Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Off season training

I am here in Connecticut and our evening rides have come to an end if you work all day do to darkness. We will still ride on the weekends but thats not enouph. What are other people doing for off season training if winter hits your area. I find the bike trainer boring and I can't use the treadmill do to my knees. ECB1

Uhhh, ride at night!?:D

When I ride at night I use a couple of headlights ($25 each/ 1 with strobe mode), a red blinkie in the rear, and the tri colored reflector bands. I found them most visible after doing some experiments of my own. I placed an illumminite vest, a lited belt, ankle bands and a red blinkie on Gina. Sent her off down the road, then followed in my truck. I found the motion of the ankle bands was most noticeable. Same with nightjoggers and those little tabs on the back of their shoes. Very noticeable with the motion!:thumb:

Check out the ankle bands
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l267/gulpxtreme/niteride2.jpg

The trainer does suck but it really helps. I do hate it thou, I plan on getting some lights and riding the MTB in the winter and spin the MUP on my old roadbike when conditions allow.

Gotta go withlights and the neighborhood ride with this one, except.... I lived in CT for a total of about 5 years. The night riding thing sounds good on paper but when late October - early November rolls around and the snow starts it's not pratical.

Have you considered rollers over a stationary trainer?

Until the massive snow hits ya, I agree with lights and night riding.
I ride year 'round up here, and we don't get a lot of snow, but we get a lot of dark. Short winter days are barely long enough daylight to cover a shift at work (minus the commute time.)

Generator lights front and back. 2 PBSF lights. Lots of reflectors. Helmet light. Cold weather clothing.

I attend a spinning class when I can, plus do weights. I have thought that doing some swimming might be a nice change of pace too.

A little bit of everything. I ride a lot at night with appropriate equipment and do single track MTB at night as well but with serious lights! Funnily enough, our trail rides are faster pace at night. What you can't see won't hurt you right...? Rollers, trainers and spin classes all work and maintain muscle tone and cardio. Mix things up a bit!

What is this "off season" of which you speak? ;)

http://www.feep.org/gallery/albums/random/SANY0327.sized.jpg

Actually, snow riding is fun and all, but I really go for skiing. Not sure if that's practical where you live, but it makes bicycling seem easy.

http://www.feep.org/gallery/albums/random/3224475660_2bb9edcc5c_o.sized.jpg

I commute year-round, but won't head out for 2+ hour rides when I'll be spending more than an hour in the dark, especially when it drops below 35 degrees F. I'm a wuss. Yep. It also seems like those are the conditions where people get hit by cars the most often around here. People out in the country just don't look for bikes on sleepy and narrow farm/ranch roads before the sun comes up.

I go to spin classes at my gym during the winter (4-8 hours per week, depending on how much "real" riding I can do). To keep my endurance up, I also add in lots of cross-training during the winter. I work on my abdominals, strength training, 3-4 hours of other types of aerobic exercise (aerobic/step/kickbox/yoga classes, treadmill, elliptical trainer, etc.). I find that working the rest of my body in the winter makes me feel better after a full season of almost nothing but riding too.

Sneak out of work at lunch to ride ?

I commute year-round - TX winter has winds but temps generally 33-50 and little precip / no snow. As a fair-weather commuter I just bike a few times during the week.

I also try to work a "follow the sun" work schedule or work short hours on bike commute days and longer hours when I drive. My workdays as a software developer are pretty unstructured so I can be in-plant short hours and finish up at the house working remotely. That lets me ride in better temps/daylight.

I am a Masters swimmer and have been known to take a spinning class (HARD work!) at the health club. Can't do any gravity (weight-bearing) sports - bad knee.

I am casually looking at those Compu-trainers but they look pricey even as a Christmas-For-Me purchase.

I ride until the snow falls - I'm less worried about my ability to control my bike on icy roads than about motorists who don't have real snow tires sliding into me. (There is NO such thing as an "all-season" car tire.) The only other problem I have on cold mornings is the eyewear fogging up at intersections. Got to find a good anti-fog solution soon.

Bike lights nowadays are fantastic compared to the pot metal frame fittings and heavy gel cell batteries I remember from decades past. The new LED lights weigh and cost so little, you can have one either side of your stem, as a "high beam" and "low beam" setup, and they last for ages on teeny tiny batteries.

After the snow flies, I ride the trainer a few times a week, often with a Real Rides dvd in the player. Weekends I might do a spin class, and once or twice a week I try to get into the weight room. Swimming is my main sport, but I hope to get back into cross country skiing this winter, if the knees permit.

I try to ride until the snow falls. I bought a used mountain bike, so I am going to try that some this winter. Otherwise I am on my rollers. I have a trainer also, but prefer the rollers as I have to somewhat pay attention on the rollers. I watch a DVD movie and sweat a lot.

I can't seem to find a good thing for my feet, as that is what really gets cold for me.

Number one winter exercise, especially for Clydes: push-aways. :P

Commute...

Alright you've inspired me, I'm putting a ski on the front wheel of my junk mtn bike.

Got a trainer, couple years ago I bought a used Concept 2 rower and that is a pretty cool exercise device. I also go the gym once a week or more in winter,
and I shovel snow. That's more exercise than you might think up here.

I am trying to talk myself into going to spinning classes again. Blecch.

We like to use studded tires on the mountain bikes, off road and commuter styles available. Nothing like having good control on glare ice when the ipod zombies are sliding around on the bike path.