I don't always look that dazed on the rollers; I think that picture was probably taken in deep February ('08), which would mean two months of mostly indoor riding, hearing the same voices talk about the same topics on the same podcasts over and over and...
I'm lucky this year; our new house has no basement to ride in, so my wonderful wife allows me to ride in our study, where I can look out the window. And I can ride outside down to about freezing (after that, my knees and IT band rebel, no matter what clothing solutions I try), so I've managed to be on the road for at least one ride every week so far this fall, and sometimes more.
Even so, it's only mid-December, and I'm already turned off to the rollers; that can't mean good things for my training hours during base period.
I'd love to hear from someone out there who truly loves riding indoors. That would be a different perspective, eh? How many other bike blogs out there have posts right now that are singing the same plaintive song as mine?
Most of 'em. Most of 'em.
3 comments:
We just started a blog,and we love to ride,have a look( www.joe-ccr.blogspot.com )I have a trainer, but i'd rather go outside!!!!!!we try to ride all winter...joe
Sadly, I don't love riding on my rollers. I would be interested to know if people are able to ride longer on rollers, or indoor trainer. I've heard one can get a better workout on a trainer by doing intervals w/varying degrees of resistance. But I like my rollers, if for nothing more then to say that I can ride them. And that must count for something.
I have found varying degrees of success watching a movie, listening to NPR, audio books (my new favorite), or trying to memorize different passages of literature (a good challenge.) At first, I wanted to try to work only on cadence and heart rate and form, etc. But all that did was make me count down each minute I was on the bike. This had the adverse effect of multiplying every minute by 10, or so it felt. In the future, I will try to mix it up: a training ride focusing on something bike related; vs a just do it ride where I am happy to distract myself from the fact that all I am doing is moving my legs in a monotonous circle without actually going anywhere. Maybe I will mix up each ride: 10 minutes of cadence within a movie. What do you think? Not all training can be quintessential. I try to just make the most of it.
Joe, I did swing by and take a look. Nice blog --keep 'er rollin'!
Luke -- Great to hear from you and to know that you're reading here. Basically, to all of your suggestions about rollers, I would say, "I agree." I've tried pretty much everything you mention (except talking books -- I find them a bit low-key for riding material).
I'm thinking I'll address some of your other questions in a new post this week, about roller workouts -- keep an eye out for it.
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