I owned an Edge 25 several years ago. From memory...
It has to be switched between indoor and outdoor mode depending on whether you are actually riding or on a trainer.
Indoor mode uses both cadence and speed but no GPS.
Outdoor mode uses the cadence sensor but ignores the speed sensor other than pausing/unpausing the unit. The speed sensor is essentially a pause/unpause switch and GPS speed data is used instead.
-Tim-