Hey There,

I have a CT and love it .. have had it for a few years now. Some thoughts on how to best use the CT for training ...

1. Race Simulation. Last year I picked a 15 mile course and did 4 laps of this course; in race mode. The first race sim I opted to choose a pacer and did not allow drafting. After that, I would race against my last best performance. Save each ride and you can race yourself! It is very motivating. You can see your weaknesses in the course (do you slow down before you crest the hill? do you rest too much on the downhills?) and you can fix them. As time goes by, it is harder and harder to beat yourself -- and you are confidently ready for the race season. Tailor the course and duration to the types of events you do or want to do.

2. Motivation for longer rides. There are a few ways to stay motivated for those longer indoor rides. One is to watch a movie .. or two .. or three. Another is to ride a long course. Finishing the course may just be the ticket to keeping you on the bike for that long.

3. Spin Scan -- very good for getting that perfect pedal stroke. I like to focus on this for the easier rides.

4. Power workouts -- you can do very specific intervals using the CT. This is just using the controller, not the programs on the PC. It's easy to add resistance and do specific strength, zone4/5 training , etc. You can also track the watt level that you do it at so that next time ... you can try to beat the time, or the watt level!

I guess in general terms, it really helps keep you motivated. Whether that is to stay on the bike longer, to ride harder (race sim) or to beat your last interval workout ... it offers motivation.

Being an engineer myself I love the numbers and am an avid number chaser in the winter. Come summer give me some girlz to chase around the track!

Explore the options of the CT and have fun!

dirtygirl.