Didn't know I could do it

[rij73]

I just rode my trainer for one hour straight spinning at 90rpm's... I only started biking last spring, and have been really lazy about riding the trainer (or outdoors for that matter) all winter, so I had no idea if I could ride that long at a continuous cadence. I put on a Podrunner track at 180bpm and just went for it. It was actually fun... I read my new issue of Bicycling while at it.

[mimitabby]

remind me not to challenge YOU for a race.

[Tiffany]

Very nice! Doesn't it make you feel warm and fuzzy inside when you accomplish something you didn't think you could?

[Geonz]

How many times did you think you couldn't do it while you were doing it?

[alpinerabbit]

Is 90 rpm = 90 full revolutions or half? Oh I get it. 180 bpm = 90 rpm. that's 1.5 full revolutions per second, so on every beat one foot goes down. yeah.

try the pedalradio.com podcasts. I tried my first one last night, was fun to have some new tunes.

[rij73]

Thanks folks! About halfway through I was getting really sweaty and tired, but I was armed with raisins which I guess helped. I mean, I've ridden up to 1.5 hours straight outside in the park, but it feels really different on the trainer and trying to keep a steady pace. I really have no idea if what I did would be considered much of an accomplishment by most people, but it felt like one to me!

Never checked out pedalradio before... headed there right now!

[Zen]

I really have no idea if what I did would be considered much of an accomplishment by most people, but it felt like one to me!

HA!
I never paid much attention to cadence but i did a count today while spinning (not in a class, just by myself)

I got to a point that I felt I was at my push-point resistance,-maybe a little more-and a somewhat fast but not a sprint cadence.

My count was 63

On the other hand, two girls in their early 20's came in while I was there, rode for about three minutes, declared it 'too hard" and left

[rij73]

On the other hand, two girls in their early 20's came in while I was there, rode for about three minutes, declared it 'too hard" and left

Wimps!

[Starfish]

I really have no idea if what I did would be considered much of an accomplishment by most people, but it felt like one to me!

Hey, it is definitely a benchmark. Spinning faster develops a different kind of muscular endurance than grinding slower. (Not taking anything away from the muscular endurance it takes to grinder harder/slower...just different.)

Last year, training for my first long climbing ride, it was all I could do to grind up the hills in a low cadence, pushing HARD. I literally just could not pedal faster. Consequently, with all that slow uphill training, my cadence on the flats was slow...and not very versatile.

This winter I have been working on higher cadence and pedal stroke, and it has been hard work! But, I can tell that I am developing a different (and more versatile) part of my cycling skill ('though still at a low level! ).

Anyhow, all that to say...yes, it is an accomplishment, and adds to your arsenal of biking tools!

[rij73]

Thanks very much Starfish for that perspective! I have read a bit about the necessity to train spinning and grinding separately, but you made it much clearer.

[KSH]

HEY! Congratulations! That's awesome!

This is my first year on the trainer during the winter. I never wanted to do it.. but my Ironman training started January 1st. So, I have had to do it.

It's not that bad. Sure, it's not like riding outside, but I try to see the positives in it.

It's nice to just get on the bike and ride. No packing up the car. No worrying about if I got everything.

I love watching my TV programs and listening to music while I ride.

Back in January... I had a Saturday where I had a 3 hour ride schedule. The weather was crap so I knew I had to do it on the trainer.

I got on the trainer with the idea I would just go about 2-2.5 hours. Figured there was no way I could go for 3 hours.

Then I was watching that silly TV show on MTV... Made. And there was this teenager whining into the camera, "I can't do it. It's too hard". I realized I was doing the same thing. I could do it. And I was going to do it. So I did. 3 hours on the trainer.

This month I had 4.5 hour ride schedule. Again, I had to ride on the trainer. And I did it.

As for cadence... my coach has me doing 90+ cadence always. But I've been riding like this for years. I'm a high cadence gal so I can protect my knees.

[shewhobikes]

podrunner? pedalradio? Somebody clue me in. I haven't tried to find a podcast like this yet, but it sounds like a good way to avoid boredom from the same ole playlists...
Thanks,
SWB

[roadie gal]

Good job!

[rij73]

That's really cool KSH. I don't plan on doing any racing, but I do want to get good enough so that I don't feel like I'm holding up my husband too much when we ride together. He hasn't been biking any longer than I have, but he's just naturally more athletic and faster. Plus, it's just fun to be getting reasonably good at something athletic. I'm a classical musician who was always babied and discouraged from doing anything potentially dangerous, so I've basically spent my life indoors... seated.

SheWhoBikes... I learned about these podcasts right here on the board. Check out Podrunner and Podrunner Intervals here: http://www.djsteveboy.com/mixes.html
and Pedalradio here: http://pedalradio.libsyn.com/

They are planned to go at certain speeds. Pedalradio and Podrunner Intervals have various speeds within the same track so it's like doing intervals. If you have rhythm and can pedal to the beat, it's a way to practice pedaling at a steady cadence. I've also biked with a metronome on to keep any particular steady cadence, but it's obviously not as entertaining.

[DirtDiva]

Hey, cool. Don't own a trainer, but would be nice to load some new tunes onto the shuffle for running.

I'm trying to use my commute to work on upping my cadence. My fun rides tend to involve too many hills for it.