In my last post I noted that we only mentioned the tip of the iceberg as it relates to bringing the “Indoor Only” crowd outside to experience the sport of cycling.  The iceberg analogy works in two ways – it reflects just how cold the zealots can be towards each other (I’ve seen, heard and read some pretty nasty trash talking back and forth), and it works in it’s normal usage, as just showing a little bit of what is really there.

The last post was the seed that will be planted in a dedicated page for making our case to our spinning/indoor cycling brethren.  I hope you will submit your own reasons there, and if you were once an indoor only person, please consider sending us your “first time out” story, or just how you became active in both worlds. Having made my journey full circle (see previous post) ,  I can readily relate to both types of conversions.  If you share your experience, perhaps someone like you will take the plunge, and you’ll have “spread the joy” ☺.  When was the last time you helped enrich someone’s life?

For this blog entry though, I want to list just a few of the reasons why the passionate outdoor rider should come and give Indoor Cycling / Spinning a try.   And just so you don’t think this is coming from just me, (a zealot for both environments through and through), the following has been taken and summarized from an article written by Darcie Murphy (), a serious cyclist and coach for Chris Charmichael.  The full article can be found here:

In General:

• It’s a lot more fun than working out by yourself
• Being with the group will push you harder and farther
• Steady state heart rate work is best done in a controlled environment
• It will provide opportunities to meet new people, maybe meet new riding buddies
• You don’t have to invest in a trainer and other related equipment

Why Indoor Riders Should Invite Cyclists to Come Spinning®:

The following text (except for the formatting and headings) were taken from Chris Charmichael’s newsletter archives:

Pedal Stroke Mechanics
Many are also equipped with a variety of clipless pedals so you can use the same shoes indoors that you use when it is warm outdoors. This is great news for the seasoned cyclist who trains year-round since the bike fit and equipment will be familiar. Also, because of the fixed-gear system, your pedaling mechanics should improve significantly.

Hit The Ground Running Next Spring
Because the workouts are so intense, if you are looking to improve your fitness on the fast track, attend regularly. If you can fit 4 to 6 spin classes into your workout routine each week, within a month you will notice a marked improvement in your fitness level.

Virtual Rides Are The Bomb!
Also, some gyms are set up to offer even more interactive settings. Riders treated to these classes will experience road or trail simulation videos displayed largely at the front of the workout room, with actual road or single-track sound accompaniment. This experience is nearly event worthy in itself. This type of interaction can also develop neurological pathways that can actually enhance trail riding and road riding skills. Just a word to the wise: you may forget you’re inside suffering alongside a handful of other innocent gym members who were expecting just a great workout.

Enjoy The Camaraderie
They are also quite entertaining. For the cyclist enthusiast to the professional, spin classes are also a great way to refine your technique, enjoy some camaraderie (vs. training solo in the garage) and push yourself harder than most people can on their own. Enjoy!

We will also be creating a dedicated page to provide as many reasons as possible to get our cycling friends and team mates to give the indoor group environment a try.  If you’ve read the list above and didn’t see the one reason that convinced you to start training indoors, please give us a post on that page.  We will increase our numbers, in both realms… on rider at a time!

As negative, rude and annoying as a question like this sounds, it probably needs to be one we are always prepared to answer.  Unless of course you really don’t care about other people, live completely for yourself, and tend to be quite comfortable going through life without purpose or principal.  Hey that’s cool, if you are happy there, and don’t strap bombs to your chest – it’s OK with me, but I doubt if you’d be reading this blog right now ☺

Strange way to start a blog on Thanksgiving Day right? Well maybe yes and maybe no.  Let’s just say if we had a time of the year where people begin to think more about giving, looking outside themselves, sharing with family and friends, it is the holiday season between Thanksgiving and New Years.  So perhaps the timing is actually perfect, because the “who cares” really will come down to us thinking of ourselves as a collective group.  The norm is for people to say – you guys have fun with that outside riding thing, I’ll stay safe and sound inside… or for the outdoor fanatic to not even grace the 4 walls of an indoor cycling class.  He or she is prepared to do the “real suffering” er, I mean work of training indoors by setting up their trainer and riding inside.[gallery]

If we an assume that we do care, then we will want to share the benefits – fun, comradarie, health benefits, performance improvements, memories, unforgettable experiences with friends and family.  All of these positive influences can be experienced inside and out.  If you are following this blog and this new movement of merging cyclists with spinners because you have already “been there”, then you know exactly what I am talking about.  My guess is that if you are already one of the “enlightened ones”, you will have a sincere interest in seeing us succeed – you can already think about those friends or family members that you just haven’t been able to convince yet, but whom you know would thoroughly enjoy one or the other activity.

Well, we are here to help, and without further chit chat, let’s start with a good list of why taking a trip on “the other side” makes sense.  The list below is just the “tip of the iceberg”.  Those of us who are avid in both indoor and outdoor riding know there are more reasons than one blog entry can possibly delineate.  So we’ve put them in a separate page where we are asking for folks to submit more reasons, and to vote on their favorites:

In General:

• It will double your opportunities to stay in shape
• It will add incredible variety to burning calories
• It will provide opportunities to meet new people
• You already have the needed starting fitness level to try
• It is a low cost activity compared to lots of other sports or recreation activities

Why Cyclists Should Invite Spinners/Indoor Cycling Folks to Ride:

1.    There is safety in numbers – Here is a recent quote from one of our related blogs:

It seems paradoxical but the more people ride bicycles on our city streets, the less likely they are to be injured in traffic accidents.

International research reveals that as cycling participation increases, a cyclist is far less likely to collide with a motor vehicle or suffer injury and death…And it’s not simply because there are fewer cars on the roads, but because motorists seem to change their behaviour and drive more safely when they see more cyclists and pedestrians around.

