I got an email a few weeks ago from Gene Nacey – founder of Global Rides, a company specializing in “first person” riding experiences for indoor training – wondering if I’d be interested in giving one of his DVDs a test-run. Not being the biggest fan of training indoors, I agreed enthusiastically… I’m eager to try anything that helps alleviate the potential boredom of training inside on your own.

Global Rides has managed to pack a lot of nice (and thoughtful) touches into this DVD, and it’s apparent right from the menu. Right off the start you’re able to make the choice as to whether or not you’d like music, and if you’d like a coach guiding your ride. I’ve only used the DVD a handful of times, but I can already see that it will be nice to have the flexibility and variety of spinning to your choice of tunes, and/or to ride a slightly different program than the one that’s offered on the DVD.

In addition to being able to turn the music/coaching audio off, you can select from 3 different coaches or a live session. After trying them all, I can say that this is a really great feature (and for me, almost a necessity). Sure it’s nice to be able to mix it up sometimes, but I also found some of the ways the different coaches handled the ride and the motivated you to grind through the gears better suited to my mental riding style. I actually really liked the live session as well, though I found (perhaps not surprisingly) that the voice-over coaching for this section not of the same quality as the others.

Select your coach

After using the DVD a few times, there were a number of things that stood out to me as being particularly helpful – many of which a direct by-product of the “first-person” riding experience:

1. Mini checkpoints
Just as if we were on a ‘real’ ride, the coaches did a good job at using mini-mental checkpoints. Rather than simply pushing out a hard set for a final “x” seconds, they would highlight landmarks in the environment… “Let’s push real hard until this corner…” or “keep those legs spinning until we crest this hill.” I found this really helpful since many times this is the way I push myself when I ride – I’ll look at a rock halfway up a gnarly climb and tell myself that I have to make it to the rock, then when I hit the rock I set another goal, until I either blow up, or get to the top.

2. Using the on-screen riders
Another thing I found unique and really helpful was some of the coaches use of the on-screen riders. Sometimes it was simply mirroring their actions

Puttin' the hurt on Gene

3. Posture checks
I find that many times when I’m doing intervals or spinning, the goal simply becomes finishing the set and I forget all about good riding form… It was nice to have the coaches chiming in little reminders… “Keep your elbow bent” or “Remember to flatten that back”. Practice like you play… Ensuring you have proper form during these sessions will go a long way to ensure you’re not a wet noodle out there next season.

4. Use of heart rate / perceived exertion
Depending on how you train the coaches used both perceived exertion and heart rate, so even if you don’t have a heart rate monitor you’ll be able to get a sincere workout in – Tough I will say that having an understanding of how to train using your heart rate will definitely let you get the most out of the sessions. Sally Edwards also does some cadence work which she’ll help you count out if you don’t have a computer with a cadence setting. That said, the work-outs will be much more enjoyable if you let gadgets do the math so you can focus on your riding

5. Cinematography & aerial course topography
Though the cinematography wasn’t quite BBC or National Geographic HD quality, it was still really well done, and did a good job of recreating that “rider” feel.

Course topography

5. Extras
The last feature I really like was the inclusion of a yoga/stretching session. I find yoga to be a little bit of personal thing (ie. whether or not you like it or not), but I found the sesssions at the end of the DVD to be helpful (and hard Flexibility is key in staying healthy and the exercises did a good job of working the areas specific to cyclists. Although the instructor did a pretty good job of describing the positions (ie. downward dog, cow, cat, etc.) I found that if you’ve gone to yoga sessions before, it will really help get the most out of the poses (then you can focus on moving through the poses, not on how to actually position your body through the poses – especially since some of the positions are moved through quite quickly). Another thing I found helpful was how the instructor often explained how the different stretches synced up with various biking positions. From my understanding this is mixed up on the different DVDs, being one of yoga, pilates, or strength training.

