Yes, it can be quite boring to train indoor during the snowy, wintry weather but GlobalRide makes an hour go by quite quickly, and with a challenge.

Their Speed and Power in Italy has been a part of my cycling DVDs collection for a while now; today I broke in their new production, Urban Assault in Italy. I loved it just as much!

The options of coaches on/off, different languages, class or open road format, and music on/off offer needed variety; the digital display of time left is helpful; the scenery is lovely; and the bonus track (this time – ball training) is a valuable added bonus. The ‘pros’ can put their power meter to work alright.

Suggestions for future productions: a gradient display of the terrain? A view of the class when using that option, even if as lesser portion of a split screen?

Product Description
This DVD offers both flexibility and challenge to any cyclists, at any level. The entire workout is 1 hour long. The warm up and cool down are each only 3 minutes, so theres not a lot of time for chit chatting. After an 8 minute set of flats and slight grades over looking the Ligurian coast, you are faced with the first of 2 twenty minute climbs that can be approached as either a 2 X 20 Power workout, or as a dual Steady State or Tempo ride with a 6 minute recover section between them. You set the agenda, and let the cities of Sori, Rapallo, Portofino and Camogli set the scenes. Unlike previous Global Ride DVDs shot in predominantly quiet rural areas, this DVD is shot right in the heart of these beautiful coastal cities, showing off both their architecture as well as their unique footprint along the coastlines they define.

Buy it, use it — your body and spirit will feel great!

Rating: 5 / 5

I had the opportunity on Saturday to test ride a Global Ride roller workout DVD – “Climbing Suffrage in Italy“. Here’s how that opportunity came about — my wife was working this weekend, and my parents were out of town so I was in charge of our kids all day. When my wife came home in the evening, it was too late to go ride outside so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to try out this new workout. I rarely ride inside, and when I do I am usually doing a recovery ride on the rollers while listening to music or watching an old Tour de France or Paris Roubaix DVD. But this day was different because I knew that I had a hard race coming up on Sunday, and also because the people I would be racing against were all racing in Dilworth, NC at that very moment. So I wanted to get a good hard workout in to get my legs ready for Sunday.

The Global Ride DVD was absolutely PERFECT! Normally I can’t get my heartrate out of Zone 3 on the rollers but with this DVD I made it all the way into Zone 5. The music was great although the first five minutes of introductory warm-up music was a bit too mellow for my taste. I think you were supposed to be stretching during that time, but I just spun easy. Then the last few minutes of easy warm-up was some good upbeat music before hitting the first section of the course — rollers on the scenic 2009 Giro D’Italia Stage 12 TT course. This was still a warm-up section, but at a faster pace as encouraged by the New Zelander coach. I believe the section that was covered was from miles 9 to 12 (see my topo creator map below). The views were stunning!

Then onto the main climb for the day — a 30 minute climb in Italy — the DVD shows you a nice Google Earth animation of the climb right as you hit it. The climb is not simply 30 minutes all out, but rather, the coach and the two accompanying riders do a good job of helping you go faster of slower to recover. The video coverage is smooth and switches between the view of the road ahead (mostly) and then a view of the companion riders who are either behind or ahead of you depending on what effort the coach currently has you doing. There are also occasional views of the spectacular scenery too. Once you push it to the top, you only have a couple minutes rest before you hit a different climb. This climb is full of switchbacks which the coach uses to push you hard on some short intervals. The cooldown begins once you make it to the very top as you see a beautiful ocean view stretched out below you looking back down to the beach where you could imagine you had just climbed up from. Then there are some scenes of Florence as you finish your cool-down.

Wow – loved it – here’s the highlights of what I liked -

* timer – easy to see and always visible
* good music – although warm-up music was a bit too mellow
* creative use of pace riders to encourage pushing it and/or recovery
* absolutely beautiful scenery – giro d’ italia tt course
* “sweet switchbacks” – good hard climbing – beautiful view of ocean from the top

Looking forward to the next one!

