally enjoy being outdoors. But for training, I just don't think you can beat indoors on the bike. YMMV

Funny this thread popped up today. I use to be all about getting outside and doing as little indoor training as possible. I used to despise riding on the trainer until recently. It's just not safe to cycle where I live in Vermont. Rural people in pick-up trucks can be pretty mean and down right terrifying to cyclists. The redneck factor is a serious issue in many rural areas. We have had a high number of cycling deaths as well the last few years. And then you get the distracted suburban people who are extremely inconsiderate and not always paying attention. Distracted moms in oversized SUVs can be quite dangerous. I feel like I put our lives as risk every Saturday in the summer training for an Ironman. We've had some crazy stories from minding our own business while riding our bikes. My husband wants to do most of his training rides on his gravel bike this summer.

So now it's that time of year where we should start doing some long outside road rides in preparation for another Ironman. My coach gave me the option of doing 4 hours on the trainer (very good quality session) or going outside tomorrow. I'm opting for the trainer. I still have a few more Saturdays left to ride the mountains before my next race. In the summer when it's warmer we'll start our rides at 5-5:30am to get a few hours of peace and quiet on the roads before all the assholes come out.

One thing that I never see mentioned is getting used to being out in the sun for a good few hours. I can get away with being on a trainer all winter and doing a warm,sunny 70.3 in March or April. But I need to get acclimated to the sun for a full Ironman (maybe I'm part vampire - pink). So those long 5-6 hours outside are crucial for me on Saturdays. That being said I may talk to my coach about maybe alternating weekends of trainer rides and outdoor rides for the big Saturday ride. Maybe every other Saturday I stay indoors to ride. It's also great mental-toughness training as 5-6 hours on a trainer is rough :-)

Another option I'm entertaining is asking my coach to schedule my long bike rides extremely early on the trainer Friday mornings before work then doing a couple hours Saturday on my gravel bike and running long on Sundays. Win win? Good quality long bike on Friday, some outside riding for sanity, and then my beloved Sunday long run.

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Death is easy....peaceful. Life is harder.

I guess a lot depends on where you're located when you train. Probably like most, I tend to head out in the early AM when roads are generally more clear. I much prefer training outdoors, but it's always good to have indoor options. Balance.

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"The first virtue in a soldier is endurance of fatigue; courage is only the second virtue."
- Napoleon Bonaparte

Indoor is a more efficient workout time/effort wise, but way less enjoyable than outside (even with tv/zwift/etc)

Where did you race CX? I’ve been wanting to try it for a while but could never find any close races. I’m in MA also.

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--Chris

Oh man, you can race every weekend from Sept-Dec around here. There are several races at the Bolton Fairgrounds, Gloucester, Falmouth, Warwick, Maynard. Just keep an eye on bikereg later in the summer and all the races will start popping up. It’s lots of fun, a great way to spend 40mins and way less demoralizing than long road races.

Timely, for me. 99% of bike training has been indoors for the last couple of years. For the same reasons as every one else - convenient, no car interactions, etc. But I did a three day outdoor ride last weekend (BRAG STU - look it up). Got about 150 mi of outdoor riding in over 3 days. Pretty fabulous. Rusty bike handling? Yes. But it reminded me that there is a part - a big part - of riding that is not just training (for me). Smells, sights, other cyclists to chat with IRL...pretty priceless, really.

You must have some previous offroad experience if you did just fine in CX with no outdoor riding. Getting on and off the bike, barriers, etc.

No, I had literally zero off-road experience of any type, it's crazy! Just decided I wanted to try out CX and initially pieced together a cheap old steel hybrid frame and had at it (and watched youtube for technique stuff). I'm not saying I'm some great bike handler, for sure, but I've only slipped off my bike 2 times in 2 seasons. As I get more to the front end I think I'll need to get smoother with everything but I've had good luck and have moved from a back of the pack as far as staging to upper half this past season, so I'm hoping for a good season this year with some additional fitness gains and better starting position.

I was happy to stumble across this thread because in the few years I've been doing triathlons I've transitioned to riding almost entirely indoors and I kind of thought I was a weirdo for preferring it. Good to know there are other weirdos out there.

