The production values on all the Global Ride DVDs are excellent with superb cinematography, stunning scenery and enjoyable music. As well, they are the most realistic virtual rides around. The ride is shot from the cyclist’s speed and perspective, so you see exactly what you would see if you were cycling the highway in real life, with no shots of other cyclists.

Each DVD offers four different coaching tracks, with the choice of American, Italian and Australian coaches, plus a live track from a spinning class using the DVD. So you can ride with a different coach each time, choose the one whose personality and coaching style appeals best, or soak up the energy from a spinning class. All the coaches coach in real time as they ride with you; you can hear them breathing hard and the grinding of their bike on the road. Or you can select the “music only” option and just enjoy the music and scenery.

“Maui Rollers” starts off with a satellite image of the USA, which pans over to Hawaii, then zooms in on Hawaii as the satellite image morphs into a map so you can see exactly where the ride starts – very cool! After a warm-up, the workout starts with a steep uphill ride in the early morning to a track called “Kissed by Morning Rain”. Adding to the verisimilitude, the camera lens is spotted with rain. I trained with the US coach, Gene Nacey. I wasn’t surprised to learn that Gene is a Certified Heart Zones Cycling Coach; he kept me in my target zone all the way through the ride. The ride, including the warm-up but excluding the cool-down, lasted for 45 minutes, but seemed to go by a lot faster.

This DVD includes a bonus yoga workout which focuses on stretching out all the body parts which get so tight on the bike.

The Global Ride Hawaii series is so great you’ll probably want to buy the whole set – Global Ride: Hawaii Series Virtual Cycling Dvds Boxed Set

Product Description
This DVD is a combination of three separate sections of one road: Hana Highway. If you like to ride on rolling hills, you ve just found heaven. While there are some longer climbs here, by in large there are plenty of opportunities for recovery and speed. Because of the variability of rolling terrain, this DVD lends itself to multiple approaches in coaching objectives, and each coach has done just that; chosen a different objective. Enjoy one coach s approach on Monday, and come back Tuesday for a completely different experience.

This DVD features a bonus 30 minute yoga for cyclists section following the ride.

Contributing coaches includeGlobal Ride founder Gene Nacey, Italian coach Marzia Cozzolino and Australian coach, winner of 40+ competitive medals, Gary Suckling.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Global Ride: Maui Rollers Virtual Cycling DVD

Many of us hearty die hard idiots who live in the ever changing climate that is the Upper Midwest tend to ride all year, no matter what. We are a macho breed and we tend to put off training indoors if we can help it. However, I tend to want that little extra riding that even my adventurous nature can handle outside. That, and teaching indoor cycling classes for the University of South Dakota always have me looking for new ideas. Enter the Global Ride Video Series.

I have many of the Spinerval DVD’s and a few of the Carmichael Training Systems DVD’s. While each of these are focused, outstanding workouts, the one thing I get sick of is watching sweaty people on bikes over and over. I’m one of those sweaty people working out, I don’t need to be reminded by looking at it over and over again. Again, enter the Global Ride Video Series.

My review of this product is two-fold: for my indoor cycling class and for my own personal indoor training. My final rating at the end will be two separate ratings because of this.

The series I received was for Hawaii. Three DVD’s each set up for different workouts, and each with amazing backgrounds of riding various roads in Hawaii, usually from a first person cyclist view which I found very attractive. Once in awhile they would flash back to the cyclist as they were riding, but the focus was on the scenery and the workout, not a suffering cyclist.

Another thing I found interesting was the various audio options. You can either just watch the video, watch it with light background music, or your choice of three different instructors, including an actual class scenario. Having audio options to match the mood you are in is a great thing. Some days I like shutting my brain off and just allow one of the instructors instruct me and some days I want to “rock out” so I turn off all audio and just use my own music.

One of the most ingenious thing I found with these DVD’s are the non-cycling training at the end. Each DVD had a different workout specifically geared for cycling. The 30 minute sessions include Strength, Yoga, and Pilates. I’m always looking for cross training that still focuses on cycling and this fits the bill nicely.