From: Cycling For Boomers

How’s this for a cool video idea– images of stage 12 of the Tour of Italy flash by while you’re on you trainer and renowned coach Sally Edwards, who is a boomer herself and a legend among triathlon competitors, urges you on. That’s the lure of a DVD from Global Ride called “Climbing Sufferage in Italy.” While you are looking at images first of Venice, then of the climb into the mountains, Sally offers clues about which heart-rate zone you should be in, when to stand, when to sit and when to change to harder or easier gears. “Focus on your biomechanics,” she says at one point. At another “”I want you to get into the spirit… I want you to hold zone 3… we are so lucky to be in Italy today!”

Edwards is a former Master’s World Record holder in the Ironman Triathlon, as well as a world record holder in the Iditashoe 100-Mile Snowshoe Race. She offers private coaching through her company, Heartzones.com. The Climbing Sufferage DVD costs $29.95, includes music (but you can choose just Sally’s comments) and yoga training for cyclists. You can choose from it and and other indoor training videos at 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.

Today I went into my workout room, got on my Spin bike and soon I was in Italy! I was trying out a new DVD I got from Global Ride. It is called Speed and Power in Italy and it is well titled to say the least.

The first thing I thought was interesting was that they gave you the choice of whether you wanted verbal coaching or not. Then they let you choose from several international languages! This was a really nice touch and very perceptive in terms of marketing to an international audience.

So, on to the ride. Begins with a nice steady Spin through Venice with Vivaldi as the music. The videography is spectacular – from the wide shots of the buildings and canals, the everyday street scenes to the close-ups of the architectural details, really puts you in the right mood to prepare for what is ahead.

The first part of the ride is a 12-1/2 min, 5 mile ride of 0-5% grades as he has us slowly bringing up our heart rate. The second section is a 1.6mi of 0-4% as we begin to anticipate an upcoming speed section. Now the tough part. 22 mins, 7.1 miles of speed along the river. At this point we were holding around 85% of max heart rate and would keep it there for the entire 22 mins. There were no serious grades, so it was just a matter of focus and “hanging in there”. On this DVD, along with speed comes power. The coach let’s you know that the power section is coming and prepares you very well for it. The music changes to hard rock as you reach the bottom of the climb to the mountain top finish. It’s climb time! 2.7 mi, 4-9% grades to the village of Rocca. The whole 9-1/2 minutes is out of the saddle and very challenging. As we start up the climb there are a couple of other riders ahead which provide some interest as they are caught and passed. One hour and about 600 calories later the finish line at the top is much appreciated!

One improvement I would like to see on this DVD is an on-screen indicator of the target heart rate zone. On the right bottom corner is the countdown timer, it would be easy to put something like 75-80% on the other corner.

Overall, this is a very well done DVD. It is just the sort of ride that I could take into my Spin class and use. It has everything that is needed for the experienced cyclist needing a challenging ride. If you just want to ride along, enjoy the music and the scenery, you can certainly do that.

Recently, for a change of pace I decided to watch a DVD called “Speed & Power in Italy” by Global Ride. From the description I could see that this would be a simulated hour or so fast ride through Italy finishing with a 10 minute climb. Perfect. I usually ride about an hour, with tempo and threshold being my bread and butter. I started up the DVD in my laptop, cranked up the volume to 50 and put the ear buds in place. Some day I’ll have a big wide screen down in the man hole, but not yet.

The video starts out in Venice floating through water with coach Matty Reed starting you on a brief warm-up, while Vivaldi plays in the background. After a couple of minutes the road ride begins as you ride with a couple of riders on some narrow Italian roads. The classical music was only for the brief warm-up and is replaced by some more upbeat instrumental stuff. I pedaled along watching the two riders as they cruised along through picturesque country side, passing through villages, with plenty of pedestrians, cars and other cyclists to make it interesting. The picture quality was excellent, by the way. The coach gave instructions, occasionally asking you to increase your speed or heart rate. One thing I liked was that the coach encouraged you to react to changes in terrain, as if you were in the group on the screen, so if there was a short steep hill, you were encouraged to stand. Too bad there were no stops.

