winter training...what do you do?

Not only character building but incredibly less boring!!

the boredom is my big complaint about indoor training.

a indoors bicycle makes about as much sense as a football bat.

i ride rollers when i absolutely, positively have no hope of venturing outside for several days. the only relief from boredom on rollers is the challenge not to sprint right off the devil thing and end up crashing into the television! i can only imagine the boredom a magnetic/hydraulic/fan trainer stand must be.

as far as character goes...well, let's just say that we have to be nutz to begin with to ride outdoors when the temperature drops to below freezing.

i managed a quick 15 miles last night after work, but all the cars had their lights on during the last 2-3 miles and visibility was far from optimum for about half the ride. today it's overcast, but a warmish 62° f! it's time to get off the keyboard and on the pinarello.

be careful out there friends!

Get out the MTB, lower the aire pressure slightly, layer up and go ride!!!!
Snow is fun....

fabiosav said:

There is a reason those of us who ride in NYC hate LA... thanks for reminding me! 🙂

I woudl get a trainer, and a power meter. Yery efficent in a really boring activity. Oh, and some TdF DVD's, and a fan...

Took the words out of my mouth... I just need to practice what I preach :p. If you can't afford the TDF videos, in college we use to get some of Jackie Chan's movies and do intervals during all the action scenes... It kinda keeps your mind off just spinning for long periods of time.

On top of that, this year (partially due to an injury) I have been doing a little weight lifting to help build some more strength in my legs... I can only take so much time on the trainer before I start to get burnt out.

mark higgins said:

Are all you guys soft? In Scotland I train right through the winter at weekends, starting at 3 hours Sat & Sun, up to 5 hours by Jan. The only reason not to go out is if the road is so icy that you cannot stay upright. The secret is lots of layers. Assos do great lines. Thermal tops, gilets and rain wear- thats all you need. The temp here regularly over winter is -4 to 7 C ( sorry can't work farenheit)(or spell it!). Low gears. mudruards(fenders) plenty of food and fluids and you are set. The winter makes the following season don't forget!

It's not so much the temperature in the winter time for me. I live near Detroit, MI... people here don't know how to drive in the summer time, much less the winter.

As someone once told me when I first moved here: Detroit made the automobile, not the bicycle

On winter...
First of all: this is my first post in this cycling forum!! and I'm from Spain, so I hope to write here often cause in this way i can practise my english 😄 ...
My winter training... what about? From monday to friday I do 3-4 trainings with home trainer, and on weekends I going out.
About home trainer: I absolutely agree with you, it's the most boring activity that exists.. but due to my timetable is the only option to train that I have, so..of course it's better this than nothing! I usually do between 60mins to 120mins. MTV is a good option for distract :o

Good luck!

Xavi_I said:

... MTV is a good option for distract :o

I certainly hope MTV is better in Spain than it is here in the States.

Fetus said:

Took the words out of my mouth... I just need to practice what I preach :p. If you can't afford the TDF videos, in college we use to get some of Jackie Chan's movies and do intervals during all the action scenes... It kinda keeps your mind off just spinning for long periods of time.

On top of that, this year (partially due to an injury) I have been doing a little weight lifting to help build some more strength in my legs... I can only take so much time on the trainer before I start to get burnt out.

you may be tired of reading this already, but have you seen the "gyming to improve fitness" thread?

mtv in the '80's was awesome!

i watched my old tour tapes so many times i think lemond actually won several dozen tours! paris-poubaix...the giro...even "breaking away"...aarrgghh! i need some new material!

the wind was 40 mph today! riding into it felt like two flat tires and the brakes dragging. i just finished lacing, trueing and glueing up a new front wheel this evening and took great pains to make sure it was concentric.

i wouldn't want to feel it on the kreitlers this winter...

welcome in, xavi, from another newb! tell me about your spanish winters.

Doctor Morbius said:

I certainly hope MTV is better in Spain than it is here in the States.

Yeah, music videos are a good distraction. If only there were a network that played them. 😉

I'm wasn't trying to say that riding the trainer is fun, but then again, I'm not buying that riding in the cold/rain/snow/dark is all that much fun either. At least the trainer is very efficient fitness training, so you don't have to do much of it to see the benefit. Just my two cents.

One thing I have noticed about indoor training is that it definately builds your discipline.

Fetus said:

One thing I have noticed about indoor training is that it definately builds your discipline.

