PROBIKEWRENCH

I don’t know what in the heck has gotten into me lately.  I’ve ridden my bike several times in the last few weeks… If you recall, one of my earlier posts was all about how I hate winter riding and training in the garage on the rollers and such.  I still haven’t done that.  I’m actually braving the cold and getting out there and doing it.

I posted some snow pictures from the last few days, too.  Our weather has been extremely weird lately.  This does not make for good training weather, however… that is what I need to motivate me sometimes.  I won’t ride in the partially-miserable stuff, but when it snows or gets stupid-cold is when I like to get out there.  Sometimes I do it, if for nothing else, than just to say I did it.

This feels a lot like unintentional training.  I really haven’t made an effort to officially “train” for anything over the past few years, primarily because I have been busy with work and family, and can rarely make it to the races on weekends.  Most of my riding has consisted of leading group rides.  I think I only did around 5 “fast” rides in 2009, and the Roswell Criterium counted as two fast rides, since I raced two different categories.  So, more and more riding is creeping in, including some fixed-gear stuff to get my spin back before the season starts.

I got involved with Andrew Smith, an endurance coach from Lifetime Fitness in Woodstock, GA, a few weeks ago.  He came into the shop to pick up a few things and to tell us about the Team Kenda Pro Cycling p/b GearGrinder event at Lifetime on the 28th (which we have since gotten involved with).  We talked a bit about the training and the facilities that are available at Lifetime, and our conversation progressed to the point where he invited me to do some VO2 Max Testing this Thursday at the gym.  Now, it’s definitely sounding  a lot more like training…

I don’t know what to expect, in regards to this testing.  I think it will be good to have the test performed, just to see where I’m at, physically, before the season starts.  Later in the season, I’ll go back and have the test done again, and see where my levels are at.  I think that testing like this, and developing that referral system between the gym and us, will be good for our customers.  Together, we will have a much wider range of services to offer our customers/clients, which is yet another extension of how our shop’s customer service level eclipses so many other bike shops in the Metro Atlanta area.  Can’t hurt, right?

I’ll post pictures and a report of the testing after I finish it on Thursday.  Can’t wait!  The coffee pot is almost empty, so I’m going to bed.  Thanks for reading.

We started the VeloReviews Podcast in hopes of driving a few more members to the VeloReviews.com site.  Since our first podcast two weeks ago, we’ve moved into 3rd position for the Most Popular Outdoor Audio Podcast on iTunes (as of five minutes ago).  Here’s the proof:

If you want to take a listen, you can find the direct link here: http://media.libsyn.com/media/veloreviews/The_VeloReviews_Podcast_episode_001.mp3

My buddy, Adam, has a cross race near Philadelphia tomorrow. The weather may or may not change his plans. Regardless, that’s a pretty tight Focus cross bike he’s got.

Should I Start Training Now?

It’s winter.  In the South, winter equals cold and rainy days, which are miserable for riding bikes outdoors.  In my opinion, riding indoors is equivalent to the same misery.  I hate indoor cycling.

In my last post, I discussed what motivates cyclists to ride during the winter.  My motivation for riding outdoors is to keep from riding indoors.  I would rather suffer in freezing cold temperatures than to set up the rollers or trainer indoors.  As a matter of fact, the day after that post, I did a group ride in the snow.  At least I wasn’t on the trainer.

When I think of riding indoors, I think of last year’s training sessions where I’d spend 2 hours on rollers trying to build my fitness and mental toughness.  I was shooting for a good 2009 racing season, but raced about three times due to the arrival of my second child.  Those roller sessions really sucked, and for 2009, those sessions proved to be worthless.

If you haven’t figured it out from the last few paragraphs… I HATE INDOOR CYCLING!

But… there’s a time during the year when a cyclist like myself must do the deed.  There’s a time when you drag out the image of the giant scale, weigh the pros and cons of riding in the cold rain versus sitting on the rollers, and eventually side with the indoor training option.  It’s different types of misery, and sometimes the rollers win.

So… what is the line that must be crossed to push me to the “dark side?”  One of the big reasons for me is the demon of self-image. (Side note:  You know self-image among cyclists is a problem… don’t even pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about.)

When I see myself as “fat” and “out of shape,” I usually turn my training up a notch.  There’s a certain “fighting weight” that I try to stay between throughout the year.  If I get close to the upper limits of that range, I get unhappy and start to do something about it.  I tend to change up my diet for a while and add a few extra hours into my riding schedule, whenever possible.

Another reason I switch to training indoors during the winter is weather.  I am aware that not everybody is lucky enough to have the “winter” that I have in Georgia, but it’s still not fun to ride in sometimes.  Our winters tend to be cold, windy, and wet… adverse conditions for me.  If it’s too nasty, I don’t want to put my bike out in those conditions.  Sometimes, it’s just too much trouble to clean and tune the bike after riding in the rain.

What pushes you indoors?  What’s the point that you say, “I’m not going out today.  I’d rather stay in and spin?”

Question… How do you do it?  How do you stay motivated to ride (indoors or outdoors) during the winter months?  I’ve got a charity ride planned in the morning to benefit Toys For Tots, but the forecast is for freezing temperatures and snow/precipitation.   How do you wrap your mind around stupid-cold, crappy weather?

I remember back to 2003.  A group of Canadian cyclists made their way down south for the early spring to conduct a training camp in Clemson, SC, where I was living/working at the time.  They came in the shop, hung out, bought some parts and accessories over those few weeks, and developed a relationship with myself and the other guys at the shop that lasted quite a few years.  They continued to visit in following years, and we kept in touch via e-mail frequently.

In one of those e-mails, Don (the “leader of the pack”) sent me a picture of a group of cyclists from the club from the Great White North.  They were running a pretty solid paceline down a road, in what looked like blizzard-type conditions.  I quit complaining about cold weather at that point.

So what’s your solution for riding in the cold?  Is there a particular “dress code” that you abide by?  Do you use embrocation in conjunction with your attire?  Is there a certain temperature at which you say, “that’s just too cold?”  Please leave your feedback below.  Thanks.