The pace was never slow once the warm-up was done. I rode mostly hard tempo at 270 to 290 watts. At about the 45 minute mark, we hit the final 10 minute climb on a twisty narrow road, with zero car traffic, but several other cyclists. My virtual group ride passed several riders on the climb, which helped motivate me to stay near my threshold all the way to the end. I rode that final 10 minutes at 308 watts.

I’ve watched this DVD twice now, and could see myself watching it several more times this off season, especially during sweet spot workouts. It was fun and engaging to watch during my workout and enhanced the indoor riding experience. I was able to stay mentally focused on riding, without being bored at all. This is very different than watching something like a movie, which makes the workout tolerable by causing you to mentally disconnect from your workout.

From: Cycle & Style online cycling magazine for women

Have you worked hard all spring, summer and into the fall to be race-ready and able to lead or at least stay with the group on tough hill climbs? Worried about losing your fitness over the winter? If you have a trainer, you can set up your bike and keep going. I often start the winter with good intentions on my trainer, but without someone to push me to go harder, faster or longer, I find my fitness levels slipping quickly.

Last week we had our first snow storm in the Rocky Mountains, so my friend Paula and I set up our trainers and popped in a DVD called “Climbing Sufferage in Italy.” Yes, that sounds intense, and it is. If you like to ride hard and to be pushed into the red zone for awhile, you’ll love this DVD. It features beautiful Italian scenery the whole way through, taking the rider up the same roads as the Giro d’Italia (Tour of Italy.) The video is shot in such a way as to give you the look of really being in Italy and the feel of being there comes from the intense workout. You’ll get your heart rate up and then do a 30 minute continuous climb, which actually is a great focus on keeping a steady cadence going. After a little break, you’ll climb some more as the DVD takes you up steep switchbacks, getting the riders off their seats and working hard.

The coach on this DVD is Sally Edwards, a Masters Ironman Champion and veteran of many other professional athletic endeavors. She holds a Masters in Exercise Physiology and takes a very professional and scientific approach to training which I appreciate. For this DVD, she was my coach and her pushing to go longer at a higher intensity or hold on while climbing was what I needed. Outside, the snow was swirling down and inside we were sweating through a climb in sunny Italy on the Ligurian coast. How sweet is that?The music is good, motivational music and the whole thing is followed by a good 30 minute yoga session geared toward cyclists—a great way to balance out the day’s workout.

Global Ride has produced other “shot on location” cycling videos so you can enjoy a tough workout and beautiful scenery in Hawaii as well as Italy. Go to Global Ride Virtual Cycling DVDs to order.

Gino ask me to review the video and give my opinion. I had no idea what to expect, all of the other cycling workouts I have used were not very interesting, and actually they were boring. So I started the DVD with a little bit of trepidation, but I must admit that I really got into the workout and had a lot of fun while struggling up the hills and really enjoying the downhill’s! The scenery was terrific, so much so that I am planning my own cycling trip to Italy, hopefully next year!

The workout was so real, actually like being on the road in Italy. My first trip was without the music, the second, third and forth had the music and I had a lot more fun on the last the three trips. Try it both ways and see which suits you best. And remember as you are riding your bike mounted on a trainer it is a lot easier to maintain a steady heart rate on the trainer than when riding outside so be sure to make allowances for that.

I have done some Pilates, mostly on my own and the 30 minute workout that is included on the DVD was really great! I am using the workout and the ride in combination so I will be ready to ride when the snow goes away next year.

I highly recommend this training DVD, you can pick and choose the way you want to train, you can get a great Pilates workout and really enjoy a trip through the Italian country side! Hopefully you can find the time to actually fly to Italy and ride the route in person!

