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Training for an endurance cycling event in the middle of winter in New Hampshire has of course been a challenge. Between the cold and the higher than average amount of snow the majority of my training has been indoors with the bike mounted on a trainer. Following a virtual route with computer generated graphics does help a bit but I have been eager to get back out on real roads.

There are a couple of advantages however. One of my biggest issues is simply being comfortable on the bike for hours on end. With the bike mounted on a rigid indoor trainer it is even harder, less movement of the bike and less time out of the saddle means the body really gets uncomfortable on long training sessions. Over the winter I was able to increase the length of time before it became unbearable by significant amounts. Hopefully this translates to even longer times on long outdoor rides.

The other advantage is it gives an opportunity to do heat training. While my basement gym is pretty cold what I have been able to do is wear several layers of clothing, including a full painters suit to prevent sweat evaporation, and a heavy winter coat on top of it all and get my body temperature up on training rides. Through the use of a Core temperature sensor (which is just a sensor you can attach to a heart rate strap, no it doesn’t need to be stuck “up there” like you might imagine?) I am able to do long sessions at an elevated body temperature in a safe and controlled manner. Kansas can often get very hot at the end of May and I want to be ready!

I will soon be able to put all that training to an early test over the next couple of weeks….