This is a brief review, but as you know, I don’t like long posts as I feel most people don’t take the time to read it all anyway, so I cater to the people with short attention spans like me! My review from the standpoint of a cycling class instructor is 9.6 out of 10. There are a few things I’d like to see like maybe a countdown of how much time is left overall and between potential segments of training (hills, flats, etc). I know that Global Ride is continually looking at feedback and are implementing them in future “rides”.

For personal training, I’d give it 8.9 of 10. I’d lean more heavily on the timing feature here. Often I have a limited time to ride, so it’d be nice to grab sections you wanted to focus on, which you will after watching these enough times. These workout DVD’s, like any workout DVD’s, are only as good as the effort you put into it. If you don’t think it’s too hard, do what you have to for your needs. Same on the other end of the spectrum: If it’s too easy, gear up a bit and make it hurt.

Overall these DVD’s definitely make my Christmas list. Just having to not stare at sweaty people in a studio makes my rating on these DVD’s jump exponentially. I look forward to more versions, especially riding in other countries. I think Global Ride has found a wonderful niche in the Cycling DVD arena. I’m very impressed at their willingness to take ideas from ordinary people to better their upcoming versions. I have nothing but high praise for these DVD’s. They are trying to make indoor training bearable, and doing a great job. Ride on Global Ride!

* Virtual rides through exotic locations from the rider’s perspective
* Multiple selectable coaching tracks from international coaches
* Licensed commercial music – no royalty free junk
* Bonus 30-minute pilates training specifically for cyclists
* High quality, unique video footage

Product Description
This boxed set contains all three Global Ride Hawaii Series DVDs: Maui Rollers, Oceanside Ride and StrenDurance Hawaii.

Each DVD features a 45-50 minute ride as well as a bonus yoga, pilates or strength training session tailored specifically to cyclists.

Packaging makes a nice box set gift

Global Ride’s Hawaii Rides DVD set is a collection of three cycling workouts followed by three different cross training routines that tie into the spin session on that disc. Each cycling workout follows different scenic roads through Hawaii, offering a visual distraction from the sometimes (usually) boring time spent on the trainer and, if you’re like me, they help keep you focused on riding hard enough. My mind tends to wander, resulting in slower, easier spinning until I snap to. With the Global Ride training DVDs, you have three different coach “tracks” to choose from on each DVD, so you’re reminded to pedal harder, faster or whatever the specific workout requires.

Three of us tried one DVD each. If you typically spend a lot of time on the trainer in the winter, check out what our three testers have to say about the DVD’s after the break…

DVDs can be purchased separately too

Prior to the coaching, there’s a warm-up period that scrolls through photos of the islands. The cycling workouts vary in length, and you’ll get either Pilates, Yoga or Strength Training sessions following the ride. Each of us reviewed one DVD in the set, click on the picture of the individual DVD’s below to enlarge and you can read the back panel in full.

Maui Rollers, reviewed by Tyler (road and mountain biker):

The Maui Rollers DVD follows some of the coast of Hawaii and is, as the title suggests, a series of rollers, but they seem to go mostly up. You have to shift gears to adjust the cadence and effort to match what you’re watching and what the coach is telling you to do, so how much you get out of it is directly tied to how much you put into it.

As mentioned, I tend to let my mind wander and in the past I’ve caught myself staring into space with a pedal cadence of about 20 RPM. With these, I was engaged enough with the scenery and trying to do what the coach was suggesting that I kept the workout intensity up pretty well. In fact, the 45 minute session felt like only 20…and anything that can make an indoor trainer workout go fast gets some kudos. As far as watching this versus DVD’s of Le Tour or something, it’s different, and it has multiple coaching options on each DVD to keep it fresh, so it’s a good alternative when you’re *gasp* bored with watching Lance dance his way up the Sestriere. Even though it was only 45 minutes (plus warmup and cool down), it was a pretty solid workout…the quads were burnin’.