Picture This:

Its pouring rain outside, about 10 degrees, massive puddles everywhere, and the wind is blowing a gale…. Not exactly a good day for training, or is it?

The weather outside today was crap, not somewhere i wanted to be. but my training schedule called for 2 hours on the bike then i remembered the box set DVD’s of Hawaii Rides by Global Ride.

Hawaii Rides Review

The concept behind the DVD’s is great. for those who have never used an indoor video training partner i will briefly explain what they are.

Somebody goes out and videos a ride and turns the footage into a DVD. simple concept, that can be done really well, or just look really bad, either way it makes your indoor training sessions so much better than “myth busters on discovery channel”

With this set, Global Rides has nailed it. These particular DVD’s are shot on some of the most beautiful roads around Hawaii. The pace the car sets is spot on. when you are climbing its nice and slow, and then naturally speeds up when you hit the downhills and the flats. I am lucky enough to have a 42″ plasma TV at home and this makes the riding/viewing experience even better. My indoor trainer of choice was my set of rollers, however i should have chosen the stationary trainer so that i could adjust resistance when the road went up hill.

Within minutes of the first disk i watched (Oceanside road) i found myself completely immersed in what was happening in front of me. I even waved at the man with the dog…. lucky no one saw me…

45 or so minutes later the disk was done, and left me wanting more. so i quickly hopped off the bike (well that’s not true, i was already off the bike and you will see why later) and chucked in another one. The next disk in was StrenDurance.

Its here where i should explain how each disk is setup. They all come with three main cycling sections. It seems the first and the last are shorter than the middle. when you put the disk in you are given the option of music on or music off, i chose to put it on. you are also given the choice of having a coach talk you through the “stages” on the first disk i chose the Australian coach and had a lady telling me what gear i should be in and when to rest and when to drink. i stopped the disk returned to the menu and then turned her off. I found her a little frustrating, felt like she was holding me back, but i can that other riders who need added motivation to train indoors will want to have her there. The music is great, keeps you nice and energized to help keep up the motivation.

before the first stage and after the final “stage” you are shown some lovely still images from the area you have just ridden. it gives you time to cool off at your own pace. When the images at the end are done you get the chance to do either a Yoga, Pilates or strength training plan. Each disk has a different one. (This is why i was off the bike already)

Knowing nothing about pilates and having never ever done it before i decided to give it a try. My Mrs was home from work just before the riding finished and saw that the Pilates section was up next, she asked if i was going to do cause she would like to join me, so we did it together. she really enjoyed it and says that she will be skipping forward to do it again. she is also looking forward to trying out the yoga that comes on the Maui Rollers disk

Its difficult to find anything negative about these DVD’s. They are so well shot, the scenery and roads are fantastic, the camera even drives in the bike lane to give added authenticity.

But if i have to nit pick, I would like to see more of the rider in front of the camera, when he is there you get a better feeling on just how steep the road is. During most rides he is obviously following the camera car cause you get the occasional shot of him shot out the back of the car. having him there gives it a slightly more personal feel as well. Sort of like having a trainer buddy with you.

Another feature i would like to see would be to have a small graphic in the corner that shows the road grade as a % and also how many minutes are left till the ride is over

Conclusion

I kind of feel like i have been on a cycling holiday in Hawaii today riding around with some dude. We rode some great roads, waved at some locals watched the sunset, powered up some hills, cruised down a few hills, took in the stunning cliffs that seem to drop off into the sea… i could go on and on….

If you cant afford to head to Hawaii this weekend to do a few rides… like most of us. then head over to amazon.com and buy this box set. I highly recommend it and give it 4.5 stars out of 5

Aloha folks! I’m back from a weekend of biking in Hawaii, in the islands of Oahu and Maui…

…I was in Virtual Hawaii, of course. The only plane seat that took me to Hawaii was a seat of a trusty old exercise bike. I never really left Sweden. Actually, I was trying out Global Ride’s Hawaii Rides DVD set:

The DVD Set, with CD 1 “StrenDurance in Hawaii”, CD 2 “Oceanside Ride” and CD3 “Maui Rollers”

Bicycle not included.

