Computer Course Biking - Feb. 8

I went to ride indoors with Steve this afternoon, expecting to do another of the Carmichael Training DVD’s. What I got instead was a ride on the trainers hooked up to the computers. I’d heard Steve talk about these before, and I’d seen people riding them the past two weeks, but I didn’t think I’d be on one. If you are a fan of technology and want a killer workout, stop by Kyle’s Bikes and try one out yourself.

It was fun. And cool. But tough for only my 3rd ride in a long, long while.

There’s a real course in the computer, transporting me via monitor to some road in Europe (France is my guess). The program is hooked directly to the trainer, and it adjusts the tension automatically for the hills. And there were hills today. You still control your gears and shifting, allowing you to manage the terrain.

The best part of the whole experience was watching Steve power through the ride. He blew me away, much like some great guy I knew. My dad would have loved this setup. He’d have enjoyed the idea of crushing all of the other riders.

Me? I’m more content to just finish the ride, getting a great workout, and maybe going a bit quicker – a bit harder – than I did the last time I rode.
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Workout: ~37 minutes; 11.87 miles; average speed ~19.2 mph; the ride started with a rather large hill, but it leveled out after 3 or so miles, only to climb again (not as much) around the 7th mile, after which the ride was relatively flat (but I was wiped); was a bit light-headed around halfway through because of the difficulty of the ride and my lack of fitness, but I worked through it; did drink water, but could have drank more while riding; wanted to record all my info (calories – somewhere in the high 400’s, wattage, cadence, etc., but didn’t get the chance); fun ride, and will be more fun when I’ve been riding a bit more regularly.