The Yoga section on this DVD is good as a post-workout stretching routine, and it has cycling specific stretches to help open up the hips and stretch the hamstrings and lower back. It’s a fairly long Yoga routine, not just a little something tacked on to say it’s there, and it’s well coached. The only downside is it tends to move a little quickly, especially for those not used to the poses. Here’s a sample video from the Maui Rollers DVD:

Oceanside Rides – Reviewed by Rob (road and mountain biker)

The two best things I can say about the DVD is that the scenery of Hawaii is beautiful and the Pilates bonus feature at the end really works your body. The cycling video part, though, could use some improvement. The entire program feels like someone took a spin class and recorded the audio then combined it with some techno music (which I liked, but not everyone will appreciate). Then they took some jerky home video from a route that someone had ridden in a car, motorcycle, ect. and combined all three together. The result is a video with some cool music, scenery, and a spin class coach in the background that sort of misses the mark as a workout video, but it does provide some cool shots of Hawaii if you have nothing else to watch on the trainer. The video lacks any on screen metrics to tell you where you are like in spinervals or a CTS workout video. Basically you are just listening to a spin class with some cool scenery and music in the background. Finally, the music was louder than the coaches so even if you were trying to follow their advice you couldn’t hear them clearly.

However, I did like the fact you can turn the coaching on and off as well as the music. Also, the option to hear the coaching done in different languages was pretty cool. The Australian chick sounded really hot!!

Editor’s Note (Tyler): I agree about the on-screen metrics. An incline graphic or time-to-finish would help you adjust your effort level…visually it’s hard to tell how steep the incline is just from the video.

Strendurance – Reviewed by Mick (triathlete)

Typically trainer rides are endured in the cold/dark winter days and training DVDs are an attempt to fight the boredom of the indoor ride.

This DVD knocks off the cold of winter with its beautiful scenes of Hawaii and pumps out a workout that makes the most of your time on the trainer. The music gets your legs moving, and the training sets are well coordinated with the beautiful Hawaii scenery.

Riding indoors is more intense and challenging than riding outdoors and requires more motivation. This DVD sucks you into the scenery and takes you into the beautiful Hawaiian landscape and makes staying in the saddle much less of a mental challenge than staring at the wall or TV show. The coaches add to the motivation to keep with it. The workout is challenging and leaves you feeling like you’ve had a great ride and vacation from the dreary days of winter when you’re done.

BIKERUMOR RATING:

The Global Rides aren’t so exciting that you look forward to trainer rides (what is, really?), but once you’ve dragged yourself onto the bike, they certainly make it bearable, and they tend to push you to actually get a good workout in. For that, they’re commendable, and the various workout/yoga/pilates sessions and pretty good, too. However, the quality of the video could be slightly better (there are rain drops on the camera for the first section of the Maui Rollers vid), and it really needs some sort of timing and elevation or intensity graphic to help illustrate what the coaches are saying. Target heartrate goals (as a percentage) or power outputs would also be helpful for those who use such training tools. As is, they’re a good visual distraction with some OK coaching and decent post-ride workouts, but they’re not a very scientific training tool. For the price, we think they should offer a little more technical info and graphics, but if you’re bored with everything else you’ve got to watch, they’re worth checking out. We give them 3.5 Thumbs Up.

With autumn’s colors already well past their bloom, and temperatures dipping daily closer to freezing, indoor cycling season will soon be upon us. Trainers and rollers must once again be pulled out or unfolded, tires possibly changed, and other tools of the trade, DVDs and iPods, must be sorted.

For some, the transition from outdoor to indoor cycling is seamless, and sometimes even welcome. But if you are like “most outdoor cyclists, who see indoor cycling as a sub-par method of training, as well as an extremely boring alternative to true cycling,” then Global Ride Video Production’s virtual cycling DVDs may just be the perfect solution to your off-season/winter cycling blues.

