It's freezing cold out, there's snow on the ground, the sky is dull and freezing rain in the forecast puts a long ride out of question. What to do??? Ride the trainer? Too Boring, and no good movies to watch. Do a strength workout instead? Can't; still sore from yesterday's.
Well if your lucky enough to have a cross bike (an MTB will work too) you can have a blast on the bike while gaining fitness and serious skills. All you have to do is ride over to the nearest public park, observe the terrain, and then make your own cross course. My park has lots of trees, a small hill, barriers (entrance to playground), ledges (in and out of wood chip pit) and a chunk of 2*12 that is perfect for bunny hop practice. I made a whole bunch of tight twisty turns through and around trees, off camber turns on the hill, bunny hop on a straightaway, dismount over the barriers, bunny hop in and out of woodchip pit, then back though the tight twisty turns. Some snow makes this a lot cooler because its like you're cutting a trail that you can follow and see you're previous lines.
I think my trainer will be collecting dust this winter because I have no reason to use it unless we get long periods of rain which is unlikely. Yesterday I went to the gym and really worked my back hard by doing dead lifts and back extension. I warmed up with static core exercises and did some squats, but kept them light. I also worked my Hamstrings pretty hard while there. My strength training plans have changed a bit since I started this blog but I think its because I keep learning new things and have been listing to my body rather than following a schedule. My arms are feeling jacked, so I no longer have to focus on them but will continue to do push ups to keep em tuned up. For my legs I'm going for the burn more and increasing reps. Pushing big weights has its benefits but I feel like it just puts on bulk rather than functional muscle. I'm just gonna play it by ear and do what seems to work until the end of February; then I will just be riding as much as possible.
I added some more blogs to the list so check em out. A couple more local fast guys and some needed humor. Also Share The Damn Road has some cool messages for motorists trying to run you off the road. We're lucky to live in Niagara cause most drivers are good, but I wouldn't mind a jersey that reminds the assholes to give us our 3 feet.....
Tomorrow I will be X training by tearing up Mt. St. Louis Moonstone with Justin. It's a small hill with boring terrain, but they have the illest park in Ontario and an impressive lift system, so you can have loads of non-stop shredding.
I'm with you, trying to avoid the trainer this winter by riding off road when the roads are snowy and on the roads when they are clear but the trails are wet. Offset that with some snowshoeing and strength and there's no need for the boring trainer rides.
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