Yoga for cyclists is a bonus

Really after a few sessions with the DVD there was only one thing that bothered me… The audio mixing. The quality itself was fine, but for some reason the coaching was mixed into the left channel and the audio into the right. Because I generally use headphones (yes, even when it’s on the TV) I really noticed this. Not a deal-breaker by any means, but it did bug me.

Overall the DVD was great and it did a good job of getting me to turn the legs over and kick some ass, and production-wise they’re well put together, though there was one little hiccup that I found particularly humorous and I just have to share… As we were grinding up a climb Sally Edwards (the coach) was reminding us to “Take a second to enjoy the scenery, *really* look at it and soak it in”… While on screen Gene Nacey and his riding partner are in front of you out of the saddle… So really you’re soaking in Genes sculpted glutes… But then again, maybe that’s the way Gene wanted it… After all, he’s been working hard on those glutes all season

The ups

* Nice coaching cues – Mini checkpoints, use of on-screen riders, and notes on posture
* Cinematography give you a ‘riders’ feel
* Ability to change coaches (or turn them off)
* Ability to turn music off
* Aerial topography was fun (and previewed your workout to an extent)

The downs

* Though the audio quality was good, it would have been nice to have it mixed in stereo rather than music in one channel and voice-over coaching in another

Bottom line, would I recommend the DVD? If you’re looking for something to mix up your indoor training, then definitely. The flexibility of coaching and music options, combined with the ‘real ride’ feel are enough to make the DVD great in my mind – the extra features like yoga/pilates/strength and aerial course views are just icing on the cake!

After my little cardiac episode, my cardiologist told me I should initially return to stationary cycling. He felt it best for me to stay in a safe environment should anything strange happen to me again. But who wants to ride indoors during the summer? Anyway, I used my predicament as an opportunity to review Global Ride’s “Hawaii Rides” DVD set. Read on and you’ll find some reasons why you may want to use these DVDs yourself any time of the year…

I already have a CompuTrainer. That provides me with probably the best indoor cycling experience. However, at about $2500+ for a full setup (the CompuTrainer, plus a computer to run it), what are the alternatives for cyclists without piles of money to invest? Virtual ride DVDs can fit the bill.

In this market segment, Global Ride has put together a set of 3 DVDs in their “Hawaii Rides” product: Volume 1, StrenDurance in Hawaii; Volume 2, Oceanside Ride; and Volume 3, Maui Rides. Coming soon and sold separately will be their “Speed & Power in Italy” volume.

The formats are similar on each DVD. Riders warm up to a slide show of scenic Hawaii photos. Then the on-bike video workouts begin. Riders are given first-person videos shot from an actual cyclist’s ride, featuring some of the best roads on Maui and Oahu. Original House-style music and various audio coaching tracks are available on each ride, providing different coaching voice-overs to accompany cyclists. For a cool down, each DVD concludes with another slide show, but this time the photos are from the producer’s world-wide cycling adventures. Finally, each DVD includes a bonus off-bike training segment: Strength Training on Volume 1, Pilates Training on Volume 2, and Yoga Training on Volume 3.

Why You’d Use These Videos

You’re looking for alternatives to simply riding a trainer and staring at your handlebars for an hour.
You’re short on time (damn meetings at the office kept you late, again) and/or short on daylight and/or lack good weather for an outdoor workout. Maybe it’s pouring rain. If you don’t have an extra hour to clean up a muddy bike afterward, then why not throw on a Global Ride DVD, turn on a fan, and ride your trainer? It’s certainly better than taking an unplanned day off.
You don’t have the big bucks for a computerized virtual trainer, but you’d still like some virtual video for your training pleasure.

How To Use These Videos

Most of my own training is structured around intervals. The very nature of bike racing is unstructured intervals. Attacking, counter attacking, covering breaks – they’re all synonyms for intervals.

Climbing intervals are one of the best ways to interval train. And these Global Ride DVDs are mostly about climbing intervals. The Hawaiian Islands are collections of lumpy volcanic rock. The most picturesque rides are roller coaster ups and downs over smooth black asphalt. Gene Nacey, producer of these videos, has grabbed the best of them (mostly from Maui) and burned them onto these DVDs. Almost by default, each DVD is a concentrated 50 to 55 minutes of interval riding.