Founded by entrepreneur and long time cyclist Gene Nacey, Global Ride actually started out as a local Spinning, yoga and pilates club ⎯ of the same name ⎯ in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In an effort to close the divide between the hard core outdoor cyclists and the indoor cyclists, who have no desire to brave the elements and go outside to ride a real bike, the Global Ride team set out to create the highest quality virtual cycling DVD on the market.

As Gene states on the Global Ride website, “Previous encounters with virtual cycling DVDs and feedback about other products had been relatively negative – there simply existed no product that truly captured accurate cycling principles, a real feeling of being on the road and appropriate instruction. Global Ride changed all that by filming high-quality international scenes using honest cycling training methods, paired it with multiple coaching tracks from international coaches and industry leaders, layered it with upbeat, commercial music and topped it all off with bonus yoga, pilates or strength training sessions on every DVD.”

The Reviewers
A few months ago, we were given the Hawaii Rides DVD set for review. As the original Triple hails from different parts of the United States, I enlisted two local Midwestern cyclists, both of varying experiences, to assist in the review.

Amy K – A seasoned sprint triathlete who is a regular top five placer in her category as well as in her age group. Amy uses a stationary trainer when cycling indoors and is well versed in all aspects of indoor training and cycling training DVDs.

Bryan M – A relative newbie to the cycling world, but is a former collegiate athlete. Bryan trained for his first century ride this spring. He also uses a stationary indoor trainer, but has never used any cycling training DVDs prior to reviewing this set.

Overview

The “Hawaii Rides” set consists of three DVDs, Strendurance in Hawaii, Oceanside Ride, and Maui Rollers. Each contains a virtual cycling training sessions followed by 30-minute strength, pilates, or yoga session specifically geared toward cyclists. Common features throughout each DVD include:

Music on/off – For those who attend spin classes regularly, this genre of music will not be unfamiliar to you.

Coaching on/off – Each DVD has the option of choosing an American, Australian, or Italian coach or a pre-recorded LIVE session.

Each DVD begins with approximately 5 minutes of warm up time and ends with 5 minutes of cool down time. During these down times, the viewer is shown slides of the route and images of the island’s landmarks, scenery and fauna.

Each distinct riding area is preceded by a route map and profile, which appears briefly before the start of each riding session.

Virtually Speaking
The concept of “virtual cycling” is not necessary new. Many have attempted it, but few have been successful. Videos in this genre have ranged from actual race film to video game-like representation of the rider and the environment ⎯ the latter usually requiring additional equipment to integrate the rider into his/her virtual cycling world.

Coaching You Up & Getting You Down
In addition to the painstaking detail that the Global Ride team injected into the video production of the DVD set, they also put great effort into providing quality coaching and exclusive, royalty free music tracks to insure that you maximize your training session.

Headed up by Gene Nacey, a certified Spinning instructor and Heart Zone Cycling Coach, the Hawaii Rides DVD set also features coaches Nicci Heath, an Accredited Cycling Australia Level 1 coach, and professional triathlete and 2008 USA Olympian and USA National Champion, Matty Reed.

In addition, recording artists such as DJ Tony, E Nature, C & V Media Concepts, and Liquid Factor, among others, headline the musical tracks on this DVD set. Techno dance perhaps best describes the music selections, but some of it could quite easily be slipped into the Trance genre.

Pumping You Up
After each cycling session, a 30-minute yoga, pilates, or strength training session follows. For those cyclists who do not cross train, these sessions are the perfect introduction into each exercise discipline. The more experienced practitioners of yoga, pilates or strength training may find these sessions basic, but most would agree that each is perfectly tailored for cyclists.

Pros
Upon agreeing to review their Hawaii Rides DVD set, I was a bit skeptical of a video-only virtual set up, and was left wondering what really defined “virtual cycling.” With more complex systems, like the CompuTrainer or the Tacx VR Trainers, the rider is more or less integrated with the landscape and sometimes even with the roughness of its terrain. Anything short of this type of integration; however, can easily leave most outdoor cyclists longing for warmer climes rather than attempting to sit through another painfully boring training session.

