Staying Fit and Staying Inside

Photos by Trainer Road

Although this year is off to a turbulent start with the COVID-19 Pandemic and many of our favorite events becoming canceled, it’s no reason to stop riding your bike altogether. Despite this situation, we feel fortunate that our favorite pastime promotes a healthy lifestyle can be enjoyed in isolation, while staying inside your home.

One of our favorite tools to use for indoor training is TrainerRoad. Utilizing their program with the ‘Plan Builder’ and their Ramp Test to determine your riding zones, TrainerRoad helps cyclists to effectively build fitness for specific events through a variety of day by day interval-type workouts.

Riding indoors on any indoor bike setup is a great way to stay healthy and motivated for an event that’s been postponed to later in the year, or to up your cycling game. With help from our friends at TrainerRoad, we’ve put together a few helpful tips during this time of uncertainty for cycling and triathlon events.

1) Become a More Complete Cyclist

Coach Jonathan Lee with TrainerRoad states, “This is a fantastic opportunity to reset and spend the time you’ve always wanted on shoring up a weakness or doubling down on a strength. Look at this as an opportunity to become a more complete athlete.”

This is particularly useful for gravel riders who may be a bit behind in their base miles. The chance to put more miles in your legs during this time is helpful in many ways towards you accomplishing your PR goals at any event. For criterium racers, this is a chance to work on sprinting repeatability. For triathletes, this is a great opportunity to focus on more sustained power over longer periods of time.

2) Re-Calibrate Your Goals

Use this time to work on recalibrating your goals. Instead of a top finish, shoot for a new FTP (Functional Threshold Power). Switching up your goals is a perfect way to keep the momentum you’ve built through the winter going through the spring. As Jonathan Lee mentions, “No goal event doesn’t mean you don’t have goals. If possible and safe, you can still execute on your planned event day with a race simulation to take advantage of the peak fitness you’ve obtained, or you can change your focus. You’ll undoubtedly be a better athlete with this opportunity for focused, uninterrupted training.”

3) Focus More on Stretching, Recovery, Fuel, and Hydration

With a bit more downtime, it’s a good time to refocus on the importance of stretching and recovery from an indoor ride. These are often overlooked parts of being an athlete. Similarly, you can continue to work through your fueling needs revolving around your rides. Focusing on how to improve your fueling and hydration for before, during, and after the workout will lead to better habits, and improve your abilities as an athlete.

4) Remember That Cycling is Fun

The best part about cycling is that it’s fun. Use this time to step back from planned training and pedal on the bike without a plan. Put on your favorite movie or TV show, or past bike race, and just cruise. This is a great way to start the morning, or take a break from work at lunch, and mentally recharge or refresh.

With the constantly changing environment of the world, it’s good to stay healthy and optimistic through exercise. Use these tips, and remember to wash your hands. For more information, visit TrainerRoad’s blog for more helpful advice with indoor training for any of your cycling events.

PLEASE NOTE – THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. PLEASE VISIT THE CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL’S WEBSITE FOR INFORMATION (HTTPS://WWW.CDC.GOV/)