Like others, I prefer the convenience of the trainer, in particular the ability to get a really hard workout in a short period of time. A Trainer Road VO2 workout (like this morning's Owens) is like a drug shot straight into my veins; the more I hate myself on the bike, the better the high I have for the rest of the day. It's that post-ride high that drives my addiction to biking and triathlons. It's hard for me to get that from riding outdoors. I live in Chicago and so I'm 10 miles to open roads. Even then, one always has to be wary of traffic and potholes. So much of my energy and concentration is spent keeping myself safe that I can't put my head down and hurt the way I can on a trainer.


I still ride outside sometimes on the weekends. Of course, I enjoy the pleasures of outdoor riding: getting out of the city, the feeling of speed, fresh air, etc. But that's hard to do during the week and there are costs even on the weekend. So I do not really get why some are disparaging toward a preference for indoor riding. It's just a matter of what the rider is seeking.

Indoors on the trainer at 5am during the week and outside on the weekend. We only have 3-4 months of favorable weather in the midwest so I have to get out there at least once a week. I'm fortunate to have a 50 mile out and back paved trail within 15 minute drive, a park with a 6 mile loop with very slow speed limits, and endless gravel roads out my front door with next to no traffic. No elevation though...

Zwift is so much easier and efficient than riding outside. I don't have to look out for cars, deal with mechanical issues, etc. I like group rides though.

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Make Inside Out Sports your next online tri shop! http://www.insideoutsports.com/

TR is probably the only opportunity I get to catch up with Netflix.

Makes a 2 hour ride safe and fun!

Don’t like it more but I have stopped riding in wet weather
It’s just maths. Don’t want the injury downtime

Like many I do most of my midweek training indoors now. For most of the year there's limited evening daylight and while I do have good lights for the bike, and used to train regularly in the dark, I just don't really enjoy night riding like I do other rides. So for the lat 2 or 3 years, Zwift has taken over on evenings when I don't get out before dark or when I'm just tight for time..... that's most evenings!
At the weekend though, I'm very disappointed if I end up having to do a trainer session rather than heading out on the road. The long Sunday rides, especially in the mountains, are incomparable to any trainer ride. I don't just train so I can race. I train because I like it. And the best part is a good ride in the hills.
I tend to occasionally shelve a wet ride in favour of Zwift. In reality, when I go out in the rain I'm always glad I did and I enjoy the ride more than indoors. However, I tend to forget this when I see the rain, the idea of heading out is always less palatable than the reality.

Regardless, it's about comfort and enjoyment. What's the injury issue you're referring to? Do you consider riding in the wet to be likely to result in injury? How/why?

I agree. I don't mind riding in the rain once I'm in it unless it's cold out. But I have to be riding somewhere I consider safe as rain can mean poorer visibility for cars.

I'm a freak as well! I love riding indoors (and I'll grudgingly admit that I also quite like treadmills as well - shhh, don't tell anybody!)

Still love to get outside as well, but that tends to be hiking or commuting by bike rather than training on a bike.

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http://www.howesgreg.com

I can't stand the treadmill. maybe if I had one at home I would like it better

I ride in Hong Kong - very very steep and slippery in the rain, the descents are treacherous. I will ride in the flats in the airport without concern however.

Both my crashes have been in the rain

How steep?
I've done plenty 15% climbs/descents in very wet conditions. As ever, you need to allow for the grip available but it's never been a problem. But if it bothers you, fair enough. Was just curious.

I have one...It came with the house I bought. They are still dreadful after about 5 miles even if you own the thing.

I love training indoors for the efficiency. I am able to have everything set up put Zwift on and get it going. It takes a lot more time and effort to try and hit the correct intervals outside and stay safe. It is a big safety issue for me. I've had a few bad experiences, popped tire, bike crash, ect. when I am outside that don't see that it's worth it to essentially waste time or have to take time off to recover. Also training indoors lets me start my recovery faster and get on to my next workout or in my recovery boots.

I will normally go out on my long ride to climb but I am starting to use the same route so my wife knows where I'm at and I know the route as well. I really enjoy races outside because the roads are typically closed down and people are more aware. Maybe I'm training more indoors out of fear but I'd rather be more cautious and have less risk than ending up not being able to ride because of a crash that could have been avoided. Plus I can really push the watts on Zwift with my head down and eyes closed if I need to get through an interval. I wouldn't be able to do that on the road ha!