But unlike some other virtual reality cycling sets out on the market, Global Ride’s DVD set accomplishes what the more complicated, and markedly more expensive, systems are known for, a virtual cycling experience.

The cycling sessions provide two points of view: a traditional first person point of view, and a third person point of view, where you watch the actual rider tackle certain parts of the same terrain.

The first person account of this DVD set surprisingly pulls you into the action and simulates, through changes in speed of filming, the actual terrain on the various routes. For example, when the actual terrain kicks up or flattens, the speed of the film varies accordingly; slower up hill and faster on the downhills.

During these cadence changes, it is also worth mentioning the accompanying background music, which likewise seemed perfectly synced to the speed of the video.

Moreover, the vacillations between first person and third person point of views helps to keep your efforts calibrated. Similar to being in a paceline or even in a spin class, it is sometimes extremely beneficial to watch the actual cadence or leg/foot action of the riders around you, to not only match their cadence, but also their speed.

Both of our reviewers were similarly surprised by the ability of Global Ride video to provide a tangible riding experience. Our less experienced reviewer could not stop remarking how “awesome” the experience was, while our triathlete reveled in the fact that it was a welcome departure from the spin class like cycling training videos to which she had already become immune.

Cons
Although the Global Ride team took great pains to find music that would provide the perfect accompaniment to the cycling session, those who are not fans of techno driven, beat heavy music may be reaching for their own external music compilation. Luckily for our dissatisfied reviewer, the remedy to this situation is an easy one as the opportunity to turn the music on/off is an option in the setup window.

In regard to the intensity, or perceived lack thereof, of the cycling sessions and the subsequent 30-minute workout session, hard-core cyclists may find it difficult to simulate the “burn” of an actual outdoor session, while in a similar fashion, seasoned practitioners of any of the exercise disciplines may find the corresponding workout sessions somewhat rudimentary. Our seasoned triathlete, who is an avid workout warrior and feels most comfortable in a hammerfest, found this to be the case with all three DVDs.

As for those of you who do not necessarily feel the need to hammer all the time, these training session are like anything you invest in, you get out what you put in. Unless you are attentive to the changes in cadence, or the slowing down or speeding up of the pace of the videos, it is easy to wander into your own comfort level and therefore not receive the full benefits of the workout, or in a similar fashion if you fail to concentrate on each movement during any of the exercise routines you most likely will not garner their full benefit.

In either case, the coaching options that supplement the cycling and workout sessions really are worth their weight in gold as the variance in coaching styles really helps you dial in the appropriate amount of motivation on even your most unmotivated day.

Overall
The Global Ride Video Productions team set out “to create the highest quality virtual cycling DVD on the market.” And by all accounts, they have succeeded. Short of cycling outdoors or being hooked up to a more complex and more expensive virtual training system, the quality of Global Ride’s film production is the next best thing to an actual riding experience.

Each video provides a stunning visual representation of the roads around Hawaii. And with each DVD I couldn’t help but feel that this specific Hawaiian series would be perfect for those who use rollers with a resistance fan, as it would simulate the area’s well-known trade winds. For those of you who have never ridden in Hawaii, or even Florida for that matter, the wind is as much a part of the ride as the road.

As for the zealous indoor cyclist, these DVDs contain all the elements you have grown accustomed to while riding inside, but also exposes you to the exhilaration and freedom that accompanies real biking.

The price point for the Global Ride Hawaii Rides DVD set is $75.00 ⎯ discernibly less than even the cheapest virtual training system.

We would recommend this set or any of the Global Ride DVDs to those looking for a realistic outdoor riding experience, seasoned indoor cyclists looking to supplement their training video library, and even to gym owners and Spinning instructors looking to provide their members or students with a quality alternative to their classes.

My experience: Global Ride sent us their 3 set Hawaii Rides DVDs for riding on indoor trainer. I did a workout session on my indoor trainer for each DVD.

