Since the roads have become so dangerous with distracted drivers everywhere, people intentionally targeting cyclists, etc. does anyone do the majority of their training indoors now? or have some ideas for avoiding dangerous roads (ie. trails, gravel, etc.). I don’t have a problem with the radar, cameras, etc. however, I just don’t see that necessarily stopping motorists from hitting cyclists (it might document the car, etc.). Plus, in some places, there are few if any consequences for motorists (or so it seems) who hit cyclists. I don’t see the roads becoming any safer with more people, more traffic, etc.
Me. I used to live and ride in a place where I felt much safer. On returning after a lengthy hiatus I got used to sucking it up and riding indoors.
I have a lot of athletes that do 90-95% of the riding indoors. most of those athletes live in places that I consider not friendly for cyclists.
But for most, I strongly suggest gravel bikes…even if it means putting aerobar on them to get some aero time. They have really changed the training in the sense of enjoying sessions far away from cars.
This is me! Exactly.
90%-95% ride indoors. The danger is not worth it.
I have changed to almost all night riding. Hardly any traffic and the bloody Magpies are asleep so I don’t have to worry about them trying to kill me as well.
This guy is inspiring with the sheer number of indoor cycling hours he does week after week as a non-pro - in his garage, staring at the back of his car!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nDERwGTkgA&t=243s
I live in Norcal bike heaven and outdoor riding is awesome here, but I definitely have found that the efficiency and nonstop efforts of the trainer are a great training stimulus. It’s kinda amazing how many up and coming pros (and amateurs) now train nearly exclusively indoors for the bike.
Just to be a counterpoint to the echo-chamber…No, I still ride outside on roads, as much as possible.
Me, 100%. Two friends killed, several injured, and one too many close calls for me. Had a full beer, thrown from a pickup, at a 60 mph closing speed wiz past me, maybe 3-4 feet from my head… while riding on a freaking bike path, 20 feet from the freaking road. Felt the moisture coming off it, and watched it explode into foam behind me. Also went down from a truck mirror to the back… the asshole, pulling a boat, never slowed down. Then had an asshole pull off a side street into my path… I went down avoiding him, and he drove off without a care in the world. I’m done. Last time I rode outside, was 2022, preparing for IMTulsa. I gave my bike away after the race. I still ride over 200 mpw, on an old fashioned spin bike indoors. I love the fitness. But my racing and outdoor riding days are over. I’m also not getting any younger, my balance isn’t what it used to be, my reaction timing isn’t as fast, and my eyesight is getting worse. It was time. I don’t want to be a selfish old tough guy who need his diapers changed for the rest of his life, because he’s paralyzed, while his life savings goes into medical bills. Or worse, leave my wife without a husband, because of something completely avoidable, by simply not doing it.
For nearly my entire triathlon training history my riding has been indoors. I do occasionally go outdoors for a long 5-6 hour ride but often will even do those on the turbo.
Safety and consistency in training.
I’ll note I bike commute to work in London (8m each way) pretty much every day though.
Nearly all. Riding outside isn’t worth the gamble. For some long Saturday rides I’ll drive 2 1/2 hours to ride a paved 52 mile trail that’s fully off road with limited road crossings.
Me, 100%. Two friends killed, several injured, and one too many close calls for me. Had a full beer, thrown from a pickup, at a 60 mph closing speed wiz past me, maybe 3-4 feet from my head… while riding on a freaking bike path, 20 feet from the freaking road. Felt the moisture coming off it, and watched it explode into foam behind me. Also went down from a truck mirror to the back… the asshole, pulling a boat, never slowed down. Then had an asshole pull off a side street into my path… I went down avoiding him, and he drove off without a care in the world. I’m done. Last time I rode outside, was 2022, preparing for IMTulsa. I gave my bike away after the race. I still ride over 200 mpw, on an old fashioned spin bike indoors. I love the fitness. But my racing and outdoor riding days are over. I’m also not getting any younger, my balance isn’t what it used to be, my reaction timing isn’t as fast, and my eyesight is getting worse. It was time. I don’t want to be a selfish old tough guy who need his diapers changed for the rest of his life, because he’s paralyzed, while his life savings goes into medical bills. Or worse, leave my wife without a husband, because of something completely avoidable, by simply not doing it.
This exactly!!
Haven’t ridden outside since my last tri in 2019. Ride every day on trainer upstairs. Not worth the risk. Still run outside and what’s really scary is since you run against traffic you get to see what drivers are doing when they pass you and 75% are on their cell phone.
Just to be a counterpoint to the echo-chamber…No, I still ride outside on roads, as much as possible.
I did zero indoor rides from May 1 onwards. Nov 1 to March 31 will be all indoors due to weather. Months of Oct and April are a bit of both.
Not sure drivers are any more distracted than in 1983, considering how many people were driving drunk back then and 100 percent of cars back then had zero steering assist or intelligent sensors at hand.
