Is Indoor Training Effective in the Spring?

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.

Coach Fred Matheny 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, many experienced cyclists don’t ride indoors during winter. Instead, they save their motivation for the vomitron until the spring.

Then when the weather turns bad, they don’t mind doing some hard training indoors.

So don’t fret. The weather will turn soon enough, and you can work on the skills that only come from group riding. Meanwhile, keep plugging away knowing that riding season is just around the corner.