So I purchased my first road bike last october and have been too much of a wuss to ride in the cold. Today is going to change all that!
I’ve done the “training”, I’ve taken the computrainer class and I’ve racked up 1158 miles- ALL of it indoors. The weather has finally hit 60 and I think it’s time for me to switch out the trainer tires for road tires and hit the outdoors. I know I’m going to fall a few times cuz of the clipless… but I feel ready for some minor embarassment today.
Has anyone rode this long indoors before their first outdoors ride?
But you waited all the way until it was 60 degrees??? I’d much rather dress warm and ride outdoors than sit inside on the trainer. So long as the roads are clear of snow and ice, anything above freezing is bearable.
There is no F’ing way I could do that. I have about 2800 miles between all 5 of my bikes since november. About 15 of them are on the trainer. Thats just a few warm ups at TT’s. Your my hero. Or, I am deeply scared of you. I haven’t decided which one it is yet. But, either way, congrats on toughing it out, your mentally pretty damn tough.
So funny you posted this. Today was my first ride outside this year (actually since late Sept or Oct last year). I did a little over 1100 mindless, boring, painfull miles on the trainer this year. I did catch up on a couple seasons of 24 and some good movies. The weather has been crap here…cold as hell and rainy. I will run in that, but I get no pleasure from riding 2 hours in it.
Today…wind 15-22 mph. Forgot how loud on the ears that was. Did 40 miles in a little over 2 hours and just forgot how miserable uphill into the wind feels. It also felt strange to don a helmet again.
Hoooollly craaaap. Why didn’t anyone tell me how much better it was to ride outside?!?!
The thing is…yesterday’s ride only was so-so. I felt really shaky on the bike and for the most part was stressed out about traffic and balance. I decided to give it another shot this morning… and it was a world of difference.
At the crack of dawn, I got up and dragged myself out of bed. And for the first time I felt the wind in my hair (helmeted hair), I saw the road beneath me turn into a blur as I shifted up, I admired the rising sun over the horizon. I OWNED THE ROAD!! I literally was giggling with glee at certain stretches. I felt like nothing else existed- just me and the road.
Even now, I’m still on a high. Cycling has just made it pass swimming as my favorite tri sport. MY GOD… I now know why people think it’s crazy that I did nearly 1200 miles on the trainer.
I’ve got about 2200 miles on the trainer this off season. 7 days a week, living in freezing Ohio and having an 18 month old baby aren’t condusive to riding outside. About every 2 weeks on the weekend I have gotten out for a long ride. But 90% of my rides since October 1 have been in the basement on the trainer. Longest was right at 3.5 hours. Now the weather is breaking, that will change. But on the days I’m home alone with my daughter, I’ll be on the trainer while she’s napping.
Hey, glad you enjoyed the ride. I’ve got a little more than 2100 miles racked up on the CT since my last trip outdoors. Winter in Vermont is just not worth it. This will be the second year in a row in which 100% of my miles between IMFL and IMAZ have been inside. But I get to ride outside in a week! Cool! Then I’ll come back to Vermont and…well, it very well may be snowing again. Or it might be 65 and sunny. Stupid Vermont.
1900 for me on the CompuTrainer. Not a single outside ride in Nov, Dec, Jan and one or two in Feb. I’m in much better bike shape than I was during my peak last summer because of the CompuTrainer - if used correctly, it can help you meet/exceed your goals.
i hear ya. i hate the trainer with a passion though soi made every effort ot be outside this winter (i had two rides in 17 degree weather, that was a bit cold.
I too have spent countless hours on an indoor bike this year, except mine is even worse. Weather is great here in Vegas, but my QR Tequilo got stolen out of my garage last year and I haven’t had 2 G’s to replace it. I’ve been spending 1 - 2.5 hrs per ride 5 days a week at the gym. Employees give you a funny look when they realize just how long you have been there. Some even acknowledge my presence with an amazed look. Soon I will be riding back on the roads.
Factoring in the course differences, could you tell a difference in your bike performances at IMAZ and IMFL last year?
Well, it’s pretty tough to say. I recall last year at this time feeling like I was in very very good bike shape. I had been riding a lot and getting good times riding the entire IMAZ course on the CT. I thought I was in 5:10-5:20 shape (PB is 5:15 at IMFL). However, the severe winds at IMAZ last year derailed those plans, but I still ended up riding 5:37. Last season at IMFL I had had a good summer of riding and was feeling very good leading into the race, but I ended up only riding 5:19. Looking back, that is about what I should have been expecting, my ideas of 5:05 were off target.
This year I am heading to IMAZ on a pure run focus, with significantly fewer bike miles than last year. However, my times on the CT have actually been better this winter than last, almost certainly because my run fitness is WAY better than ever before, and some of that is crossing over. I can report back in a week how it turns out this time around! Hopefully we’ll have slightly nicer winds this year, but I’m planning for howling gusts.
Everyone on this thread is crazy. I live in the Northwest corner of Va. so it’s reasonably cold in the winter, but very little snow. I have no temperature cut off you people speak of. Buy more clothes. I have 1700 outside bike miles in since January 1st as of today. I rode 5 times on my trainer or rollers in that period and the longest of these 5 sessions was 45 minutes. I have a park nearby with 5 miles of gravel/dirt trail about 5 feet wide. If the road were not passable I rode my cross bike on them. I hate riding indoors. Riding in the snow on a cross bike is a blast!!!
I met a guy who is so fearful of getting hit by a car ALL his training is inside on a trainer. Only time he rides outside is for racing. He rides 3 - 5 days a week 11 months a year on a trainer YIKES