Yet like a spin class, which these seem to have been initially produced for, you ride at your own pace. The four separate audio coaching tracks on each DVD give you options. Follow each coach’s prompts for when to dial up the resistance, hit the pedals a bit harder, or sit down and spin out the lactic acid. If you want to get the most from less than an hour on your bike, then intervals are about the only way to go.

During my mid-winter training, I could see myself using these videos to put together my own Staycation Mini-Camp. As a break from my regular training, over the course of a week I could cycle through all three videos, selecting different coaching tracks and bonus sections each day. It would certainly be cheaper than even 1 night’s accommodation in Hawaii, let alone the airfare to get there!

Technically, setting up in front of a wide screen TV would be best. But running on a laptop or portable DVD player set on a chair in front of your trainer will also work. Head phones are almost a must, if you want to get the best audio into your head over the drone of your trainer.

How To Use The Bonus Sections

Riders can use the DVD’s Main Menu to quickly navigate to each bonus section, providing about 25 minutes of supplemental material on each DVD.

Strength Training Bonus (on StrenDurance DVD): If you’re new to strength training for cyclists, then this is a good introduction. But if you’ve spent at least one season in the weight room, then you’ve likely moved beyond the routine provided. It only uses dumbbells, making it extremely approachable for novices. Advanced users could use this routine for some in-season maintenance, or during your fall transition period as you ease back into the weight room.

Pilates Bonus (on Oceanside Ride DVD): An excellent core stability section. In-season, I only hit my core with 3 basic exercises (front plank, side plank and bird-dogs). Off-season, a compact Pilates routine like this one would make for some good core stability work. And a stable core is key for a strong, stable pedal stroke.

Yoga Bonus (on Maui Rollers DVD): Yoga for cyclists is like stretching on steroids. It takes a little extra time than a basic stretching routine, but in the end you always feel more rejuvenated. After your longest weekly ride, spending a half-hour with this yoga routine will get your recovery well under way. My only criticism is the first half of the routine progresses too fast – cyclists without any yoga pose familiarity will probably find themselves pushing the video pause button a number of times trying to keep up.

Bravos!

Looks great on a wide-screen TV or laptop. Hawaiian scenery is a fantastic backdrop for your cycling. These videos are the next-best thing to actually being there.
Audio coaching is like having your own team coach shouting in your ear, keeping you honest during the workout.

You can get some Magic Maui Miles – almost – for less than the cost of a night in a hotel. No airfare required!
Rider-cam video is stable when the roads are smooth. Thankfully, most of the rough-road riding has been left on the editing room floor.

Strength, Pilates and Yoga bonuses add worthwhile seasonal supplements to the cyclist’s training toolbox.
During these rides, you can cycle at your own pace, and you’ll never get dropped on the hills!
Great hard-driving House music is fun for spinning.

Blunders¡

Some sections of the audio coaching can be hard to hear over the music track. Users at least can select the audio coaching only, get used to the routine, and then add the music back in later. Or if they like, they can select music-only.

I could do without the raindrops on the camera lens during the beginning of the Hana Highway ride on the Maui Rollers DVD. At least this “camera creativity” is only around for about the first 10 minutes of the ride.
Yoga routine moves a little too fast for novices.

Audio coaching is more spin-class centric. It took me a few views to realize that, “Let’s turn right,” meant to increase the bike resistance (turn the resistance knob clockwise), not turn my bike right. If you’re not actually on a spin bike, then you’ll probably want to be on a trainer with a handlebar mounted resistance controller (works a bit better to “dial in” the hills, though switching to a bigger gear can also work but might be a little less precise than you want).
Product Summary

Producer: www.GlobalRide.net

Price at time of review: $75 for complete “Hawaii Rides” 3 DVD set, or $30 for each individual DVD.
Features on each DVD: 50 to 55 minutes of image stabilized first person video recording, English language coaching tracks from experienced American, Australian and Italian coaches as well as a live recording from a spin studio, original House-style music audio tracks, and about 25 minutes of bonus supplemental training.