The internet just gives us aggregated hysteria over fatalities (edit: and I do get a cyclist being mowed down by teenagers in Vegas MAY make roads feel more unsafe but this does not mean they are). A long time ago you would never hear about the guy who got run over by a bus. Now people from Osaka to Oslo to Omaha can learn about when I get run over by a bus. If it was before the internet, you likely would not hear about the guy being run over by the bus. Now we do so it sounds a lot more dramatic than it is (and I did get run over by a bus in 2018 and my friends all over the internet got to hear about it, but it does not mean they will be run over).
Having said that, if there are stats showing that there are more cycling accidents per mile ridden per capita, then I would like to know. You would have to take all accidents divided by all miles ridden by all of us around a country divided by total population to really know if it is getting worse year over year (and maybe it is…but lets see the stats, if not it may be internet hysteria bias)
Dev
I’m entirely off the open road for training. A fair bit is indoors, especially shorter or interval sessions. But…I have access to an exceptional network of rail trails close to home. While they have their own risks I feel much safer there. I have a 96 mile out and back option for example. I also have a 25mi out and back with only one road crossing in each direction as another option. Most are decent scenery. Some even have a bit of elevation to them.
Since the roads have become so dangerous with distracted drivers everywhere, people intentionally targeting cyclists, etc. does anyone do the majority of their training indoors now? or have some ideas for avoiding dangerous roads (ie. trails, gravel, etc.). I don’t have a problem with the radar, cameras, etc. however, I just don’t see that necessarily stopping motorists from hitting cyclists (it might document the car, etc.). Plus, in some places, there are few if any consequences for motorists (or so it seems) who hit cyclists. I don’t see the roads becoming any safer with more people, more traffic, etc.
Depends on the locale.
Where i used to live, i could do 80% of my rides outdoors (when weather cooperates) and not feel threatened. Mostly rode on a extensive network of trails and the occasional quiet streets with cars that are very accommodating to cyclists.
Where i live now, i try to squeeze in 45-minute outdoor rides here and there but do 80% of my riding indoors.
It’s only after my move that I realized how good I had it.
Just to be a counterpoint to the echo-chamber.…No, I still ride outside on roads, as much as possible.
No one has yet asked others to ride indoors only. Why you feel necessary to respond in this particular manner, only you know.
I love riding outside but haven’t done it in a year. Had my best bike splits ever with just indoor training. It’s the Zwift addiction of chasing levels, badges, and the Tron bike, that keeps me indoors.
Since the roads have become so dangerous with distracted drivers everywhere, people intentionally targeting cyclists, etc. does anyone do the majority of their training indoors now? or have some ideas for avoiding dangerous roads (ie. trails, gravel, etc.). I don’t have a problem with the radar, cameras, etc. however, I just don’t see that necessarily stopping motorists from hitting cyclists (it might document the car, etc.). Plus, in some places, there are few if any consequences for motorists (or so it seems) who hit cyclists. I don’t see the roads becoming any safer with more people, more traffic, etc.
No, but I live in one of the most bike-friendly and acclimated areas in the country. My general risk tolerance has gone down though so I avoid streets I wouldn’t have given a second thought to going on a decade ago.
Since the roads have become so dangerous with distracted drivers everywhere, people intentionally targeting cyclists, etc. does anyone do the majority of their training indoors now? or have some ideas for avoiding dangerous roads (ie. trails, gravel, etc.). I don’t have a problem with the radar, cameras, etc. however, I just don’t see that necessarily stopping motorists from hitting cyclists (it might document the car, etc.). Plus, in some places, there are few if any consequences for motorists (or so it seems) who hit cyclists. I don’t see the roads becoming any safer with more people, more traffic, etc.
Depends on the locale.
Where i used to live, i could do 80% of my rides outdoors (when weather cooperates) and not feel threatened. Mostly rode on a extensive network of trails and the occasional quiet streets with cars that are very accommodating to cyclists.
Where i live now, i try to squeeze in 45-minute outdoor rides here and there but do 80% of my riding indoors.
It’s only after my move that I realized how good I had it.
Just to be a counterpoint to the echo-chamber.…No, I still ride outside on roads, as much as possible.
No one has yet asked others to ride indoors only. Why you feel necessary to respond in this particular manner, only you know.
In support of Tom, the opening position was a blanket declaration of the roads having become more dangerous as if this was a stated fact (it may or may not be). As this is a forum and we can’t control what others table in writing here, anything goes, and I can see the angle that Tom is coming from (I posted my riding above, but also wanting to truly understand the stats as I am not sure we know them as it is unlikely that they are compilable because it is unlikey we can add up all miles ridden by all humans in a jurisdiction)
I did 124 rides in preparation for my most recent IM, about a dozen of which were outdoors. Cars are a main, but not the only, reason.