How are you feeling at the prospect of dusting off your turbo trainer and spending less time on your local training roads this winter? Even the biggest fan of indoor training must admit it’s just not the same as riding outdoors. Yes, the apps and smart trainers available these days are awesome, but it always feels that bit harder, physically and mentally, when stuck inside. What exactly is the difference, in terms of gaining and maintaining fitness? We decided to find out.
Have you ever wondered why your heart rate goes through the roof and power tails off quicker indoors? Partly this is because the physics are different: riding on a turbo trainer demands us to move a flywheel — a weighted disc — rather than an actual wheel on a road surface. The turbo’s flywheel is designed to replicate the forces that we generate while riding outside. However, it’s impossible to exactly mimic that propulsive force or the tiny fluctuations in gradient and surface outside — and that leads to a slightly different load on our legs.
Ciaran O’Grady is a Team Dimension Data coach who is working towards a PhD in human performance, focussing on data collected from turbo trainers.
“The lack of true momentum and inertial changes that you would produce outdoors means there’s biomechanical differences when you ride inside,” he explains. “You have to generate a different type of inertial load on a turbo trainer, and that changes your pedal stroke. You become a lot more quad-dominant on the trainer, whereas on the road you use a more balanced combination of quad, hamstring, calf and glute.”
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 31, 2019-Ausgabe von CYCLING WEEKLY.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 31, 2019-Ausgabe von CYCLING WEEKLY.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Emperor Sport
The amateur 'Animal' attacked on this fixed wheel
Overtraining
We ask a fatigue specialist what bike-related burnout really means, and how to avoid it
SLEEP CYCLES - Is tracking shut-eye time well spent?
Are cyclists sleepwalking into information overload, asks Lexie Williamson
Giant Revolt X Pro
Steve Shrubsall gives Giant's gravel mile-muncher a multisurface mauling
How do I keep my tubeless set-up safe?
Tubeless tyres are no cause for concern if you take a few simple precautions, finds Joe Baker
SEB GRINDLEY & HIS DAD DAVE
The British teenager has hit the ground running in his sporting career, but that's no surprise as his father did exactly the same
THE BARD OF BRIOUDE
Revered as much for his erudition as his élan, Romain Bardet is on a mission to change cycling for the better, as Chris Marshall-Bell finds out
THE HUB
All the news you might have missed from the last seven days
Holmes sees double with Gralloch win
Ex-WorldTour rider's triumphant return to racing continues with glory on the gravel
FRED WRIGHT - Martian preparation for the Tour
Fred Wright rides for Bahrain Victorious