How obtained: Sent to me by the producer.

Am I an affiliate?: No.

Would I use this in my own training?: Yes! I particularly like my Staycation Mini-Camp idea. I really love riding on Maui – these Global Ride DVDs would be a good travel alternative during our cold Canadian winters.

Global Ride has scored a hit for all of us who train indoors on rainy days or in the winter, with its new DVD set for indoor training. Each video is about 50 minutes of warm-up, workout and cool-down, all taking place on various scenic roads throughout Hawaii. The international spin instructors(professional Australian, American and Italian coaches) also help set the pace, encouraging you to give your all but at the same time pacing your performance throughout the 50 minute session. Cool house and trance tracks energize you as you cycle, providing a beat to pedal to.

The screenshots above show the video, always from a cyclist’s viewpoint, and moving along at the cyclist’s pace. The camera speeds up, for instance, when the road is descending, so it gives a real impression that you are actually there! This DVD set is great for the winter too, as a bit of escape to tropical Hawaii. The next step is to automatically vary the cycle trainer’s resistance from the DVD itself, as the virtual cyclist passes along the coastline of Hawaii.

Ok, so I wasn’t really biking in Hawaii, but I sort of experienced what biking in that neck of the woods might be like. This will in fact be a different sort of post for me, because it’s actually going to be… wait for it… a product review! What?! I’m sure you’re wondering why, and fear not, your questions will all be answered, and you’ll also get to laugh at me trying to do yoga, and read about a set of cycling DVDs that are new(ish) to the market. Yup, my tireless blogging and training has finally got me some notice. I noticed a comment on my site less than 2 weeks ago asking me if I’d like to review some spinning DVDs, as I’m a cycling blogger, and the gent thought I’d be interested. What follows in the next few paragraphs will explain how I came to get those DVDs, and just what I thought of them. I had to get cracking on it, because with the nicer weather, I didn’t want to stay locked up in my basement spinning anymore, so I sacrificed a Friday night to bring you this review and the associated pictures and videos, all of which you can check out on the flickr folder I put them in. But before that, you might as well just hit the read link, since I’ve embedded the videos as well.

The DVDs came to me courtesy of Jeff Saporito of the company called Global Ride. After reading his original comment, I at first thought it might just be spam, but I emailed Jeff anyway, telling him that I would be willing to review the DVDs, but he had to understand that I would only say exactly what I thought of them. He responded that he would expect nothing less, and told me he’d send a box set (3 DVDs) to my house to review, and when done, I could keep the DVDs. Sounded like a pretty good deal to me. After all, the long winter season up here requires me to find some way to stay in cycling form while the bikes are hibernating in their stables, so I’m always on the lookout for something new.

Those who know my winter training habits probably know that I’ve been using another product to get me through the long slogs in front of my computer. I won’t mention product names, but the words Coach Troy should probably tell you what I’m used to using. They are standalone DVDs as well, with included coaching. I’ll draw some comparisons later in the review for some points of reference. The other popular products out there are more of a ‘virtual ride’ simulators that are often used in conjunction with a CompuTrainer, which will actually automatically adjust the tension on your trainer, so that you don’t need to pretend it gets harder, it just actually does get harder. Personally, I haven’t felt rich enough to buy those toys, so these DVDs, being of the former standalone variety, were the right tool for me to try out.

Okay, first impressions now. Well, it’s a box set. What’s to say? A cardboard sleeve houses the 3 individual DVDs: “Strendurance in Hawaii”, “Oceanside Ride”, and “Maui Rollers”, the subject of this review. Why did I choose that one? Well, it was the only one of the three with a picture of a mountain biker on the cover . The packaging for all 3 DVDs was well done. There was information on the cover of each talking about the style of ride, and about the coaching tracks included. Also, each DVD expounded about the bonus content on each. Namely, 30 minutes of either Yoga, Pilates, or Strength Training. The images used on each package were also nicely laid out, and had me curious to see what the actual content would be like, so let’s move one.

