Ever since I heard about FLYWHEEL, a new Indoor Cycling system in New York City I’ve been trying to learn about how their new technology called the TorqBoard worked. They apparently developed “add on” technology to an existing Red Knob bike. “Red Knob bikes” are what I call ALL the pre-power bikes of the current era – the standard type that have no gears or indicator values for resistance. This add-on was supposed to measure Power as well as RPM. Being the power partisan that I am, I just had to know how this could be. There are still only a couple stationary bikes on the market with decent power measurement, and they have had to go through years of development, and multiple bike releases to get it close. So how in the world could someone develop an “add-on” power meter for a stationary bike?

If you’ve followed this blog for any amount of time, you know that I have a passion to see Indoor Cycling become all it can be. The desire to share the joys of riding outside with those whose only experience is in the gym has translated to many new riders hitting the trails, roads and single track outside in PA. At the same time, I’ve finally convinced enough of our “elite” racers to give the Indoor Cycling program a good try to see the results for themsleves. Their experience has made believers out of them, and spandex is now frequently represented indoors as well. But we are a handful, in one small suburb of Pittsburgh.

Sixteen weeks, countless hours on the bike, more Yoga & Pilates than I thought I’d ever see, and all the 40+ VO2 tests later, the results are finally in. The Winter Training program based on Cycling Fusion Training principles, at Global Ride has produced results that have exceeded even the most ambitious expectations set. These results were not relegated to just the first season participants either. From our newbies to our experienced racers, the numbers prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that This Stuff Really Works!

Being a Power Training fanatic that I am, I also regularly monitor the forums and various blogs about power on the internet. I came across a fantastic thread of conversations on the Google Wattage forum (a place where serious cyclists, with serious money, talk about serious power). If you don’t ride outside, you might not be aware that there is a general disdain from cyclists about indoor cycling, and especially Spinning®. They lump all indoor riding into the same bucket and consider it a last resort for getting their ride on.

Tomorrow we officially hit the half way point of our 16 week Winter Training program at the Global Ride Training Center. We’ve employed the Keiser M3 power indoor bikes and Cycling Fusion principals to maximize our use of the indoor environment. We are preparing for personal bests and new levels in the great outdoors on two wheels.

It was an interesting turn of the tables. Instead of me asking a cycling blogger to take a look (or in my case, a ride through) one of my Global Ride DVDs to render an opinion, I was being asked by Stephen Auerbach to review his film about the Race Across America (RAAM). Before I give you my take on it, let me tell you how I watched it. Yeah, you’re already ahead of me, I watched it while riding my Keiser M3 indoor bike. It’s better than that though, I actually held a class on a Friday night, and had many fellow riders join me for a “movie night” of another kind.

Well, it’s midway through February, and there’s good news and bad news – the good news is that we are almost half way through the winter, the bad news is that if you haven’t started your Winter Training yet, you better get started or you will miss the best “Base Building” time of the year. if you haven’t started preparing for the Spring season, it’s not too late. There is plenty of crappy winter weather left (if you don’t enjoy winter sports that is), and so Indoor training should be your staple this time of year.

WOW, time flies when you are doing a kazillion things at once. If I could only get to a billion, I’d almost be half sane. Oh yeah, let me finish my title – Winter Training Starts in 18 Days – now as I was saying, YIKES!

Whether it is mountain biking, road cycling, or even touring, power can be the gateway to a new experience on two wheels. You’ll be able to “hang with the faster group”, climb the hills you used to walk, or climb with speed where you used to get dropped, or just feel fresh throughout a touring ride while your companions are “suffering”.

In a previous post (Formulas Don’t Work), I bemoaned the continual use of “220-age” as the basis for CVT (Cardio Vascular Training).  In a first here at the Fanatics blog, I’ve invited the real expert to “splain” it to us – why this thing just doesn’t work.  You can also download the original white paper by Sally Edwards from her website, complete with detailed scientific references if you want to share it with others that need to know.  Here is the body of that paper: