This time of year is difficult, I want to be outside on the bike but there is Ice & Snow everywhere so it isn't possible to safely ride on the road. I bought a used cyclocross bike a few years ago to use on the trainer and on the road when there is gravel everywhere etc. I got a great deal on it with excellent components. For those who may not know a cyclocross bike is simply a road bike that is made to be used both on and off road. The frame is sturdier and is meant to take a beating and tires are wider and have nobs on them like a mountain bike tire & the gearing is a combination between a mountain bike and a road bike.
Cyclocross racing was developed in Europe by road racers who wanted to extend their season and do some more challenging and very different courses. These courses are typically short, the races are short at about 45 minutes but the difficulty is tremendous. The course will have both natural and man made obstacles on it which require the rider to dismount, carry & run with the bike. I haven't tried a cyclocross race yet but may in 2009, it looks fun!
Anyhow, I bought the cyclocross bike because I knew with an aluminum frame that I couldn't (or likely wouldn't) be able to break the frame while it was on the trainer. This peace of mind allows me to really hammer on the trainer without worrying about wrecking my nice carbon road bike... I learned from my friend that you can break carbon frames on trainers.
For the last few days, I've been on the trainer over an hour each day with one day off the bike. I'm also lifting, light weights, high reps and working on core strength as well. I'm trying to build a decent base fitness level before I start ramping up the time on the bike and/or the intensity.
2 comments:
Sean,
Nice crossbike explanation.
You will like cross racing. Nothing like bouncing off the redline for 45 minutes.
Are you using a HRM or power meter during the workouts?
I'm using a HRM. Would love to have a power meter.
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