I popped it in the computer, and booted it up. A clean, simple menu presented itself. I was given the option of music or no music on the first screen, then coaching or no coaching on the next screen. If you selected coaching, a follow-up screen then asked me to select a coaching track. American, Australian, Italian, or Live Coaching (well, taped live actually). All were in english. Once these selections were made, I figured it was time to get spinning. Hmm, not quite I guess. I was now being presented with a selection of really nice pictures while the music started. Although there was no coaching or instructions, I figured this must be the warm-up before the ride. Might have helped if we’d been told that in advance, but no biggie, I was enjoying the pictures, and figured the ride would start in earnest soon enough.

A few minutes of the eye candy, and it was time to get things underway. The first part of the ride was called “Kissed by the Morning Rain”, and the camera lens was initially covered with water droplets. A neat effect, but I actually found it a little distracting. I also noticed that the audio track wasn’t exactly perfect for my tastes. I’m the kind of rider who likes to have the music pumping while I’m training, so naturally, I had selected the music option. Unfortunately, the coaching tracks all seemed a bit buried in the mix, so I had to really strain my ears to pick up what was wanted of me. For that reason, I couldn’t seem to quite get into the swing of the workout. Of course, it may very well also have been because I was focused on snapping pictures and video for this review as well.

Each DVD seems to be split into a number of mini-workouts. Maui Rollers for example, was 3 parts cycle training, and a bonus section for cooldown. Kissed by Morning Rain, Climbing to Sunshine, Feeling the Need for Speed, and wrapped up with Yoga. Each mini section also had its own theme, and original music to accompany it. Apparently, all the tunes you hear on the DVDs can also be picked up on iTunes, so it’s not just generic beats playing in the background, but actual musicians, which I very much appreciated.

By the time I got to the second segment of the ride, my arms were slick with sweat, and my shirt thoroughly soaked. As with any good spinning workout, I just got progressively more into the ride. After having fiddled with a number of the different audio tracks, I’d finally settled on the live recorded coaching track. My rationale for this was simple. The live track was actually a coached spin class, so the fellow running it was actually focused on giving cues as to the difficulty you should put into the ride. Also, there was a bit of crowd noise so that you didn’t feel like you were the only one suffering at any one moment. The other audio coaching tracks were a mixed bag, with varying levels of excitement and course description. The Aussie in particular for this one seemed pretty into the ride. He reminded me more of a race commentator than a coach though

I didn’t check if the individual work sections were actually indexed on the DVD or not, but I assume they were. That way, if you want, you could probably jump in at any point (like for the downhills, or the yoga . The second chapter was a slightly harder climbing section, which would ultimately lead us to the apex of the hill, and on to the downhill portion. At this point, I was more able to just immerse myself in the scenery and the ride. Although the coach was still there talking, I had more or less just zapped myself into the scenery itself, and just tried to adjust my effort level to suit what I was seeing on the screen.

One thing I did appreciate was the changing camera angles. Although a lot of emphasis was put on point-of-view camera work, there were also side shots on occasion, as well as some looking back at another rider. I think I liked those shots best, as I could see someone else’s effort level, and try to match that with my own gearing

Before much longer, it seemed the ride was coming to an end. I was actually just starting to really get into the scenery, but it looked like an hour of riding was all I’d be getting on this outing. The scenery truly was top-notch. Towards the end, I realized just why I liked it so much. This type of riding and geography was a lot like the riding I had done in NZ for 4 months last year. Narrow, twisty roads, oncoming traffic, lush vegetation, and some wet weather. Ahh, memories. I can see Global Ride eventually putting together some kick-ass training DVDs from that neck of the woods, and I’ll gladly volunteer to help them put those together

At the end of the ride, we had a final push for the finish, and it was time to cool down. This was clearer than the warm-up had been, with a graphic telling us to cool down, and the voice-over talking about it. Once again, we were treated to some gorgeous pictures taken from around the world. All of them from rides and tours that had been done by one of the company owners I suspect.