In contrast to my previous product reviews – of things ranging from hiking boots to a yoga mat, this one is the real thing. About 3 months ago, Global Ride Productions contacted me and other bloggers to review a 3-DVD set called Hawaii Rides, a coached cycling program for indoor- and road bikers. Since I love biking – we go often do bike tours and I volunteer as a functionary for group cycling classes indoors – I didn’t want to turn down the offer to write a review. Not even the fact that I don’t actually own an indoor bike hindered me. At any case, I thought, it could be something interesting for the guys at our gym, or for that day I get myself a stationary bike.

Until then, I watched the contents of the DVDs and eventually called someone I knew had an exercise bike. To make things more interesting, I biked all the way there for three hours to try the DVDs out for the weekend. In contrast to the “real” biking, doing the DVD program didn’t move me one inch, of course. I couldn’t help feeling a bit ridiculous at first knowing that I might as well have been biking outside in real hills. And although I’ve also been in stationary bikes in group spinning classes, “cycling” on my own in front of the TV was admittedly a new experience. I felt a bit self-conscious when the introduction was rolling and I was supposed to find myself “magically” transported to the Hawaiian islands.

That’s only half of the story, though. Eventually, I concentrated on my own biking and on the audio coaching, and I started to realize that there was really more to these DVDs than just being mere visual aids: they were bike lessons on how to become a better cyclist.

This is about six minutes into “Oceanside Ride”.
I’ll put up my hair soon!

The goal is endurance.

You’ll understand when the audio coach introduces you to the task at hand: throughout the “climbs”, straights and even downhill pedaling, the goal is to keep the pulse at a constant level throughout the 50-minute rides. To do this, you’ll have to adjust your cadence (the speed you pedal in) depending on what bike resistance (or bike gear) you have on. The ultimate goal is to bike on this “steady state”, on the highest sustainable pulse rate where you still feel that you could go on biking forever without fatigue. For beginners, this is at 70-80% of one’s maximum pulse, for professionals, 75-80% or even 80-90%. To keep working effectively at this pulse the whole time and not allowing yourself to cheat to a lower pulse is what builds endurance. It’s also about not burning yourself out too early on uphills when you know you still have many kilometers ahead and – when it matters in a race – not letting yourself get too much rest on downhill- and straight stretches so you can pedal instead at a higher cadence, make your ride faster and your overall work more efficient.

The hills go up and the hills go down. Your pulse shouldn’t do the same.

This training program also makes great sense when you realize how bike gears can work for your advantage in cycling. This was a mystery which I only began to learn recently, and which I still feel I need to crack. In spinning, you change resistance to simulate terrain; in real bikes, you change gears depending on terrain. The logic behind this is that the human body can only work efficiently in a narrow range of pedaling speeds (i.e. cadence) and the right gears optimize your work. In an ideal situation where the bike and the rider are one, the rider can make the whole ride efficient by changing gears often and varying cadence while still maintaining the highest sustainable pulse, not more.

Fulfill your own goals and find your own road.

That said, the DVDs are adaptable for any cycling goal and not just useful if you’re racing. The coaching tracks, with American, Australian and Italian coaches to choose from, can be turned off if you prefer to ride your own ride. The audio track, which consists of original techno music scores, can also be deactivated if you prefer your own music or if you’re using the DVDs as a visual aid for your own spinning or cycling classes. There’s also nothing hindering you from using the videos for exercise on other machines, for example a treadmill. Indeed, they make convincing visual aids, it’s almost like a bike simulation program. When you take the resistance up when you see the road ahead going uphill, the mind is somewhat tricked. Seeing the view “below” is also a good psychological reward for any exercise, even if the view is virtual. In that way, it’s a good motivation for serious cyclists to reconsider cycling indoors, and indoor spinners to consider going out and experience the real thing.

