So, I get it, life gets in the way.
I took most of 8 years off when my son and daughter were young, I was CFO at work*, and was really out of shape when I got back to training in 1995. In 2005 when I finished 15 years of coaching soccer and turned down the opportunity to coach a friend’s U12 soccer team, I got back on the road bike for real at my brother’s suggestion and a few years later started on the trainer. There were weeks of 8-10 hours on the trainer, but I always rode outside and that is what I looked forward to: seeing the gang, competing, being among nature and the cars.
I also did a lot of outdoor training in the evening, in the basement, the gym and when out of town on clients located where I could throw a bike in the truck. This meant three nights a week in the cold and dark. It was so much better than the hotel gym. My workload compression is similar to
@clarkenstein so it often meant a late night start.
Bottom line: if you train well and regularly, your race results are better at Battenkill, Hillier Than Thou, the Death Ride or H2H; just like in any other sport. I get that too.
I never really had the same feeling about riding indoors that I had for a good bike ride. More than the trainer, I liked running steps at the stadium or the RAC, the weight room, winter B ball v. the brothers in New Brunswick or Newark, or running on the beach or park, even when the weather was an STD.
Fast forward to five years ago, when I bought a Fatboy and realized that it was MORE FUN outside than a trainer inside. Hope eBay didn’t hit the Kurt Kinetic in the ass on the way to California. Fast forward to this year and I bought another Kurt Kinetic Road Machine on eBay. I haven’t put the pedals on the 1980 Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 that the KKRM will be permattached to, yet. That is partly due to pretty good weather so far this winter and a good work schedule, both of which may end soon enough.
I don’t hate
@Norm nor do I think that anyone who is chiding him does either, but thicken up that skin, boyo. We luv r mayer.
- *This is “Just Don’t Bite It” work, I mean, in case you wanna measure. “You boys are disgusting…”