I really hate trainers...
 

This is the first year I have been putting a good effort into cycling. (Going out to races and TTs) I saw a lot of gains this year, and now October and November are killing me. Not a sufficient amount of light to ride after work, and the trainer really kills my soul...

Buying my powertap late in the season was the worst idea... I'm just watching things go down hill.

Does anyone else run into this or am I just going at this all wrong?

My trainer - total blah
My rollers - not as blah

I invested in winter gear and lights. As long as the ground is rideable, my first choice will be outside.

Hey, it's Fall! Time to put aside summer things and focus on the next season. Starting all over again . . .

So yeah, your power is going downhill like it should. Time to put away the intervals and focus on drills and other stuff. Rollers are good. Gym membership is good. Spin classes are good. Weights are good if they don't get in the way of aerobic fitness. Get out your Friel and figure your periodization between now and your next year's A races. Get outside when you can and get on those rollers when you can't. A big fat base is the best thing to build intervals on.

take enough time off the bike to recharge mentally. this will be more beneficial to next season then doing some unmotivated/mediocre training in that time. personally, i take all of october off so by the time november roles around the rollers/trainer arennt looking too bad at all

I used a trainer pretty religiously for several years. They are boring. No two ways about it. I found that using a structured workout I found in Bicycling magazine helped some... Lots of cadence changes and gear shifting. Better than just sitting there slogging away.
Some folks watch TV and sprint during the commercials....
My wife bought me one of those "going-down-the-road" videos with lots of pretty scenery... Not a bad idea, but the thing came with a new-agey soundtrack that was seriously lame.

yeah,
just happened to be back East this week when the time changeover happened.
did a few nostalgic rides out to Brookdale Pk in Montclair NJ, which used to be a hotbed for racers, back in the 70's.
how does this relate?
got out a bit late on one day and ended up in the Park at Sundown, doin laps.
remembered that this was an OK place to train outdoors in Winter, after dark.
park no longer has a complete road loop, but there are small bypasses which allow a small group of 2-3 riders to circulate at speed.

a closed loop, like a park road/loop, where traffic generally goes slow, is a good place to do outdoor riding after dark, and in winter.
usually protected from winter winds.
way moe betta than open roads in the dark, and a ton less boring (and better work out) than a trainer or even rollers.
I would hit the rollers only when weather was bad (rain/sleet/snow) for 2 or more days...
and then, of course, there's ice skatin when it's real winter (like South Mtn arena - still there ?) - great for keeping the guads pumped.

I don't mind riding on a trainer at all, I use it every weekday for ~70 or so minutes, and I really don't mind it. Maybe you should put on some music, I have been rocking out to Hotel California for the past few trainer sessions.

Find a buddy that you can ride the trainer before or after work with. That is what I've done and it works excellent. We do Carmicheal and Spinnervals. I'm thinking of getting sufferfest vids for us.

++

http://www.thesufferfest.com/

not affiliated - just a user, getting ready for next season. Search BF on this and see other reviews/recommendations.

Personally, I bought killer outerwear / and ride outside as much as possible. No ice or snow (road) / I go. :)

Actually here is a good thread on them

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...2-Trainer-DVDs

Get some training videos... best thing i've ever done for trainer sessions! Through winter, I always say to myself to just do what I can without pushing yourself too much mentally. Don't force yourself through sessions. You need that mental commitment and eagerness on the bike for when it is most important - for the season ahead. Just ride when you feel like riding. Hit the gym. Walk. Run. Crosstrain! Sure, you won't be as bike fit, but it will maintain/build some base and set you up well for the season ahead when it is time to ride outdoors.

Get a mountain bike to ride in the snow. That or take up cross training of some sort.
I ride a few times a week this time of year and run a ton.

Spinervals.....nuff said.

For those of you who are advocating outdoor riding (and I'm with you, outdoors in winter is great)... don't you find it makes for a lot of laundry? I usually only get out once a week on the weekend, because one outdoor ride = one load of laundry, not to mention all the extra time/effort of getting dressed/undressed. Also, sometimes it just gets too cold to ride... dangerously cold, I mean, not merely unpleasant, and getting to and from a safe place to ride is risky after dark, especially if roads (and some people's windshields) are icy.

For me, trainers are a necessity for maintaining or even building winter fitness, supplemented by outdoor riding occasionally. I don't know that riding the trainer kills my soul, but it's sure not fun, either. It's a chore I do so that riding for real is even more fun, that's how I look at it. OP, it's normal to have a bit of a decline in fitness at this time of year. Stay moderately active, and when you start really training again, you'll still probably be building from a better place than you were at the same time the year before.