Do you ride in the rain if weather is not cooperating with your training schedule or do you use an indoor trainer?
I ride indoor a lot, rain or shine. I find it’s easier to get the workout that I am looking for, in the time available, on my Computrainer.
Riding in the rain takes a lot of the joy out of riding. It makes it more dangerous, and it makes for a lot more ancillary work, ie getting ready, laundry, cleaning the bike.
I’m a wuss. I ride indoors if the weather is bad. The only time I ride in the rain is if I get caught in it. I do this for fun, and riding in the rain isn’t much fun.
RP
I usually ride the trainer. When I ride in the rain, I spend an extra hour either after the ride or the next day (when I could be riding) cleaning up my bike. Total waste of time for me. It’s easier just to slap the thing on the trainer.
Good question. If it’s totally raining “cats and dogs” outside I’ll opt for the trainer and a good movie. Riding in the rain has too many problems associated with it. One, riding totally wet is miserable. Great chance to catch a cold and be down and out of training for a week or two. The second problem is putting down your bike because of the wet ground. To me riding in the rain isn’t worth a broken bone or two. I know it’s boring but I think your mental capacity for pain is increased by riding hours on the trainer. You get out of it what you put into it. If you’re looking for a long ride (John this is for you) take a look at Troy Jacobson’s Spinervals 13.0. It’s called Tough Love. Troy Jacobson has been my coach for years now and asked if I wanted to come up and shoot the video with him. I agreed. We were on the bike for over four (4) hours. It’s a serious video for those who are looking to get in a good workout. Just my $.02.
Bruce Gennari
In the winter, I ride indoors. If it’s really nasty, I’ll ride indoors. But when the weather starts to improve, I’ll ride outside whenever possible. You have to ride in the rain sometimes, because that’s the only way to be prepared for a rainy race day. I don’t mind riding in the rain if it’s warm out.
Having a CT, it’s too easy to just drop the bike on the trainer and load up a course. It’s also faster than throwing on your outdoor riding gear. And there’s no traffic, the roads are always smooth…I think I have a Computrainer problem.
Bruce - I have done that workout. It was tough for me. I had to go into an easier gear than was called for more than once…I was wondering two things…was it as hot as it looked working out under the lights they use when filming? Also, did you have folks bringing you additional water bottle? I know I went through about 4 bottles during that workout.
Goodtime, since a lot of my riding incorporates my ride to work, I end up riding in the rain. To me, riding has a utilitarian purpose beyond traininig for racing. It is plain and simple transportation that does not burn greenhouse gases. This morning I even broke down and rode to the pool before work. It was minus 2 celsius, but no wind and sunny. Very nice. Unfortunately, the pool was closed due to Easter Monday, so the start of my yearly swim program is pushed out by another 3 days !
I do agree with you guys that riding on the trainer saves a whack of time versus riding in the rain, but riding in the rain does have value when it comes to race day. If it is pissing cats and dogs, you won’t have the option of slapping the bike on the CT. A number of good cold rainy rides in near zero temps are great for making you tougher on race day. You might be able to control nature in training, but on race day, you have to deal with it. Ask Lance. He rides all the cols for the Tour de France, yearly in Feb/Mar, when those routes have barely been opened due to snow cover !
Fortunately it rarely rains in Phoenix, when it does I tend to go for the indoor trainer, the wear and tear on the bike and the risk of injury and illness is not worth it. Sure the pro’s train and race in the rain, but after they are done they have a mechanic or two to clean the bike, someone to take their dirty clothes and wash them. The rest of us lacking such support services are better served by the trainer. When commuting I will usually throw on a rain suit and ride on my commuter bike, but it has fenders and no gears so I am not worried about the wear and tear.
KR
I’m a little wierd. I can’t stand training in the rain (due to the aforementioned reasons), but I love racing in the rain. Some of my best races have been during inclement conditions. If it’s spittin’ at the start line, I’m smilin’. Give me those same conditions on a training ride though, and I’m bitching and moaning all the way.
Kido99,
Shooting Spinervals 13.0 (Tough Love) was brutal. Obviously we were in an enclosed area. There were these huge lights hovering over us at all times. Plus, because they didn’t want any background clutter there weren’t any kind of fans moving the air around. It was quite intense. Troy always talks about pools of sweat during his videos. We didn’t have pools. We had rivers! People were bringing us water bottles during the entire shoot. I went through 4 - 5 bottles myself. The worse part about the deal was I had to catch a plane about 2 hours after the shoot. There was nowhere to take a shower. I had to pack up my bike, rush to the airport and sit on a place for an hour without having taken a shower. I flew Southwest so I tried to stay away from people. Didn’t quite work. Plus, you know that feeling of having sat on a bike seat after a long ride? Well, imagine having that for about 4 hours after getting done and not having a thing you could do about it. I was miserable! But you know what, I’d do it again in a second!
If you think 13.0 was tough you should also try 14.0. It’s specific for a 40k time trial. It’s half the time but, in my opinion, just as tough!
Out,
Bruce Gennari
In the AZ desert rain is so rara I’ll ride in the rain. Quite fun to do once a year or so plus it’s an excuse to strip the bike and give it a good scrubbing.
You desert dwellers have more of a dangerous situation than others, though. When it rains down there, all the oil comes up out of the pavement and it gets nasty slick. Up north, it rains often enough that when you ride in the rain, the roads aren’t too much worse than normal.
I used to ride a motorcycle when I lived in Nevada, and damn! it got squirrelly in the rain. All four days a year. ;p
I kinda hate to say this but it was the best day of the year and I rode indoors. Couldn’t find anyone to ride with so I did 4.5 hours on the ct. Watched some OLN biking, a ‘Rock’ movie and the Masters.
Sigh…
Bruce - Great story! I have tried 14.0. Good workout. First time I completed it I went into the kitchen to talk to my wife and found that the most comfortable post-workout position was flat on my back on the floor. I was totally wiped out.
Ron
You’re BRUCE from “Tough Love”!! Man we always talk about that video. My group of friends consisting of Adventure Racers, Triathletes and Cyclists meet every wednesday over the winter to do Spinervals, this year you were voted “Favorite Spinervals Rider”. We love how Troy is always trying to push you harder, and especially when he makes it known that riding in your small ring when you should be in your big ring is from then on know as “pulling a Bruce”. The standing high cadence spinning in Tough Love is brutal. Anyway just wanted to say you have fans in Connecticut.
-Erik in CT
Be like Bjorn. Ride outside. Every ride. Rain or shine.
Riding in cold weather and a cold damp rain is no fun. I will ride on the trainer as I hate being outside if it is raining. If it is the summer time, I don’t mind being cought in the rain. I fact, I like it, BUt in the winter and early spring, if it is miserable, I am inside getting some quality work done!
Man, I love training in the rain. The colder, the nastier, the better. I know my local competition is slacking off, and I’m getting tougher. I call it water cooled training.
Ride in the rain (or snow). It will make you tuffer than
the rest.