*snikker*
You want disipline, how about making cycling your day job through four seasons?
If you want to train for your racing become a messenger, pro racers are agast at what a bike messenger does on a bike in a year. At least that's what Thomas Durst of Panisonic said to me in the late 80's as we rode. Riding in the sleet and snow, makes you tougher for those long stages in the [censored]. Disipline isn't getting on your ride everyday, in front of the TV. It's getting out there when it's below freezing, dark and windy, with snow on the ground as you leave the front door. The road skills you develop just might save from going down in the rain one day. Ask any team trainer. I'm not afraid of the wet front wheel skid across the manhole cover, I surf it now. From years of dueling with cars, I'm not afraid of other riders either. Train on the surface you race.

I know some of you don't want to get your rides dirty, it's salty and gross, get a beater. Or *shutter* a MTB....lol....come on roadies you can do it. If it's good enough for LA, surely some of you can come out to play this winter. 😄 Besides the air's better out there than in your basement. There's the ice race coming on Valentine's Day as well, gotta get ready for that. Now where's my dremel?

Fetus said:

One thing I have noticed about indoor training is that it definately builds your discipline.

I think forcing yourself to ride when/how you don't want to is what builds discipline. For some of us, that may mean staying focused for 1.5hrs of tempo on the trainer, and for others it may mean staying focused in the rain/cold. Toughness on a bike typically means the ability to mentally stay in the race and not lose focus.

It's funny to watch a discussion like this develop where a certain group tries to say "if you want to be tough, come ride how I ride," but then at the end of the post they close with something like "it's fun." If it's fun for you, then how does it make you tough? 😉

CAMPYBOB said:

mtv in the '80's was awesome!

The 80's was awesome. Great time to be alive for a single guy. 😎

frenchyge said:

but then at the end of the post they close with something like "it's fun." If it's fun for you, then how does it make you tough? 😉

Fun is what you make of it man. The challenge of remaining focused while outside elements want to stop you, makes you better. The act of doing it makes you tougher, the fact you start to enjoy it makes you a fanatic and worthy of the title crazy and/or tough SOB, lol. Ask anyone who'se studied martial arts or trained for marathons..... how could be beaten a few times a week become fun......well it can. 😄

Traffic Jammer said:

Fun is what you make of it man. The challenge of remaining focused while outside elements want to stop you, makes you better. The act of doing it makes you tougher, the fact you start to enjoy it makes you a fanatic and worthy of the title crazy and/or tough SOB, lol. Ask anyone who'se studied martial arts or trained for marathons..... how could be beaten a few times a week become fun......well it can. 😄

I'd argue that churning the pedals at high power against the relentless, unending resistance of the trainer, with nothing but gritting teeth to take your mind off the pain also makes you a tough SOB.

Willing yourself past the desire to quit is what makes you tough, not having to dress for the cold weather. If you're having fun, then there's obviously no desire to quit, and no challenge to your willpower. I agree that one can develop a sick desire to sample the pain, but that's not what makes you tough. What makes you tough is to keep going long after the pain has obliterated any semblance of fun. At that point the music, cold weather, rain, X-files, DVDs, etc. are all gone and it's just you against the pain - no matter where you're riding.

I can sorta see where you're comin' from but I can't see alot of mental toughness comin' off a set of rollers. I can agree to disagree though, whatever works for ya.

CAMPYBOB said:

mtv in the '80's was awesome!

the wind was 40 mph today! riding into it felt like two flat tires and the brakes dragging.

Heck man, you just went the wrong way! 😄 Need to go the same way as the wind and have your girl pick ya up in an hour or so.............In the next State! 😄 😄 I've heard of pro's doing 3-5 hours on rollers :eek:

I personally love the rollers, I have a certain workout to do (3x10-15min intervals) and Im done in 45min. Its not like we can get enough miles in on rollers to ride 50-75miles on the road, so might as well work on some light intensity.

As far as that building character stuff goes, I've heard it for years, I thinks its a crock, hit youself in the foot with a hammer for an hour then build to 2 hours, that builds character, no? 😄 Its pointless but builds character 😄

jeff828 said:

As far as that building character stuff goes, I've heard it for years, I thinks its a crock, hit youself in the foot with a hammer for an hour then build to 2 hours, that builds character, no? 😄 Its pointless but builds character 😄

Agree that "Building Character" seems to imply causing suffering in a non-specific way. Suffering through difficult riding, OTOH, can be done in such a way that it's pretty specific preparation for the challenges of staying in a race past the point of pain. In that regard, you can suffer on a trainer or in bad weather, with little difference mentally.

Traffic Jammer said:

Get out the MTB, lower the aire pressure slightly, layer up and go ride!!!!
Snow is fun....

I agree, riding in the snow is good time as long as the wind isnt too harsh! I live close to some great forest trails in Illinois (right outside chicago) and when theres a couple inches of snow its a lot of fun to layer up and ride!! Plus you can go crazy cause if you crash the snow is pretty soft to land in (haha)... just watch out for the hidden stumps (i learned the hard way!)

Stumps?..... That's evil.