But wait… there was more. We were told to now pause the DVD and get ready for the post-ride Yoga session. I diligently paused the DVD and got myself ready by hopping off the bike, swigging some water, and kicking off my shoes. Of course, who was I kidding, I probably wasn’t really going to do the whole Yoga session, but I figured I’d give it the ole college try since I’d gotten this far into my review. I’ll be honest. At the outset, I wasn’t sure I’d actually do the whole ride. I figured I might just check out certain scenes. After all, it was Friday night, and had a weekend of real riding planned already. However, in my quest to provide a fair review for this product, I just couldn’t help but get all the way through it. I’m glad I did too.

One of the toughest things in the winter is to stay motivated to ride. While I’ve been quite happy with the existing cycling DVD products that I’ve been using, this certainly provides me with another option and tool for my arsenal. Sometimes you want a structured training ride, being told exactly what gears, for exactly how long, etc. However, there are other times when you just want to hop on the saddle and go for a ride. This product fills in that need for me. Sure, you could watch a movie or TV, but frankly, I’d rather be staring down asphalt stretching off to the horizon while I’m pumping my legs. For other DVDs, they may want to look at putting out a few others that stretch the workout longer, but I think a lot of people have a hard time spinning for hours on end, so this probably caters to the majority of riders.

As I mused at the outset of this review, this product seems to fit in the middle of the available spinning products out there. Not a full-blown virtual riding DVD, but not a regimented spinning DVD either. For the price being asked, there certainly isn’t much harm in picking them up. For the price of about 8 spinning classes, you can have yourself a box set with 3 completely different workouts, complete with some training on the side like yoga and pilates. Not a bad option really.

Well, I think I’ll wrap up my write-up here, as you no doubt are getting sort of bored with my pedal-by-pedal account of this by now. To save you some time, you can also check out the embedded videos. They say pretty much the same thing, but are much quicker to get through. Of course, then you have to watch me Anyway, enough reviewing, time to get out on the real roads! Stay active folks!

One of the signs of running a successful BLOG is that you get lots of inquiries from people asking you to link to their commercial websites. I have resisted doing this with Cyclemania as we don’t run this site for commercial gain nor do we want to promote people’s products.

An offshoot to the old link request is something a little different. I get at least 1 inquiry a week from some business asking me to promote their product. Again, no…

But then I got to thinking….. how about doing reviews of cycling-related products? The way I see it is that if someone feels good enough about their product, they’ll have the confidence to allow me to do an unbiased review. In other words, you provide me the product knowing that I am going to review it and provide an honest opinion of it and its usefulness.

Fast forward —– I was contacted by Jeff over at GlobalRide Productions (you can see what they do by clicking the aforementioned link). His initial e-mail was the standard “Can you promote my product for me?” message. Fair enough. After a few e-mail exchanges, he agreed to send me their 3 DVD set of Hawaii rides. The understanding was that I would view their DVDs and provide a fair and honest review of their product. Hats off to Jeff for having the confidence to send me the DVDs. So GlobalRide gets points right off the bat for trusting me enough to send me their DVDs.

On to the product…. slick packaging – nice graphics & well-explained on the outside.

Oh yes, this is a DVD meant for those of us who don’t live in places like Hawaii, but want to cycle year round. Set up your bike on a training stand…. cosy up to the TV and pretend that you are there. And wear all of your gear while the snow pelts your house!

So what do you get for your money (USD $75)? In this case it’s a 3 CD boxed set entitled Hawaii Rides. Each CD has a specific ride:

StrenDurance in Hawaii
Maui Rollers
Oceanside Ride
Cool!