Overall Rating: 4/5

Availability: Various Global Ride DVDs are available online at their website for $30 each or $75 for the 3 DVD set.

Summary:

With cold weather approaching (or non-stop 100+ degree days), many cyclist turn indoors riding on a trainer to keep their fitness. After about ten minutes, even the most disciplined rider will be crawling the walls with boredom. Global Ride attempts to make the trainer more bearable with training videos taken from the riders perspective in scenic locations throughout the world. This virtual reality is a good, reasonably priced alternative to the CompuTrainer system but does require you know a bit about training zones to get the most out of it.

Quality

Global Ride has come up with a clever way to help people train on indoor trainers. They’ve gone to exotic locations around the world and filmed various courses from the rider’s perspective. This creates a sort of virtual reality for the rider imitating a real training ride. Each DVD has a 45 minute training session with 5 minute warm up and cool down montages of pictures from the film locations. Once the training session begins, it is a essentially a first person shot of the road occasional cutaways to a rider on the course.
In the session setup menu, you can choose to turn on/off their new age techno music and choose various coaches to provide encouragement as you are riding. One kind of funny thing in the coach selection is selecting by language. Your choice is Italian, American or Australian. This reminded me Clark Griswald needing his pocket translator in England! Included in each DVD is a bonus video of either weight training, pilates, or yoga.

Utility

First off, let me say I truly hate riding on the trainer. It has all of the down sides of riding with few of the positives and is mind numbingly boring. I will brave just about any weather element to avoid the trainer. I was a little skeptical of the Global Ride DVDs at first, but they really did work for me. Although the film quality is basic low level camcorder, the shots are done professionally and 10-15 minutes went by without really noticing it. Usually, I am a clock watcher on the trainer counting down the minutes until the workout is over.

I tried the American and the Australian coach voice overs. Being a fan of Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin, I ended up preferring the Commonwealth accent of the Australian coach. While the coaches did help keep me focused on the ride, I do think you need to understand training and heart rate zones to get the most out of the workouts. The coaches say things like “You should be at about 85-90% right now.” I’ve done a lot of zone training, so I knew immediately what that meant, but others might not. Those just getting into training or who have never trained with zones should talk to a coach or get a book like Joe Friel’s Cycling Training Bible.

I found the course selection made a difference in how well I could forget I was on a trainer. The Maui Rollers worked well for me. It was essentially a series of hill climbs followed by downhills where you soft pedal (no coasting!) This was an interval training where you shifted up on the uphills and back down on the flats and downhills. I preferred this much more to the other two sessions Oceanside Ride and StrenDurance in Hawaii. These two focus on strength endurance, basically riding at a high steady tempo for an extended period and had more straight roads, less hills. These are necessary workouts, especially for the time trialist or triathlete, but I found that I started getting the trainer stir crazies after a while on these. The Maui Rollers kept me guessing a bit (will the hill end around the bend?) and thus engaged my brain more.

My biggest gripe with the DVDs were the cut aways backward to a rider on the course sometime for over 30 seconds. Global Ride may be doing this to mix it up a bit or to cover rough video cut transitions, but I found them extremely irritating and distracting. When I’m on an actually ride, I don’t turn around and look at the guy behind me for an extended period of time especially not in the middle of a hard climb. I found these cut aways destroyed the illusion and broke my rhythm. I’d just assume they get rid of these, or if totally necessary limit them to no more than 10 seconds.

Final Thoughts

The Global Ride DVDs are a great way to mix things up when you are on the trainer. Those challenged by the weather, whether winter or more liking in Austin mid-summer, will find these a good way to make it through. Those with children who don’t have time to get out of the house may be interested in these as well. I’m not sure Global Ride is going to get me to ride the trainer often, but when I do, I’ll definitely be reaching for one of these DVDs.

Ride Strong (http://www.ride-strong.com) recently reviewed Cycling videos. When you are training indoors on your trainer these DVD’s are perfect.

