1. Set Goals and Vary Your Routine
For many cyclists, the cold days and nights of the winter put a tremendous damper on training. Many find indoor cycling boring and mentally taxing. Simply jumping on a stationary bike and pedaling may do a little for your body but send your mind into a dark, boredom-filled place. Yet during the off-season, you can effectively use indoor training for a variety of reasons. The key is to keep it fresh.
Set goals for your indoor training. If injured, this is a perfect way to begin rehabbing. Don't indoor-ride in the same place each time. If you are using a stationary bike or home trainer, move it to a different location every day you train. Finally, don't limit yourself to slow, steady rides. Modify your workouts to include sprints, timed intervals and escalation rides to challenge your body and keep your mind engaged.
2. Go for a Spin
Spinning class is an excellent opportunity to develop your endurance while doing some cycling networking at the same time. Odds are that others in the class also feel the cold-weather blues. Use the class as an opportunity to find new training partners.
3. Try New Positions on a Home Trainer
With the use of a home trainer, indoor cycling can be an excellent opportunity to modify and adapt to a new body position on the bike. As you practice the new position, watch one of the many indoor-training videos that help create riding and racing scenarios to increase your comfort level on the bike.
If you have the means, set up a video camera to examine the strengths and weakness of your body position and the effects of fatigue on your riding technique. If you find your shoulders dropping or raising or your cadence dropping at the same point in each indoor ride, analyze what is missing from your training program to help solve the problem.
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