Home› General Training Discussions

Do I need to ride my bike outside?

chadlykinschadlykins
in General Training Discussions

 Hi EN,

I live in Hong Kong.  The roads are narrow, steep, and windy.  There are no shoulders on the roads; bus drivers and taxis zip by leaving you almost no room.  In short, I am terrified of riding my bike here.  Most people who ride do so at 5:00 AM, and even then, it seems dangerous.  I have only done it once.

I can put my bike in a taxi and make a 45 minute trip to Tung Chung or New Territories, but this is expensive and time-consuming.

My questions is: do I need to ride my bike outside?  I have a wife, two kids, and a great job.  I would prefer not to get pinned under a bus.

Thanks,

Chad

Comments

  • kathleennelsonkathleennelson

    I'm assuming Chad you have a trainer and would rather ride  inside, is that right?  I road my bike on the trainer all last season and raced just fine.  The EN bike interval workouts are hard and make riding on the road seem easy!  Really prolly the only problem might come if and when you are racing on a hilly course.  I found this year, my first year with power, that getting out on the hilly course was the best way for me to practice keeping my watts steady up and over the hills.  Im with you though, I would not like to ride in the conditions you are describing!  Others will have good advice Im sure.  Take care.

  • aarondavidson1aarondavidson1

    You do not need to, however you will wish you did come race day. Having been to Hong Kong there are some real nasty hills on the backside of the island. I would try to get out once a month to ride. Can you take the bike on the train out to the new airport? That area seems less densely packed?

  • chadlykinschadlykins
    Kathy and Aaron, thanks to you both. Kathy, I have one bike set up on a trainer in my office and the other set up at home. Aaron, the area you are talking about is the stretch from Tung Chung to Disneyland. It's flat and one of the best places to TT (so I here). And the hills on the south island are indeed epic. Not that long of a climb, but steep with lots of switchbacks.

    The guys and gals that do ride here are crazy strong. You're probably right though, I need to suck it up and go get embarrassed by them once a month.
  • Nemo BrauchNemo Brauch
    Good advice from both Kathy and Aaron. You can do lots of your training on the drainer, but the trainer doesn't give you any ability to practice riding steady (a skill that does take a little practice) and it won't give you handling skills either. So just be selective about getting outside to safe places to ride a few times a month.
  • Chris GChris G

     As long as you know how there is no reason you have to regularly.  I know a couple people who have qualified for Kona at AZ when it was in the spring having never ridden outside til they flew there.  Not feasible to ride that early in the year in Ottawa.  You may go mental doing 4 hour rides on the trainer but that is a different issue.

  • Coach PatrickCoach Patrick
    Chad - if you are going to be inside for most of the time, then konw you can do the "work only" portions of those weekend rides (keeping ABP to 90') up until about 8 weeks to go...then you gotta suck it up. The outdoor option 1x a month sounds like a good plan!

    P
  • Spokane_AlSpokane_Al
    I can nail the intervals at the specific power levels on the trainer - I just put my head down and keep my eyes glued to the bike computer while rock and roll is blasting in the background. However I find that maintaining a steady, no spiking power level outside on the roads takes practice. Without practice I am all over the board in my power readings, and steady, specifiic power level out door riding is a skill that I must continue to practice or else I loose it.

    I would have a difficult time going from virtually 100% trainer rides to racing outside.
Sign In or Register to comment.