I have really done it this time; inserted foot, leg and well more than I can say into my big mouth. I’ve debated doing this for weeks now, secretly hoping no one would be crazy enough to join me, so I would have a reason to not do it – but enough of that wimpy indecision. I booked the flight, and so I am committed to go, with our without others. I’m promising – no I think I should say attempting - to do the first 5 stages of the Giro d’Italia just hours ahead of the pros in Italy this May. I have about 9 weeks to train, and 90% of that training will have to be done indoors. That is in fact, the primary motivation for doing this – to prove to the average cyclist that they have “pooh pooh’d” indoor cycling for too long. I have heard the most incredible excuses for cyclists not training in the winter, or for only suffering in their basement when they can force themselves to watch just one more X-Files rerun.

Good indoor cycling offers the most incredible and controlled environment to train in, yet yet most cyclists still have some strange notions about it. The problem is most fitness facilities just use it (indoor cycling or Spinning®) to exercise, not to train. Training is what gets the job done – structured workouts with purpose, principals, and expertise in cycling. I would venture to say that the right combination of equipment, and instruction may deliver even better results than riding outside all year long.

I’m stepping down from my soap box now, since I have put the pressure on myself to prove this to all those who have heard my rants for the last two years. I’ve tried to get some traction on my website “Cycling Fusion”, but have not had the right set of circumstances to rally fellow “believers” out there; and I know there are many. I just need to get them to be aware that there is a movement a foot to improve the state of indoor cycling to this kind of level.

In the coming weeks, I will attempt to blog several times per week, and provide lots of “tweets” to my fellow twitter mates (not sure if that is proper twitter vernacular) about my training and logistics to pull this off. I will, by necessity, also be doing this on the cheap, cheap and double cheap. I’ve gotten the airfare mostly on airline points, I’ll be seeking at least one other guy to go with me so I can split the room cost, and I will be staying in small bed and breakfasts for the minimum days to accomplish the feat, and come home – a vacation this will NOT be!

By the way, I’d love to have a few folks riding along side. I only ask that they also be avid indoor riders as well. I want to make a unified statement that indoor cycling is powerful and effective if done correctly – more on the whys and wherefores on that subject in the next blog post.