an observation - 3 basic tips for riding inside

A comment I hear rather often from those I know in the greater cycling community is that many people hate riding inside. It's boring, they get to hot, they go insane, etc. etc.

I however, love riding inside. Ok, maybe not as much as riding outside, but with the right attitude and a few creature comforts, riding inside can be less dreadful. Here are my basic tips, in fact, you could call them common knowledge.

1. ride with others. Having someone (or multiple people) to talk to makes the time fly. Even a measly hour inside by yourself will feel like an eternity. With two friends, you can keep a good conversation going, you won't be looking at the clock, and the time will fly by. you organize outside rides all spring/summer/fall, why not do it over the winter.

2. have tv/movies. I prefer cycling dvd's as they provide good motivation, however anything will worked. They keep you entertained. A tip from sarah is to watch foriegn films and try to translate them, anything to keep your mind busy.

3. open the window and get a fan. I don't even have a fan, but an open window (or two for cross-ventilation) can work wonders. If its too cold outside to ride, that cool air will feel great when its 5000 degrees inside. A fan blowing it on you is even nicer.

There you go. You will now love riding inside. Well, probably not. But it may be a bit better. #1 is the most important and solves most of the problems. Having a good attitude is also very important. Coming in thinking bad things won't make the time pass, however, coming in thinking, im gonna get in a good workout, break a good sweat, workout the legs, talk to my buddies, watch something, etc., will make the clock fly and the overall experience more enjoyable. Even if you and your friend don't do the same workout or time on the bike, even a bit of time talking to someone else helps. Make sure you have a towel, don't wear a jersey (makes you hot, uneccessary), have a stand near the bike to hold your towel, water, food, etc.

Another thing to try on a trainer is reading. Its not that hard to do, and you kill two birds with one stone. Read the paper, magazine, your book, textbook, whatever. Just make sure you keep on pedaling a good cadence/gear. You can really only do this for super easy base miles or recovery rides. Try all sorts of things. Be sure to mix it up (cadences, gears, etc.) like you would on the road. Ride no handed (if you can't on a trainer, you probably shouldn't be a cyclist, and rollers are pretty easy to ride sans hands as well, it just takes a slight ego bruising first). Ride with one foot (a great drill). Been thinking about tweaking your position on the bike? Indoors is a great place to do it. Access to mirrors (see how the changes look as well as feel) and tools mean you can change things easily and often, see/feel the results, and continue to tweak things instantly.

So stop complaining to me and ride inside. If nothing else, you will appreciate riding outside all the more when it gets warm out again. Or, man up, and brave the winter, just stop complaining to me either way...