Load the DVD, get a main menu where you have the choice of:

Music or No Music (I need Music when I SPIN)
a Coach or not (I like that option).
Then you get a nifty choice of American, Australian or Italian coaches. Sadly, you get the accents not the language.
From there it’s the normal warnings and instructions (nicely laid out).
5 minute warm up and you are off. I must say that I have a hard time visualizing things. Not to worry. After 5 minutes, I was in Maui. Hint: Crank the volume up nice and loud.

The videography is good. You are riding with Gene Nacey – the Founder of Global Ride (and a pretty strong cyclist!). Note that this is not a HD video.

A nifty bonus is that there is a map that appears as an inset while you are riding. So you can get an idea of where you are, elevation, etc…. sweet!

You climb, you coast, you go downhill, along the ocean….. So there is all sorts of terrain.

Something that I really liked is that each DVD has a bonus training video with stuff specific to cycling. For example there is a really cool Pilates session tailored to cyclists. That is hard to find at your local gym. And the Instructors are knowledgeable and quite good.

Here’s a peak at a video from Global Ride’s YouTube Channel

Oh yes — What do I think about this DVD set? In short – pretty good. It delivers on what I was hoping for. And that is getting an outside workout while I am inside – without getting deathly bored. The price is right. It’s one of those DVD sets that you’ll watch over and over again. Especially if you are stuck indoors for months on end like we are in Ottawa.

Last week on Thursday morning it was sooooo bitterly cold on my ride in to work I was a bit depressed. Although the ride is only 5 kms long, I had to stop halfway through and try to warm up my hands. With double gloves I still had no feeling whatsoever anymore in my fingers since I was riding into a brutal north wind. So when I came home (thankfully it was a bit warmer on the way back), I headed downstairs to the Tour de Basement and returned to Hawaii to really warm up.

I recently reviewed the “Strendurance” DVD here. Global Ride offers two more in their Hawaii series. The next of these, “Oceanside Ride,” begins with a series of still photos to allow you to warm up a bit, then followed by a nice steady state ride that takes you cruising along the ocean for about five minutes. The idea behind this is to get properly set up and riding at a regular heart rate.

Maui Sunset/Moonrise
photo by Kaptain Krispy Kreme, Creative Commons

The next segment, called “Local Treasures,” takes you along a broad, nicely-paved road, with a bike lane or at least a wide shoulder, past lots of palm trees and some pretty nice houses on Maui. We are joined by a solitary cyclist who is clearly exerting himself on the hills. There is a live commentary with a spinning instructor that is fun to listen to if you don’t select music and before you know it at 35:28 the last segment, “Sunset Finish” begins. This is really an exceptional sequence, with soft golden light and some marvellous oceanside scenery. A few little hills and the ride ends with a view of the ocean as the sun goes down. Without the entertaining spinning class, you can listen to some nice music: “the Quest for Heavenly Sound Waves” is a nice trance piece that really gets you into the mood, although the refrain of “Our quest is long and tiresome” is not the case here. Wonderful. I liked this last section so much that I actually repeated it three times during my training ride. Well, I had to since the ride ends at just under 42 minutes.

After the ride, you can take a break and the switch into the additional 30 minute training sequence. “Oceanside Ride’s” special feature is a half hour of Pilates training. I had never tried Pilates before but I do a lot of core workout stuff in my training program as I am convinced that strengthening the mid-section pays off in climbing on the bike. The instructor offers a pretty straightforward program that looks effective but simple to do. I tried a number of the exercises and will include this workout as part of my regular training as well.

Sure beats freezing on the ride to work!

Global Ride Productions: StenDurance in Hawaii

Global Ride, the New Kid on the Training DVD Block, began as a spinning, pilates and yoga club in Pennsylvania. There was a realization that cyclists used to the road found indoor workouts barely tolerable, while many in the spinning community had no interest in going outside and facing the perils of traffic. The goal of bringing these two groups together has resulted in a series of DVDs that attempt to link interesting scenery and music with appropriate modern coaching and additional off-bike workouts. How successful is this?

