when riding a bicycle indoors, there are two different approaches you can take.
keep in mind, i’m talking about a real bicycle…the kind you can take outside and actually go places on.
so, the first and easiest option is to get a trainer. basically, it props up the back wheel (the actual wheel the pedals turn) and spins in place. that’s the kind i use. i can use the gears on my bike to up the resistance in the last few minutes of my ride (i time it) and lower it down when i’m cooling down. i even have a book stand on it because sometimes it’s easier to make my mind think about something other than just how damn tired i am while i’m spinning away.
the other option, the one my husband uses, is called rollers. basically, you put your bike up on these…rollers…and start riding. you can’t zone out with a book, because the front wheel is spinning too. if you lose your focus and the front wheel turns, the whole bike turns with it. it’s great training for real road riding. it’s pretty difficult, though.
today, i told J that i wanted to give them a try. i knew they’re more difficult, so i didn’t want to do my whole allotted excercise time on the rollers, but i wanted to get an idea as to how difficult they really are.
now i know exactly why my husband has lost over 20 pounds in the last 4 months.
he was right there next to me the whole time, and i was riding next to a buffet table. thank goodness, because amidst the laughing and screeching, i was catching myself from falling over, and he was using all of his sexy bicep muscle to keep me from crashing my very expensive bike onto his very expensive rollers.
i only did it for about 5 minutes before i decided to get back on my trainer and finish out my daily sweat session in relative peace. i even had to break out my ipod, because before i even began my real work out, i was too freakin tired to focus on my book.
so if you ever see someone on rollers, respect the skills.