This piece was written for TrainingPeaks.com, but I hope LLB readers will dig it.
Man does not live on the trainer alone. If the conditions are nice, pin it outside! Sprint training up the slalom track at Valmont Bike Park in Boulder, CO.
So many mountain bikers do their work in the winter — sitting and spinning, mostly — then they hit real trails and are shocked. Why aren’t I flying up these rocky climbs? Why I am I working so hard? Why am I falling down?
Mountain biking is more complex than road riding. Never mind all the turning, hopping and dropping: The pedaling is more involved too.
This article strives to help your winter pedaling training better prepare you for off-road riding. The physiological concepts come from my pedaling fitness coach, Lester Pardoe at the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine. The technical concepts come from my experience as a busy skills instructor, dad and business owner. I need to wring every gram of benefit out of every minute on the trainer (and I need it to be interesting).
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