The first series of DVDs covers rides in Hawaii and the one that I received, “StrenDurance,” is a compilation of three segments, featuring a long climb up Tantalus on Oahu, followed by a flattish stretch of coastal ride on Maui and ending with a series of charming rollers, also on Maui. The series begins with a segment of still images as you do your warm-up prior to the actual training. My first impression was that this was a bit long but I quickly realized that a) it allowed me to set my own warm-up rhythm and b) as I spun in my unfinished basement with the temperature at -29C outside I found that I was mesmerized by photos of lush, green Hawaii and actually looking forward to the rest of the DVD!

The Tantalus component, in which you are accompanying another cyclist, is a steady but not too steep climb that takes you above the city of Honolulu up the extinct cinder cone of this now-deceased volcano. Honolulu is actually built on the ashes of Tantalus. You continue up the steady climb, with occasional views of Diamond Head, until you approach the summit at 634 m (2014 feet) ASL. Coupled with the previous warm-up, this is a good start to the program.

The next section, which is coastal highway from Laihana, is actually not quite as interesting as not only is it flat but to your left is heavy traffic and on the right the sea so there is not a great deal to look at. But at least it feels warm (apparently the word “Laihana” is the Hawaiian phrase meaning “merciless sun!”) and the segment allows you to do some steady state/tempo riding. There are a few rollers at the end as you approach the next segment.

Kahakuloa Point, Maui
photo by Mastery of Maps, Creative Commons

This last segment, Maui Cliff Climbs, is simply fantastic. For those of us who believe that the only point to riding a bicycle is climbing, this is nothing less than paradise. You ride a whole series of hard hills, with amazingly varied scenery, along a beautifully-maintained asphalt road that is completely devoid of any other traffic. When this segment came to the end, I went straight back to the beginning of the chapter and rode it all over again. And yet again. One of my only complaints about this DVD is that at around 50 minutes for the cycling section it is short for those of us who have 90 to 120 minute workouts scheduled. Some of the other DVDs I have are of a similar length. On the other hand, you can just use the remote to extend things.

But, as they used to say on those frentic TV ads, Wait! There’s more! One of the very cool features of this DVD is that you can ride while listening to a coach–and not one coach, but you have a selection of three! You can choose Sally Edwards (representing the USA), Massimiliano Zambiasi (Italy) and Nicci Heath (Australia). These are all experienced coaches and on the voice tracks they are breathing pretty heavily so it is like they are suffering there with you. So on each ride you can pick which coach you want for that day. A nice feature.

And after the cycling segment there is a cooldown one where you can look at upcoming DVDs from Global Production (ah–Italia!) and this segment is then followed by something unique for a scenery DVD–you have to get off the bike and do a 30 minute strength training program with lightweight dumbells. This is led by a distressingly fit-looking coach who takes you through a rather challenging circuit. I think the addition of a cross-training segment is an excellent idea.

The music chosen for most of this DVD is by Andy Hunter, a British DJ, and is in the techno/trance mode, and is well-suited to the rhythms of the ride. It is commercial music and reflects well on the professionalism of the Global Ride producers. The other thing I was impressed by was that the screen is not cluttered up with many distractions, allowing you to enjoy the scenery as you pedal. And the pace of camera work is not far off of a racing bike’s speed. Well, perhaps faster than me…

As you can tell, I enjoyed the DVD very much. I think it is has terrific scenery, good music and excellent special features. I have already ordered the other two DVDs in the Hawaii series, which are extended versions of the coastal ride and more on Maui. After watching “StrenDurance” I am all set to pack my bags and ride those Maui cliff climbs, which is probably as good a recommendation as one can give!

The company promoted its product by taking it around to spinning studios and doing product demos. I have suggested that my local fitness club get the DVDs since our spinning room has black walls and nothing to look at. At least nobody is making me work out for four hours there…

To give you a sense of the DVD, here is a sample from the DVD showing some of the most challenging sections: