Malaysian Movement Control Order (MCO) has urged the nation to stay indoors.
Cyclists who can’t ride outside from coronavirus shutdown can absolutely grasp the feeling of pain and boredom. It’s the reason why we love cycling so much. The speed entices us, slowly luring us into this wonderful trap of cycling.
So the question is, “How do I train indoors?” The answer is, “Train with heart rate monitor, power meter, power software, and mobile applications.”
Traditionally, cyclists use a heart monitor to train. You can always work out different heart rate zones from the measure of resting heart rate and maximum heart rate, and all these are measured in beats per minute (bpm). Heart rate monitors and power meters are two significant tools for indoor training.
If you do not have one, a fitness tracker or smart watch helps records your heart rate, daily burned calories, step counts, and also boost your daily workouts and make them achievable. Keeping track allows you to stick to a healthier diet, exercise more and maintain fitness level.
How are we able to measure performance increase or monitor training?
In this digital age where we can obtain data from our rides, there’s an existence of software and applications that compute data and provide us simplified information on our rides, as well as certain programs and ready-made videos to enhance our experience while training indoors.
Strava is one of the ultimate applications for cyclists. Not only it monitors training progress and data, but it also introduces an aspect of competition into rides. In Strava, you can “follow” professional cyclists as well as the local cyclists within your area to observe their trainings or rides, at the same time put yourself to test on segments analysing the distance of your routes from the fastest timed rider.
Strava can be addictive but if it is used well, it can boost your riding speed. You can also monitor your training with TrainingPeaks, which is another good tool to view data from training.
How do we kill that feeling?
The COVID-19 Movement Control Order has taken over forcing you to train indoors on the turbo trainer, rollers, or static bike.
An entertaining program in the market that has taken over the indoor cycling world by storm – Zwift is turning out to be the most effective way for the past years. Compared to Strava, Zwift is more addictive, as it has made indoor cycling into a game. Cyclists are placed in a virtual world with various routes that you can ride and race. Some indoor cycling applications for cyclists also include TrainerRoad and The Sufferfest.
With the invention of affordable and convenient tools being introduced to the market, training can be tough but fun at the same time. Take note: There’s a lot of information out there to be found. Read more reliable information, seek advice to exchange knowledge from the professionals. Last but not least, always remember to be sociable when riding in a group. By having a simple chat with fellow cyclists, you will definitely learn and gain more!
About The Author
Chris Yip is a Malaysian living in the United Kingdom. He is usually found riding his bike in a skin-suit with a pointy helmet around Warwickshire. When he’s away from his day job as a Mechanical Engineering Lecturer in Coventry University, he can be found skiing the groomed pistes in the Dolomites during winter.
He is still actively racing as an amateur for his local bike shop team, The Nuneaton Cyclery – Klin Cut Apparel. Chris is hoping to enlighten and inspire other young cyclists to keep the pedal turning, passion burning and improve their riding without losing the love for the sport.
You can reach him at chrisyipkt@gmail.com or https://www.facebook.com/chrisevo
