Going indoors

It is with a heavy heart that I say, I have bought an indoor trainer. Since the last puncture, I braved the chill in Canberra and went cycling to work a few times. The highlight of those rides was one day, I went out and cycled in the cold BECAUSE I heard that it was -4 degrees outside !! Besides one very very chilly ride, the others somewhat seemed easier.

The gear I needed was suprisingly minimal. A work-out shirt and over that I put on a Netti Jersey with thermals on the inside (i think) , Leg Warmers, wind breaker gloves, a large kerchief on the head and the usual stuff. That seemed to have done the trick. Although, I must admit, my face and toes were numb by the time I finished my 30 or so minute ride !! But it was fun and it did well to drive away my phobia of riding in the cold. 

Anyway, back to the point. I've got quite disheartened by the punctures to be riding outside and a bit lazy to go out in the cold everyday. So,  I bought a indoor mag trainer: JetPro by JetBlack. The price I got it for is a steal. My extensive search left with me a store in sydney that was selling it for almost $70 less(including postage)than all places in Canberra. I walked in to some of the stores and they just outright refused to "price-match". That left me wondering the whole concept of price-match itself, at least in cycling parts and accessories !

Anyhow, I got this unit, setting up was a bit of a challenge and I struggled initially. Once I got it going, it brought back some nice memories.  I tried putting my mountain bike on it. That was an even bigger challenge and totally not worth it cuz the resultant effect is a lotttt of noise. Understandable cuz the mountain bike's tyres are thick and don't have a smooth tread like the roadie. I put my roadie back on that thang.

Anyhow, all of this has been happening between my last post and now. Since I bought the trainer about 3 weeks ago, I've been on it about 2-3 times a week. The workout you get in a trainer is so much more intense than normal riding. This is considering the relatively flat riding surfaces in Canberra. I'm sure if I was riding uphill in Taringa or Toowong in Brisbane, I would beg to differ. That said, the trainer provides a targeted work out much like a spinning session. I enjoy it throughoughly, but of course there is the nostalgia.

These days, I notice that anytime I see cyclists riding past when I'm in the car I'm overcome by nostalgia. Thankfully my admiration for the cyclists hasn't had me losing focus on the road !! So, the point being, I miss cycling out in the open. The weather in Canberra is also getting much more tolerable for cycling. 

The ghosts of the punctures haunt me. Just for the record, in my year and half of cycling in Brisbane, I've had may be 2-3 punctures. In my 5-6 months of cycling in Canberra I've had about 8-10 punctures. 

For now, I'm resisting my temptation and sticking to the trainer. My love for outdoor road cycling won't say tucked in forever !