Global Ride has introduced a completely different type of Indoor Cycling DVD than most of the industry has been accustomed to. The video is shot in first person perspective so that you get the feeling that you are the one riding on the road. They have been extensively reviewed on line at Cycling Blogs as well as Amazon, and it turns out they are highly regarded by everyone who watches them.

These DVDs are a refreshing change from watching a static movie of other sad cyclists who are forced to ride indoors instead of training where we all like to – outside. They also give the viewer plenty of choices for using their music (which we like very much), or your own, or listening to a number of different coaches, or no coaching at all.

These make a great addition to your own training library, or if you teach at a local fitness facility, you can encourage them to purchase their own copy, and you can teach to them to add some variety to your indoor classes.

Naturally, no one wants to ride indoors when the weather is good, but when the weather sucks, these rock! Oh and by the way, each DVD has a bonus 30 minute section on Yoga, Pilates or Strength Training designed specifically for cyclists.

“We spent a lot of money on getting commercial music too – not the “royalty free crap” that most indoor fitness videos use.” Gino Nacey

For more information check out their website: http://www.globalride.net

The days are becoming shorter and colder. Soon, it will be time to spend a good number of hours training indoors in the gym or the gloom of a basement corner. If the end of the season isn’t depressing enough, being relegated to an hour spinning and going nowhere can seal the deal.

For now, the Hawks are concentrating on keeping Eric and Tiffany in top shape to race at nationals next week. When they return, however, our focus will turn to preparing for the 27-mile Iceman Cometh in Michigan. With the Iceman a month away, you can bet that the Hawks will be spending some time riding the trainers that Saris Cycling Group was so kind to donate to us last year.

Now, riding inside on a trainer doesn’t have to be torture. There are lots of ways to make it fun and interesting. Selecting different movies and music and playing different games can make the time fly by. And of course there are any number of DVDs designed specifically for training indoors. I’ve found one series that recently came across my desk to be particularly interesting and enjoyable.

Global Ride LLC has produced a couple of virtual cycling DVDs that follow cyclists through scenic and challenging landscapes. Rather than watch a group of sweaty individuals riding trainers while you’re riding a trainer (kind of hard to pretend you’re doing something enjoyable when you’re constantly reminded that you’re not by the group in the DVD … watching yourself in a mirror may be more effective), the Global Ride concept (and it’s not a new one) helps you imagine your riding along the coast of a Hawaiian island or through the Dolomites of Italy by providing a first-person perspective.

I recently spent a raining morning with StrenDurance in Hawaii, one of three DVDs in the Hawaii box set. The DVD has U.S. coach and triathlon hall of famer Sally Edwards providing instructions and inspiration while we follow a cyclist on a four-mile climb on the island of Oahu and along the shore on Maui followed by more climbing up the Maui cliffs.

The scenery is magnificent and the accompanying music selections work well. I did, however, find the instructional audio a bit hard to hear and understand (If you’re riding solo, you may want to use headphones.). I also found myself wishing the DVD included a visual dashboard to highlight the target exertion levels, cadence, heartrate and gearing, especially given the difficulty I experienced in understanding the coach’s instruction.

Global Ride founder Gene Nacey, a certified spinning instructor and heart zones cycling coach, says they’ve improved the audio quality for the forthcoming Italy series. He also said the whole point of the Global Ride DVDs is to help the rider get lost in the scene before them on the screen, therefore they decided not to include any visual cues on screen.

In additon to the training offered on the bike, each DVD comes with a 30-minute off-the-bike exercise session to strengthen your core and improve flexibility. The Maui Rollers DVD includes a yoga; the StrenDurance DVD includes strength-training; and the Oceanside Ride DVD includes Pilates. Each is a perfect cool down to compliment your training ride while also working as an effective workout on its own when time is short.

If you’re going to be spending some time locked away going nowhere, give the Global Ride DVDs a try. You can at least pretend you’re exploring new, beautiful locations. But be prepared to make a financial investment. The Hawaii boxed set sells for $75 while the individual discs run $30 each. This is comparable to most other DVDs on the market, plus you get the added 30-minute off-the-bike training.

