So last night I rode the spinning bike at the gym. I have ridden a stationary bike before, but the spinning bikes are much closer in geometry to riding an actual road bike. Unfortunately they are in the spinning studio, where there is no TV, no fans, no music. My iPod wasn't charged, so I rode the bike to nowhere for an hour, alone in a room full of empty bikes, with no distractions except the screen displaying RPMs and Watts, which mean nothing to me. Karin offered me her iPod, since she was going to watch TV on the treadmill, but I decided it would be good to be bored. Boredom is very good training for Ironman.
I rode 25 miles in 1 hour. That is to say, I actually rode nowhere. But I rode nowhere for the equivalent of 25 miles. It is amazing how fast I am when there is no wind, no stoplights, no traffic to scare me. I have actually read that riding on a trainer (an actual road bike mounted on a stationery stand) can be a more effective workout than riding an actual bike on the road, because there is no coasting, no stopping, no tailwind; and you can completely focus on your workout without petty distractions like trying to stay alive. Of course, if you just ride on a trainer, when you get out on the road you will probably crash pretty quickly, having no bike-handling skills whatsoever. And clearly my bike-handling skills are already lacking, so it is very important for me to ride outside. But if the option of riding inside gets me on a bike more often, building strength, speed and endurance, that is a good thing.
I rode 25 miles in 1 hour. That is to say, I actually rode nowhere. But I rode nowhere for the equivalent of 25 miles. It is amazing how fast I am when there is no wind, no stoplights, no traffic to scare me. I have actually read that riding on a trainer (an actual road bike mounted on a stationery stand) can be a more effective workout than riding an actual bike on the road, because there is no coasting, no stopping, no tailwind; and you can completely focus on your workout without petty distractions like trying to stay alive. Of course, if you just ride on a trainer, when you get out on the road you will probably crash pretty quickly, having no bike-handling skills whatsoever. And clearly my bike-handling skills are already lacking, so it is very important for me to ride outside. But if the option of riding inside gets me on a bike more often, building strength, speed and endurance, that is a good thing.
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