I’ve had a lot of people ask me about training over the winter, so today’s post comes right out of the old mailbag.

It’s that time of year where many cyclists are forced off the road and driven to their basements to put in time on the trainer.  Have you seen some of the trainer sanctuaries out there?  You can tell in these photos that indoor riding becomes something like a Zen state of mind inside of these temples of solitude.

c/o Erin&Justin Flickr

c/o Billhd Flickr

I’m sure you’re like me (and most cyclists), in that you’d much rather be out on the road.  Heck, being out there is one of the things that makes cycling so awesome.  But, if you’re going to have to spend months indoors riding on a trainer and wishing you were out on the road, you might as well do it in style.

The Trainer

There are several models and varieties out there, but from the comments and reviews that I’ve seen I would recommend one of two trainers made by Kurt Kinetic.  A more reasonably priced option is the Road Machine, and if you really want something that resembles outdoor riding then go with the pricier Rock and Roll model.  There is also a new type of trainer that just came out this year…..It’s made by LeMond and it’s called the Revolution.  I haven’t checked this one out too closely, but I’m thinking that it might be a superior design to the original roller type trainers.  If you’ve tried it out, let us know what you think.

The Sufferfest

If you’re lucky enough to have a TV mounted in front of your trainer (actually, I highly recommend having one in front of you), then you’re able to help ease the boredom that can come from indoor cycling.  A lot of cyclists will watch old footage of the Giro, Tour de France, or any other cycling race to help motivate them through their spin.  Others will catch up on their favorite TV shows to help pass the time.  Both are great options.

If you’re looking for something to really set you on fire and use that indoor training time to your advantage for the upcoming season….then what you need is The Sufferfest: Downloadable Cycling Workout Videos.  I reviewed their products before, so I won’t say too much about them this time around.  If you’d like our review of The Sufferfest, then check out this post.  What I can tell you is that their videos will totally kick your butt (in a good way).  They are also very entertaining, and you don’t have to wait for them to arrive in the mail because they are downloadable right to your own computer.

The Sufferfest is also unleashing it’s latest training video today….The Hunted.  I won’t lie, this blog post was put out today in honor of the new video download.  David from The Sufferfest is a great guy, doing great things and I’m happy to promote him and his products.  They really are worth a try…at $10.99 each you can’t lose.  If you’re interested, you can download the videos here.

Okay, your turn.  Let’s hear about your indoor cycling sanctuary or recommendations on how to make the most out of your indoor training time.  Please help out your fellow cyclists with your comments.