I have come to learn very quickly that turbo training is great for triathletes and dedicated cyclists for that matter. It wasn’t so long ago though that it had a very different reputation. Turbo trainers were seen as torture devices by most, as the poor victim would usually find themselves banished to the coldest and least comfortable part of the home. This would become known as their pain cave, where many hours would be spent staring at a brick wall while sweat streamed from every body part and dripped all over the frame to corrode it given half a chance. Riders/ victims did it purely because the inclement weather meant they had no other choice. Thankfully, it’s a very different experience these days for all the right reasons. Let’s take a look at what some of these are.
1) It Is Safe & Time Effective
I had to start with this one as I feel they are two of the biggest advantages for the average time crunched cyclist or triathlete.
With the roads seemingly busier than ever, accidents are an ever increasing threat. A lot of the time the rider isn’t at fault and they can end up pretty badly hurt by negligent drivers. Over the years I’ve been hit several times on roundabouts and was told after one incident that my split helmet went a good way in saving my life, On that occasion a woman had been distracted by her children arguing in the back and had turned briefly to discipline them. That was long enough for her not to see me and crash straight into my side at nearly 30 miles per hour. I still consider myself very lucky to this day to have walked away with only a few cuts and bruises.
You can of course also misjudge a corner or get caught out by the road conditions themselves. I’ve seen several club mates over the years go down right in front of me and I have done so myself too. On one autumn ride, I ended up losing half a front tooth and a lot of skin after slipping on wet leaves. All because I took a corner a little faster than I should have done. Again I didn’t break anything else other than my tooth, but it could have easily been worse and caused me to be off the bike for many weeks.
I may be stating the obvious here, but turbo training is great for triathletes and cyclists because it eliminates any of these potential risks. The worst thing that can happen is that you manage to fall off the turbo by not setting it up properly. What else can honestly go wrong?
Another great thing is how time effective it is. If you’ve ever turbo trained, then you’ll know only too well how there is no option to freewheel. This is especially true if you own a fluid or magnetic trainer. As hard as this may be for beginners, it means that you are made to work for every minute you are training, which is the whole reason you’re on there in the first place. Unless you live in a very flat and quiet area, it is virtually impossible to pedal consistently putting out a steady power. A turbo trainer makes this very easy indeed. If you want to ride for three hours in zone two, then you can indeed do this without pausing once. Just make sure with this one that your entertainment is set up to keep you sane!
Kitting up is also a much speedier state of affairs especially during the colder months. You have no tools to pack, winter kit to get into or lights to charge and test. Just stick on some bib shorts, grab a towel and start pedalling without even leaving the house.
2) The Development of The Trainers Themselves.
Many years ago turbo trainers were usually loud and provided a riding experience that felt nothing like being out on the road. It was always effective in building strength, but it wasn’t very enjoyable. Now there are so many options to choose from. Towards the budget end of things ( my preferred area ), fluid trainers are affordable, much quieter to use and as their name suggests, much more fluid when in use.
I have used the Cycle Ops 2 fluid trainer now for many years and have been very impressed with it. Despite living in a flat, no neighbours have throttled me because of the noise up to this point and my power abilities have got nowhere close to exceeding the capabilities of the machine. Add an affordable sweat guard like this one I use and your bike will stay in mint condition too.
If you are willing to spend more, then the sky really is the limit. Smart Trainers are a big thing now and you can see why after trying one out. There is no need for a rear wheel and instead your bike and trainer almost become one. Connect it with an online game like Zwift or a training programme and it will even adjust the resistance for you just being out on the road fighting headwinds or gradients or enjoying speedy descents. Click here to read more about why they are worth considering.
3) They Are Great For Structured Training
Despite this article focussing on why turbo training is great for triathletes and cyclists, even I have to admit that it will never be as fun as riding out on the open road. Are there many more things more exhilarating than descending at fast speed? You are completely in the moment, fixed on the stretch of tarmac ahead.
Despite these benefits of the open road, all my structured training sessions are now completed on the turbo trainer. It just offers such a controlled setting, where you can sprint or ride at any other intensity you wish for as long as you like without interruption.
In the past have tried to take more intense sessions out onto the road at times, but often found that uncontrollable variables interfered with what I had planned. A queue of traffic, horse rider or temporary traffic lights can all totally ruin an interval you are trying to complete.
There is also the issue of overall terrain to deal with. The cyclist Alex Dowsett once spoke about the benefits of living and training in Essex. It is flat and quiet in places, which means you can measure your efforts more easily. If you live in a hillier or busier spot, then this becomes far more tricky for you to execute.
The only way to successfully replicate a very specific session outdoors is to find a long straight and flat piece of road, which you ride up and down on until you have finished.
4) Training Apps Have Never Been Better
Going back to my opening paragraph, there once was a time, when riders would have to use the TV for entertainment and a cycling computer to perhaps register their cadence and heart rate.
Power meters are a relatively new phenomenon, but they have now totally transformed cycling and turbo training for that matter. I wonder what a cyclist from thirty years ago would have thought if you’d told them that you could ride online against other cyclists, where a device would measure your power and transfer this realistically to a virtual world? Even writing that question makes me still appreciate how far things have come.
There are new several Apps, which provide a whole host of training sessions and even races if you feel inclined. This article tells you more about them and what the benefits are of each. Personally I have always used Zwift, as I have enjoyed some of the racing opportunities it provides. A mate of mine though has been raving about My Whoosh, so I suspect I’ll give this a try in the near future and use the extra money to try and save a watt or two somewhere on my bike. You know how that one works…..
5) It Better Looks After Your Bike
You may think I’m getting a bit desperate now with subheadings like that to finish, but stick with me. How many times have you worn out brake blocks, rims or other components for that matter over the winter months? Disc breaks help these days, but the grit and other crap on the roads still does a good job in wrecking your bike. A turbo trainer completely does away with that problem and there is very little to worry about. Changing the turbo tyre, lubing the chain and maybe even changing these is all you have to worry about.
Your bike doesn’t also get covered in mud, which saves a whole shedload of time if you add it up over an extended period.
I’ve also come to realise on a few recent outings that the British roads are in a shocking state of repairs. Potholes are a real nuisance and can do a mighty fine job in wrecking a wheel and maybe sending you to the tarmac in the process.
Finally, punctures become a thing of the past. This must surely be ne of the best reasons why turbo training is great for triathletes and dedicated cyclists. I stand by the fact that hearing that dreaded hiss on a cold day is one of the worst sounds about. Standing on the roadside with fingers going dumb, as you try to push the rest of the tyre onto the rim is horrid.
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