For many riders in the northern hemisphere, changing the clocks in late October signifies the start of winter riding. This is often met with a trip to the loft or basement to dust off the indoor trainer and accept that most of your winter miles will be ridden inside your home. With temperatures hovering around 0 ºC (32 ºF), almost daily rain, salted roads, and flooded sections, winter riding in Britain is a far-flung relative of summer riding.
Over the years, I have racked up over 12,000 km on various indoor training platforms, not to mention the thousands of kilometres accumulated in my parent's garage on a dumb trainer before the days of smart trainers. I am a big fan of indoor training. It is efficient, consistent, and safe.
Heading into this winter, I knew that things would have to change. Something that is not always spoken about indoor training is that it requires a certain amount of space that not all riders have available. The result of a change in where I live meant that I had absolutely nowhere for an indoor trainer, ruling this option out over winter. Instead of setting up a training area in my home, I had to go old-school; any kilometres I rode had to be outdoors.
With spring almost on the horizon and a purely outside winter training block under my belt, it is time to reflect on what this has taught me.
Indoor riding has changed the landscape
When Zwift launched in 2014, it added a real-world feeling to indoor training. Until then, indoor training was arguably more insufferable than heading out for a deep winter ride.
When I first got into riding, indoor training was reserved for all but the worst conditions. If it snowed, was below freezing, or the wind was at dangerously high levels, I would begrudgingly head to the garage and bury myself, all while staring at a perfectly bland brick wall. When I didn’t have the choice of immersive smart trainers, heading out was a simple 'choice' and one most riders like me made, winter after winter.
With realistic gradients, group rides, and races, indoor training has never been better. As a result, heading outside had become the exception, with much of my riding confined to the indoor trainer. Based on my local cycling community, this is the case for many people, with indoor training making the long UK winters more pleasant, manageable, and a whole lot easier on the equipment.
In the past, I have found that having the option of riding indoors meant that I was always more likely to pick the easier option. I have gone into many winters in the past with the best intentions of balancing indoor and outdoor riding; however, more often than not, I would find myself setting the fan up and putting my laptop in front of my bike. It is certainly more comfortable, but the trade-off is that the achievement of a Zwift ride can never match the feeling I get from returning after a three-hour ride on wintry roads.
Winter riding is harsh on your bike
To balance out the first point, I’ll jump to an unavoidable reality. Winter is really, really harsh on your bike. No matter what you do to try and combat this, it will inevitably take its toll on your bike and kit.
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