Originally Posted by va_cyclist
I think you missed the point. Get off the stationary bike, and get out on the road. Stationary trainers aren't a substitute for roadwork. 20 miles in 40 minutes? That's a 30 mph average. Good luck doing that in the real world. Your stationary bike is lying to you. Sorry if this seems harsh, but you're training for a 100-mile ride on real roads, and you're doing everything but what you should be doing, which is riding a bike.
va_cyclist:
I am interested why you think that training on a "Stationary Trainer is no substitute for roadwork"?
I live in the Midwest with many months not suitable for roadwork. So I depend on my stationary trainer to keep fit. I cannot sustain 30 MPH on my trainer but I can hold 20 MPH for several hours at over 700 calories/hour and 95 RPM cadence.
In my non scientific opinion, this workout seems comparable with a 20 mile/hour run on a circular park road with a few 3-4% hills.
I realize that I do not get the balancing, gear shifting and wind conditions.
But strictly cardio vascular and muscle development should be OK, don't you agree?
This is not an idle question for me. I am training for a big trip, next spring.