Visit the Global Rides Web site for more info.
Posted by Ric Damm at 6:45 AM

Though normally I would decline such an offer, I realized that not everybody has the chance to go out and ride through the real landscapes and frankly, I was curious to see them. I replied: “Sure, anything that will help people get on a bike is cool with me ”

It took a while before the DVD’s reached me as I am BikeTravelling myself, but I finally got too watch them, so here it goes:

I saw all 3 Hawaii Rides DVD’s and generally liked them. It is very hard to imagine sitting on a home trainer or a spinning bike in front of a TV or computer, while sitting on a beach in Mexico, but likely I would enjoy doing an indoor training much more while watching this. All DVD’s are about 50 minutes, and divided in several sections, warming up, hard stuff and cooling down, while the camera moves over nice and smooth Hawaiian roads. Sometimes you see a cyclist, most of the time it is viewed ‘through the eyes’ of the cyclist. You an choose whether to listen to the music, the coach/instructors’ voice, neither or both, which is nice. You can even choose your favourite English accent, I liked the Ozzie style

The video quality was decent, but not top-notch. I personally did not like the ‘creative’ rainy bit on one of the DVD’s though according to their website, others did. Most of all, all the images made me want to visit Hawaii!

Though the spinning/cycling coach is really pushing at times and if you follow him/her you will definitely improve your strength and stamina, I think this is less important for BikeTravellers as they cycle much differently and generally get fit on the road. I do actually think that the bonus materials on this set (30 minutes of Yoga, Pilates and strength training) is maybe the most important part for Bike Travellers. I have had much trouble with back, joints and knees on the current cycle trip and some of the exercises on the DVD were also recommended by a (much more expensive!) chiropractor and physiotherapist. I was about to send them back, but am keeping them with me so I can do the exercises.

All in all a nice product, with average images of an above average scenery, with a bonus material that could have been a separate DVD. And as mentioned: anything that gets people on a bike and fit instead of fat, whether indoor or outdoor, is a good product anyway, so maybe a nice gift for your friends with that overprices unused bike of theirs? Or a nice training for your next century ride.

You an order them and get more info here: http://globalride.net/hawaiibox.htm

(Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Globalride, and receive nothing (other than the DVD’s themselves) to write this.)

I have occasionally thought about putting a camera on my bike and filming my favorite training rides so I could watch the video when training indoors. Well, someone has done this for me: Global Rides DVDs. Gene Nacey, creator of Global Rides DVDs, recently asked me to review his Hawaii Rides DVD set.

These DVDs are all filmed moving along on Hawaii roads as if you were riding along on them – very scenic. The three DVDs are titled: Maui Rollers, Oceanside Ride and StrenDurance in Hawaii. Each DVD has an option to listen to three different coaches, one American, one Italian, and one Australian. All speak English with the appropriate accent and each one has a slightly different approach. Each cycling DVD is about 40 minutes in length.

Each DVD also comes with a bonus section: One has a strength training session, one a yoga session and one a Pilates session.

What I was pleasantly surprised to find was how important the visual aspect was. I found it was actually easier to push myself when seeing a road moving in front of me. Many of the roads were uphill and did a pretty good job of giving me the feel that I was actually riding up a hill.

These DVDs all emphasized steady state rides at or around your theshold or target heartrate. The Coach leaves it up to you to determine what your target should be. Unlike other cycling DVDs, these are not intervals sessions. They are sustained heart rate sessions with some climbs.

The music was what I would describe as New Age – instrumental – and might not be hardcore enough for those of you who enjoy listening to rock while riding. It did have a good uptempo beat and the DVDs also give you an option to mute the music and/or the coach. So you can watch the DVD and listen to your own music if you wish.

These DVDs are a fresh new approach to visualizing a ride while training indoors. If you are tired of staring at a blank wall, or want to watch something other than a DVD showing a room full of cyclists on trainers, you might want to give these a try.

You can learn more by going to www.GlobalRide.net