2.    Bike commuting is great for the environment and to minimize traffic.  For an entire site dedicated to this, see the Bike Commuter Blog.

3.    Road riding is not the only area where we NEED more riders.  Our Rails to Trails need more riders to encourage the continued development of the now almost extinct rail system in the U.S.  Who are they?  Taken from their website:

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is a nonprofit organization working with communities to preserve unused rail corridors by transforming them into trails, enhancing the health of America’s environment, economy, neighborhoods and people.

4.    Not far from the flat terrain of the rail trail, are often single track networks for Mountain Bikers.  IMBA is an organization like Rails to Trails that has been formed to help preserve these natural resources as well.  The more riders, the more advocates, the more likely all mountain bike trails will be preserved.  Taken from their website:

We have asked for diverse trail mileage and conditions, because we are diverse. Mountain bicycling beginners need wide, smooth trails where they can safely learn the sport. Accomplished technical riders need challenging features that test their nerves and skills. All of us savor that close-in feeling of being enveloped by nature and awed by animal sightings, wildflower blooms, and changing vistas.

Even saying this is the “tip of the iceberg” is an understatement.  There are so many reasons, and entire organizations that exist to preserve the rights and opportunities of cyclists that we will be using Cycling Fusion as a convenient place to provide quick over views and links to them.

Next blog entry… the other iceberg ☺.

My roots are in neither outdoor cycling nor indoor Spinning®.   I’m a tennis player that discovered cycling by accident.  I had such degenerative arthritis, that I had to have my hip replaced at a much earlier age than is typical for that kind of reconstruction.  That’s another story entirely, but suffice it to say, at my age I was not about to go cane shopping.  I was an athlete all my life, typically making teams that were “not normal” for my size or age.  So I was determined to rehab my way back to much more than just good health, I wanted my life back!  For me, a big part of my life has always been sports, which before the replacement became all but impossible.

Part of the rehab was on an indoor stationary bike.  As I rode inside, watching boring videos, the weather started to change, and it occurred to me that I might like a “live” environment just a little better than my basement.  I dusted off an old bike, and went for a ride down the country road in front of my house.  It was a quiet, almost flat ride (real flat doesn’t quite exist in Pennsylvania) for just about 15 minutes.  I returned to my driveway with a  big smile on my face – felt like a little kid again.

From the revelation that I could “rehab outside” came riding on the Rails to Trails network – nice traffic free, scenic paths with no more than a 3% grade – and they were everywhere in PA.  From there my habit progressed to the “harder stuff”.  I met a pastor of a local church who was into mountain biking – “Geez, what would that look like?” I wondered.  I went out with him on the local trails – my big heavy hybrid bike, kickstand and all, flying over tight single track – it was crazy, scary, intoxicating and humbling all at the same time – WOW, was it fun!

After about 4 solid years of single track (I did eventually get a real mountain bike), I was talking to one of our local MTB race heroes about how he trained.  He either won, or placed in every local race he entered, and I wanted to know his secret.  It floored me when he told me he trained on the road 75% of the time.  I didn’t get it, until he explained how his body just couldn’t take the constant beating the trails delivered, and furthermore, the cardio endurance he needed could be developed just as well on a smooth surface.  I now know that this is a common training practice among most professional cross country racers.

That peaked my curiosity to try road riding for a season.  So with a borrowed road bike, I hit the blacktop.  First impressions?  Going fast was fun!  The same reason I fell in love with skiing was happening with road riding, I loved the smooth speed you could generate and maintain.  After one summer with a borrowed bike, I was a converted “roadie”.  I never stopped mountain biking, but now I had essentially, what seemed like an additional sport on 2 wheels to enjoy.

From this jumping off point, I found how much easier it was to travel with your road bike compared to your mountain bike; especially if you own a Co-Motion.  Cycling vacations and “Epic Trips” became an insatiable desire year after year, the adventure and experiences kept getting better and better.  I was becoming a two wheel fanatic!  But as a native Pittsburgher, our bad weather went from being a small bump in the road, to a big cow crossing – stopping progress and requiring work arounds time after time, winter after winter.  There had to be a better way than just enduring rainy rides, and the dreaded winter months.  So on a whim, I tried a local Spinning® class.  Kicked my proverbial ass big time.

Each time I went, I was challenged and motivated to return.  Even as early as my 2nd or 3rd class I began to imagine myself outside while I was Spinning®.  I thought how cool it would be if we had an outdoor video to simulate a ride while were were here “pretending” to ride anyway – why not?  This seed would eventually germinate in Hawaii on our first video shoot.

Eventually, I decided to get certified to teach.  Truth be told, it was mostly because I wanted to hear my own music (silly?  Not if you love music as much as I do!).  Then at my certification training it happened.  The master instructor Raquel Schmidt opened my eyes.  Being a former time trial champion and still an avid road rider, she taught us how Spinning® was meant to be, and how directly beneficial it was for outdoor cyclists.  This was not the Spinning® I was doing… well there were many similarities, but somewhere along the way, my previous instructors “strayed from the path”.

The vision was set into motion – what if we opened a facility specifically dedicated to perfecting the indoor ride!?!  What if we added some video, stuck to training techniques that not only produced a great workout, but where every move and class improved your outdoor riding as well?  How shweeeet would that be?!?  I was inspired enough to open my own Spinning®, Pilates & Yoga Studio – still operating today, called Global Ride.

This is where things started to get interesting, and where I learned that despite my very natural fusion of outdoor and indoor riding, it simply was not the norm for the average cyclist or indoor enthusiast.  Next post…the fusion fuses on!