We just got over a foot of snow, and weather in the 20’s. That’s why I’m eyeing some cool software from RA Sports.
I’ve ridden on indoor trainers before – boring! But I’ve also helped my brother set up one of these systems at his gym, and it looked pretty cool. Instead of just some nice scenery to pass the time, they’ve managed to make it interactive. By adding a few sensors to your bike, you can vary your speed on the screen. That means you’ll get to see the image speed up when you sprint, and slow down when you’re being slack. Much nicer than a video shot at one speed. But there’s an even bigger advantage to that – you can go online and race other users. So I won’t even have to ride alone indoors, I can share the misery with other cycling geeks. And since there’s a cadence sensor and an optional receiver for a wireless HRM, I can record and analyze each workout to see if my fitness is actually improving.
This is pretty clever stuff, and looks like a great piece of gear for cyclists that are stuck indoors, or just want to remove a few variables when they’re measuring the effectiveness of their training regimen. For me, I’m just a wuss when it comes to the idea of riding in a foot of snow. I’d like to get out there and play on my new bike, but I would have to be insane to do that in this weather.
I know my wife reads my blog, so maybe she can shoot a link over to Santa…