GOING VIRTUAL

After holding out against it for years, Adam Becket finally braves the world of online cycling, with mixed results

- Adam Becket

Reader, I love cycling outdoors. I will bend R anyone's ear for hours about the benefits of being in the middle of nowhere on two wheels, and I don't think it is too much of an exaggeration to say that riding my bike has helped me continue to stay on the straight and narrow, to keep me away from the mental health-shaped wolf at the door. Throughout the pandemic I kept riding, through the heat and the cold of lockdown, even in the rain, because I simply had to keep going.

Throughout this, I never once considered cycling indoors. Mainly through stubbornness, because I felt superior thanks to my exploits in the great outdoors, but also because of the merits I see "traditional" riding having.

Also, it must be said, I am a 27-year-old without the resources to buy or the space, generally, to host a turbo trainer or subscribe to Zwift. It's expensive! Essentially, I missed the boat on this one. The Covid-19-induced boom, when it was harder to buy a turbo trainer than find the ark of the covenant, passed me by.

However, I have always been intrigued. There are people who bang on about how great virtual riding is and given this in the indoor cycling special edition of CW, I volunteered to give it a whirl. What could go wrong?

Day one 

I was able to borrow a Wahoo Kickr that was hanging around in the CW offices, so no stress there. It should be noted that these things cost at least £500, so are out of reach for a lot of people, even if they are hooked on the idea of cycling indoors. I am not.

Anyway, the big box is here. It is very heavy, so try to get someone else to help you set it up.