The suitability to personal goals is partly the point of the DVDs. While they’re useful and strategic training to serious cyclists who might think cycling indoors has little charm, they are also made to be accessible to the amateur recreational cyclist like me or even riders that have never biked outside the spinning hall, encouraging us all “to find our road”. Don’t be intimated by the cycling elite, in other words. The images during the cool down, where they show actual pictures from people’s cycling vacations around the world, are particularly inspiring to get out there and just try biking outdoors.

Don’t forget!

Don’t miss the 30-minute strength, Pilates and yoga sessions for bikers at the end of each CD – they’re definitely something we can imagine doing regularly. The strength-training session is particularly attractive for me because I would love to have stronger legs for biking. I like it that the session alternates between explosive movements and slow, controlled movements (for example, in alternating between fast and slow squats), and believe me, my muscles felt the work even without dumbbells. Pilates is another thing I’ve discovered lately thanks to a friend. Since I’m sold on the idea that strong core muscles makes one a better runner and cyclist and improve endurance, the Pilates session was also really a bonus. I would have probably bought the DVDs if just for the strength and Pilates sessions, which is to say that I do believe they’re a good complement to “just” biking.

A round-up of what I thought:

1. The music tracks are louder than the coaching tracks (which has its own background “noise” of the coach using a stationary bike), making the coaching hard to understand. I had to turn the music off (alternatively, set the volume really high) to hear the coaching clearly. In my DVD player, the coaching track in CD 1 also had worse quality halfway into the video, but it thankfully returned to normal after a while.

2. The difference between “real” biking and spinning are that hills are always, always so much harder in real life, for me anyway. Of course, the mental toughness and “will-I-make-it? feeling” is one thing an exercise program can’t simulate. On the other hand, doesn’t it feel good to have conquered that virtual hill so easily?

3. The best thing would be to do all three programs in the set for continuity and variation, but if you are only considering one or two, I can recommend CD 1, “StrenDurance in Hawaii” for its more comprehensive coaching and explanations compared to the other two CDs. The coach explains the basic of cadence and heart rate, and offers alternatives if you don’t have a pulse clock. On the visual aid side, CD 3 “Maui Rollers” has some of the best Hawaiian scenes in the CD set, but the coach here dosn’t explain the “target heart rate” that thoroughly, which can be confusing for a recreational biker watching CDs 2 or 3 by themselves.

4. There’s a positive psychological effect of the coaches “talking you” into the ride as you go along. Their words push, encourage, and give a pat on the back. In CD 3 “Maui Rollers”, there’s also this long bit I really like where you (the first person rider) and another cyclist alternate at overtaking one another. All these make cycling by oneself suddenly seem less solitary!

5. The DVD set is probably more interesting and useful if your goal is to improve your biking, get better at spinning or to increase your endurance in general. If your goal is to lose weight or to just get moving for daily well-being, I can imagine that most would say they’d rather be on the exercise bike watching regular telly – and I’d understand that. If you’re up to the challenge though or want to begin to bike for a hobby, this might be a good start if you’re too shy to bike in a class.

6. Lastly, although virtual reality is all well, I don’t think the DVDs should be seen as a replacement for biking outdoors. Spinning will remain an indoor exercise form, with the ups and downs that that entails. So, there will be no fresh air in your face, smell of ocean spray and no “nature experience” that has its own rewards. In winters and bad weather though, I think anyone can appreciate the possibility of taking “the ride, outside” in the comfort of your one’s own living room. Also, for people who’ve never tried to ride outdoors, I do think it can create a positive longing to get better at spinning and, eventually, ride outside.

With that, aloha! (means both hello and goodbye in Hawaiian)

Watch the commercial for the boxed set in YouTube (click here), or click on the titles below to see the ads for “StrenDurance in Hawaii“, “Oceanside Ride” and “Maui Rollers“.

The set costs $75.00 and is available from Global Rides website: http://www.globalride.net/