Question: We’ve had terrible weather this spring! I can’t get on the road often, so I’ve been on the trainer. Will it help me get ready for competition in a month? — Harry P.
RBR Replies: Indoor trainer workouts can’t teach pack-riding skills, bike handling or tactics, so that’s a problem for racing.
But they work fine for building strength and power. In fact, indoor training has evolved significantly in recent years, thanks to the rise of smart trainers and interactive apps like Zwift. These advancements have not only made indoor training more engaging and effective but have also given rise to a new category of riders who primarily train and even race on virtual platforms.
Smart trainers provide a realistic and immersive riding experience. When used with apps like Zwift, you can join virtual group rides, races, and workouts with cyclists from around the world. This has led to the emergence of a thriving online cycling community, with many riders now focusing their efforts on virtual racing and training.
However, this trend has also brought to light a new challenge in early season races and lower race categories. Some riders who have spent extensive time training on smart trainers may arrive at races incredibly fit but lacking in essential pack-riding skills and bike handling abilities.
In the past, a cyclist’s bike skills would typically improve roughly at the same rate as his or her fitness just by the nature of spending time on the roads training. Now, with the ability to build substantial fitness indoors, a rider may end up super strong and super squirrely at the same time. Perhaps you’ve experienced riding with some cyclists like this over the past several years.
So it’s not fitness that I worry about as much as deterioration of your bike handling skills when you spend too much time on the trainer. It’s important to keep those outdoor riding skills sharp. As the weather improves, make sure to incorporate group rides and practice races to work on your pack-riding techniques, cornering, and ability to react to other riders.