Bring It, Stormaggedon!

Why there’s never been a better time to ride inside.

- Joe Lindsey

Winter takes many forms depending on where you live, but what’s constant is the dark – even balmy Durban gets just 10 and a half hours of daylight a day in June. For cyclists, the solution has long been to train indoors. That used to mean punishing yourself in a cold garage away from light, fresh air, and stimulus of any kind. No more. An explosion of technology in the past five years has remade what it means to ride inside, from trainers with a realistic ride feel to interactive, game-like apps. And there’s a genuine fitness benefit: Studies indicate that indoor cycling is often higher intensity than riding outside (perhaps because you focus on the work, rather than the scenery). And you’re more efficient: you’re never freewheeling and never have to stop for a traffic light, so every pedal stroke goes towards the workout. “I can instantly tell from a rider’s power file whether the ride was inside or outside,” says Isaiah Newkirk, who coaches and manages indoor programmes for a popular cycling coaching service. “If they’re following the plan, you see the junk-mile percentage disappear.” 

Here’s what’s remaking the art of riding inside.

SMART TRAINERS!