Yes, I do love indoor training when it is done right, but the weather has finally turned consistently warmer (at least in PA), and it’s time to get outside and soak up some of that beautiful sunshine. Especially if you have been training for a big outdoor charity ride, like one of the MS 150s or even a 30 or 50 mile Epic ride of sorts, it’s time to log some outdoor miles.

Another way to look at it in turns of your overall training plan, is that it is time to move into the “specificity” portion of your training. If you are just beginning riding outside, or if you are a veteran that still races, the mission is the same – start practicing the skills you need, in the environment you intend on riding or competing in.

It goes without saying that there are significant differences in equipment, environment, clothing, fueling, etc that you must begin to account for when riding outside. If you are planning on anything over 30 miles or so, you need to begin experimenting with the right combinations of all the above… to get it “dialed in” so that when you are cranking out the miles, you are comfortable on the bike. The indoor cycling training will have prepared your heart and cardiovascular system if you’ve followed good Heart Zones® principles. If you’ve been working out on a Keiser m3 or other bike with power, your legs and power should be close enough to handle most of the climbs. However, your butt has probably not had more than 2 hrs in the saddle indoors. You will need more saddle time for those longer rides, and the impact on your back, neck and shoulders also can not be underestimated. You need road or trail time to get the body accustomed to the small adjustments it will make, including unconscious acts of balance and stability, as you ride. In other words, your body needs to learn the roads and trails again now that you’ve prepared your fitness to handle it.

This does NOT mean abandoning indoor cycling. You still can’t find a more efficient place to work on measuring and improving power, and it is vital to do at least 1 steady state Heart Zones workout each week to keep the cardio system in tune. The difference now, is that you will do longer steady states in higher zones, and the power workouts will be more precise too – in other words, you will workout for shorter periods indoors, but they will be much more intense, giving you the biggest bang for your buck, or shall we say the maximum movement for your minute.