Login required to started new threads

Login required to post replies

Prev Next
Do you guys really spend all winter indoors on the trainer? (Pacific NW)
Quote | Reply
I want to improve my bike times and have just signed up at TrainerRoad.com

I was looking through the plans last night and see they have you 3-4 days per week.. I don't live in the snow, so I have the option of riding outdoors and am having a hard time imagining getting on the trainer 3X per week for multiple months and not getting rides in outside. Do you add them on top of the plans? Replace them once in a while?

What do you guys do?
Quote Reply
Re: Do you guys really spend all winter indoors on the trainer? (Pacific NW) [.david.] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I think I've ridden outside for maybe 10 hours this year, not counting races. You get used to it.

_____________________________________________________
Instagram | Team Kiwami North America
Quote Reply
Re: Do you guys really spend all winter indoors on the trainer? (Pacific NW) [Sbradley11] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I ride 2-3x per week indoors year round.
Occasionally, I take one extra day to go "play" outside, but it very much feels like a play day, vs the work inside.
Quote Reply
Re: Do you guys really spend all winter indoors on the trainer? (Pacific NW) [.david.] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I've done trainer 3-5+ times per week though the winter in the PNW with great success. Keep the workouts short <2 hours max, ideally under 90 minutes. 2-3 hard vo2/threshold interval sets per week. I find that I can't do much more than 7-8 minutes repeats at a hard effort indoors where as I can do similar intensity for 10-15 minutes outdoors before losing mental focus.

I toss in a few long outdoor team rides when the weather is nice.
Quote Reply
Re: Do you guys really spend all winter indoors on the trainer? (Pacific NW) [.david.] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I'm curious about the flexibility of Trainer Road and outside riding as well. I'd love to improve my riding and TR sounds like an amazing platform, but I just can't imagine not going outside especially in a climate with no snow!
Quote Reply
Re: Do you guys really spend all winter indoors on the trainer? (Pacific NW) [dcohen24] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
dcohen24 wrote:
I ride 2-3x per week indoors year round.
Occasionally, I take one extra day to go "play" outside, but it very much feels like a play day, vs the work inside.
Pretty much this. My outdoor rides (outside of racing) are more for fun and fresh air these days. With traffic lights and other possible interruptions outdoors, it's tough to get a structured workout in.
Quote Reply
Re: Do you guys really spend all winter indoors on the trainer? (Pacific NW) [andrejs] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
andrejs wrote:
I'm curious about the flexibility of Trainer Road and outside riding as well. I'd love to improve my riding and TR sounds like an amazing platform, but I just can't imagine not going outside especially in a climate with no snow!

If you're following a TR plan you can substitute outdoor rides anytime you want. There are no consequences to missing an indoor trainer ride. Trainerroad tracks your indoor TSS and keeps a log and details of all your rides with them but you do not need to stick with any specific workout sequence.
Quote Reply
Re: Do you guys really spend all winter indoors on the trainer? (Pacific NW) [.david.] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I live in Vancouver and I will usually ride the trainer 2-3 times a week during the fall/winter. I also try to make sure I'm riding outside at least once a week on the weekends, even if it's just for an hour. It's rarely cold enough that you can't ride outside, you just have to deal with getting soaked. I typically just ride the trainer because I can only ride early morning or after work and it's dark out.
This will be the first year I will be able to ride with power on the trainer, but in year's past I feel like I haven't gained much at all from it because I personally hate riding the trainer. Some people can gain a lot from it. But I think it depends on your mindset. As Jack said.. keep them short. Anything longer than a couple hours and I go crazy

Team Every Man Jack
Quote Reply
Re: Do you guys really spend all winter indoors on the trainer? (Pacific NW) [.david.] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
It basically depends on how productive you want your bike time to be and how productive you can be riding outdoors. When I lived in upstate NY, I could do 20 minute intervals completely uninterupted outdoors. When I lived on Long Island I only rode indoors because the traffic/stoplights/stop signs made outdoor cycling completely garbage.

Tim Russell, Pro Triathlete

Instagram- @timbikerun
Quote Reply
Re: Do you guys really spend all winter indoors on the trainer? (Pacific NW) [.david.] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Lots of trainer talk lately, I live in the south east so I can really ride outside all year, just getting back into training and racing and plan on doing most of my rides inside. We have a new baby in the house, I should probably replace my old noisy mag CO for a quieter model.
Quote Reply
Re: Do you guys really spend all winter indoors on the trainer? (Pacific NW) [IanH] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
IanH wrote:
andrejs wrote:
I'm curious about the flexibility of Trainer Road and outside riding as well. I'd love to improve my riding and TR sounds like an amazing platform, but I just can't imagine not going outside especially in a climate with no snow!


If you're following a TR plan you can substitute outdoor rides anytime you want. There are no consequences to missing an indoor trainer ride. Trainerroad tracks your indoor TSS and keeps a log and details of all your rides with them but you do not need to stick with any specific workout sequence.

Ok thanks, that's great to hear. I was hoping it wouldn't be too rigid of a plan.
Quote Reply
Re: Do you guys really spend all winter indoors on the trainer? (Pacific NW) [dcohen24] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
dcohen24 wrote:
I ride 2-3x per week indoors year round.
Occasionally, I take one extra day to go "play" outside, but it very much feels like a play day, vs the work inside.

Very similar riding for me here in CO. We still have good mid-day weather but I don't have the time to take advantage except on the weekends. Soooooo, I save up all my binge Netflix watching for trainer season. Just kicked off Season 5 of Walking Dead this past Saturday.

--------------------------
The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
-Nobody
Quote Reply
Re: Do you guys really spend all winter indoors on the trainer? (Pacific NW) [.david.] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Yes. Too many idiots behind the wheel. I would do it no matter where I lived. In the summers I occasionally get up and ride around Lake Sammamish about 21 mi. I do it on the weekends only and before most people are up driving. Done by 7ish. I find that I get a better workout on the trainer anyway. Don't get the benefit of coasting.
Quote Reply
Re: Do you guys really spend all winter indoors on the trainer? (Pacific NW) [.david.] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
In Vancouver, just up North from you, you can ride outdoors most days in the winter. It means taking the time to get dressed properly, then riding in cold and wet, cars that might not see you etc.

On TrainerRoad, I get a good effort in an hour or two, watch TV, and the program, and I'm done. I found that TrainerRoad actually made me want to work out on the trainer (In my case, exercise induced asthma also affected by cold and wet also influences my decision.)

However, by the time February/March rolls around, I dread the trainer.....

I got a set of rollers, so I will do that once in a while for a change of pace, to improve pedal stroke and balance.

As I mentioned in another thread, I also just started riding on the track

Cervelo R3 and Cannondale Synapse, Argon18 Electron Track Bike
Quote Reply
Re: Do you guys really spend all winter indoors on the trainer? (Pacific NW) [cervelo-van] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I'll be putting in over 12+hrs a week on the trainer this winter. You get used to the 3+hr rides after a while.
Quote Reply
Re: Do you guys really spend all winter indoors on the trainer? (Pacific NW) [trimac2] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
trimac2 wrote:
I'll be putting in over 12+hrs a week on the trainer this winter. You get used to the 3+hr rides after a while.
See now, there just isn't enough Netflix in the world for me to spend 3+ hours straight on the trainer. ;) You've got more fortitude than I, my friend.
Quote Reply
Re: Do you guys really spend all winter indoors on the trainer? (Pacific NW) [mck414] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
mck414 wrote:
dcohen24 wrote:
I ride 2-3x per week indoors year round.
Occasionally, I take one extra day to go "play" outside, but it very much feels like a play day, vs the work inside.


Very similar riding for me here in CO. We still have good mid-day weather but I don't have the time to take advantage except on the weekends. Soooooo, I save up all my binge Netflix watching for trainer season. Just kicked off Season 5 of Walking Dead this past Saturday.

GENIUS! I had forgotten about watching shows while on the trainer. I was envisioning staring at the trainerroad data..
Quote Reply
Re: Do you guys really spend all winter indoors on the trainer? (Pacific NW) [.david.] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I use Trainer Road, Sufferfest, VeloReality on my Kickr when I can't go outside. It's really hard mentally to stay focused and I usually don't as the week drags on due to bad weather. I don't know how some people up north do it.
Quote Reply
Re: Do you guys really spend all winter indoors on the trainer? (Pacific NW) [3Aims] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
It would be interesting if it would be possible to correlate the amount of time people spend on a trainer (doing quality work, not just spinning there) and their success in the bike leg of a triathlon vs people who only ride outside (at least in suburban/city settings). I ride my trainer at least twice a week in the summer, sometimes 3 times. Usually my only outdoor ride is my weekend long ride. I get a better, more focused, workout on the trainer, with way less time overhead than if I were to try to ride outside.

