Can winter training be warm, cosy and fun? With the right prep, it sure can be!

I think I can safely say that we all started riding mountain bikes for the joy of being outside. Breathing in fresh air combined with the action of moving at high speeds over varied terrain. So to grab your trusty steed and put it inside to pedal for hours while literally going nowhere is basically the most counterintuitive thing to do. Yet, I highly recommend it. 

Not out of some sadomasochistic preference for suffering, but because we now live in a time where indoor training is more entertaining and bearable than ever. With modern technology at your fingertips (or more at the ball of your feet), you can whizz from a warming up ride in The Netherlands to a 12% climb in Riva Del Garda with the click of a button. And yes, although it might seem like you’re still pedaling to nowhere, the real benefit will show next spring when you smoke all your buddies on the up. 

Even if you’re not the competitive type, doing hard stuff while being fitter is always more fun and it’s an added bonus to have some gas in the tank once you reach the top of that long descent in the alps. Of course it will never replace ‘proper’ riding, but for those cold icy wet murky winter months, indoor training is THE way to stay on top of your game. 

To help get you off the couch and make the most of those indoor sessions, I decided to write down my top tips to keep things fun and bearable while spinning the legs on the trainer.

Airflow

With no wind in your hair, temperatures rise quickly and I guarantee you that even after 5 minutes in warm-up mode the sweat will be gushing down. So make sure you open a window, and get yourself a fan. Even just a small one will make a big difference. 

Hydration

Some can ride outside without touching a water bottle for an hour or two, but indoors it’s a different story. Make sure you have plenty of water within arms reach and throw in some electrolytes too while you’re at it. Your body is losing a lot of fluids and without the proper minerals you won’t be able to absorb any of it. 

Rust protection

Another form of water management is to get a towel or a purpose made sweat cover to prevent dripping sweat all over your bike. The salts in your sweat really can cause rust on many bike parts so also make sure you wipe your bike clean and dry when you’re done. 

Integrate in your routine

Motivation is of course important but like with every habit you need to train yourself to show up first. I find that once you manage to integrate a new activity in your daily routine, you’re way more likely to actually do it and keep up the work. See what your daily routine is and plan in the training session accordingly. Or even better, replace social media scrolling with spinning on the rollers! 

Small bites

Start small. Doing a 2 hour ride indoors is by far the hardest thing you will ever do so cut down the time in the beginning. From a training perspective, doing 30’ each day brings you much more than doing one big 1,5h session per week. Also you’re much less likely to get burned out if you keep sessions short and sweet. 

Remove all barriers

Don’t fool yourself, it will be rare that you’ll be jumping of joy to start a workout (once you’re going you’re fine) so it’s important to remove any barrier that can prevent you from starting. Just the act of installing the bike in the trainer or finding your cycling shoes can be enough to abort the mission so make sure you prep your kit and can be ready in no time. I personally like to only keep my riding shorts and shoes next to bed. That way I roll from the mattress, automatically put on riding shorts and as I’m already dressed to ride, I’ll just do it first thing in the morning. 

Gamer vs Realist 

Different people, different preferences. You can choose between different software to guide your training sessions. For the competitive gamers out there, Zwift is your thing. You find yourself racing in a virtual world against real people and there are a bunch of scheduled training programs to choose from. 

If you’re more of a realist, go for the Tacx app. There you see yourself riding in videotaped environments in exotic places like Norway, Italy, the Alps, Netherlands and many more. The feeling is realistic, even the gravel and cobblestones resonate in your pedal strokes! 

Distraction 

No matter how good the software is, you can always use some distraction while on the trainer. Plug into Spotify for some tunes, watch Game of Thrones again or catch up on the latest Podcasts. Now is the time. No idea what to listen to? I won’t go and dictate music choice but I can highly recommend the following podcasts:

  • The Huberman Lab
  • The Rich Roll Podcast
  • The Downtime Podcast
  • Looking Sideways 

Test

The modern indoor trainer is a great tool for doing a periodical fitness test. By doing a regular FTP (Fitness Threshold Power i.e. what power you can put out consistently for 1 hour) test you can get a good idea on how fit you are and what progress you are making. Beating your personal best on a regular basis is a great way to stay motivated.

There you have it, 9 solid tips on making sure you get the most out of indoor cycling this winter. I hope this is helpful and i’ll catch you on the trail again in Spring, fitter than ever! 

By IMB

Comments