Now, I do happen to have a great place where I can do safe, uninterrupted 20-minute intervals outside so when the weather is conducive I will do stuff like 2x20:00 workouts outside. However if the day's work consists of short VO2 Max intervals or something where its going to really hurt and I need to concentrate on hitting the power numbers instead of where I might be going? Yea trainer...

In the cold/wet/frozen months, everything happens on the trainer (and treadmill for that matter).
Quote Reply
Re: Do you guys really spend all winter indoors on the trainer? (Pacific NW) [.david.] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
This thread is killing me. You can absolutely get a quality outdoor workout in, *under the right circumstances* - I also live on Long Island, and I can easily get in a quality, HIIT workout outdoors, by finding a route with minimal interruptions, and by designing a route that has some hills in it to do intervals. But the key is: you don't attempt a quality workout if the route doesn't give it to you. (side note: My highest-ever FTP test was on an outdoor road bike ride, even including the minimal slowing/stopping/resurging)

Equally the PNW - if you live in the Seattle area, for example, there is ample opportunity for training in hills with little traffic (Issaquah, for example). And the PNW'ers like to tell the rest of us to HTFU w.r.t. the weather, too. But again, it's all about the route.

For those who use Sufferfest, for example, ... I like to view an outdoor route as a potential Sufferfest blank canvas, and take what it gives me. If that hill coming up looks like it will take 4 minutes, then what power or RPE would Sufferfest tell me to ride at for 4 minutes? Do that. If you have a rolling route, this is a perfect alternative to indoor interval workouts. Downhills are recoveries. Take what it gives you; make the most of the climbing opportunities.

(pink) - the following statement may not be ST-approved ... but, we're not in this just to race, right? Don't we become better as people by being and riding outdoors, and engaging with others? :)
Quote Reply
Re: Do you guys really spend all winter indoors on the trainer? (Pacific NW) [.david.] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I try to ride 2-3 times a week indoor but I have to admit I love my MTB in the winter and getting out in the rain, snow and muck. So much fun and it has helped my skill level on a road bike an amazing amount.
Quote Reply
Re: Do you guys really spend all winter indoors on the trainer? (Pacific NW) [.david.] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I used to think the same thing. Then we had a baby that I needed to be around to keep an eye on. I set up a trainer instead of being gone on bike rides and ended up getting WAY faster than ever before. Now I only ride outdoors for stuff 2 hours or more. Getting all the kit together, weather, darkness, flat tires, and dealing with traffic isn't worth it when you can just hop on the trainer to get in a killer workout with just bike shorts and shoes. The bike stays on the trainer unless I'm riding outdoors. I watch youtube vids, play Zwift, and ride TrainerView to pass the time while listening to Pandora or podcasts. Works fine. For what it's worth, I live in near Austin where we have pretty good biking weather all year round.

----------------------------------------------------------
Zen and the Art of Triathlon. Strava Workout Log
Interviews with Chris McCormack, Helle Frederikson, Angela Naeth, and many more.
http://www.zentriathlon.com
Last edited by: ZenTriBrett: Oct 5, 15 13:00
Quote Reply
Re: Do you guys really spend all winter indoors on the trainer? (Pacific NW) [.david.] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
.david. wrote:
GENIUS! I had forgotten about watching shows while on the trainer. I was envisioning staring at the trainerroad data..

Only thing about TV / netflix is that I find it hard to pay close attention to the plot during hard efforts. You can pay attention most of the time but other times it takes a lot more of concentration just to grind out a hard set and I find I'm better served by just listening to some loud music and grunting it out than trying to pay attention to the TV.

Great for moderate efforts though, and if you want to just add some extra lower-intensity volume I enjoy just hopping on the trainer as a make up or supplementary session during sunday football. If it's a good game then the time seems to fly by, but the trainer can compound the misery if your team is taking a beating.

As for the whole indoor/outdoor debate, while I can ride outside during the winter in CO the lack of daylight hours after work and the cold add enough admin time that it just makes indoor weekday riding far more practical. However, barring weather I'd never give up at least one outdoor ride a week on weekends. While you do get used to riding exclusively on the trainer, much like other things you can 'do' on a computer, the real thing is much better.
Quote Reply
Re: Do you guys really spend all winter indoors on the trainer? (Pacific NW) [noofus] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
If you use Training Peaks it's pretty obvious. I don't ride as hard or as long inside vs outside.
Quote Reply
Re: Do you guys really spend all winter indoors on the trainer? (Pacific NW) [trimac2] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
What % of FTP do you do your three hour rides at ?
Quote Reply

Prev Next