Coach's Column with Lynda Wallenfels

This week's coaching question goes to Lynda Wallenfels from Brian Benson in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.

Coach Lynda Wallenfels is Cat 1 USA Cycling coach and owner of LWCoaching.com Visit her site for mountain bike training plans, coaching and consulting.

Question: Need help, besides riding the trainer / rollers, what can I do to maintain my level of training without having to sit in my basement or garage all winter? HELP

Answer: Go outside to have fun with your longer training sessions! Any aerobic activity can be substituted for a weekend endurance ride. Skiing and snowshoeing are two top snowbound outdoor activities that are great training and darn fun. Best of all, put on some fat tires or get a dedicated snow bike (aka Fatbike) to ride outside year round. Ice skating is a great cross training activity for cycling if you have access to a quality rink and ice time when you can skate fast.

Keep pedaling in your weekly training routine a minimum of twice per week. This can be indoors or outside on your snow bike. Spin classes in a gym can be an amusing way to log riding and social time outside your basement.

Cycling teams and some bike shops put together indoor training groups. The camaraderie and competition of pedaling beside team mates can fuel some quality training sessions. A Google search found an indoor training group ride at your local bike shop Smith’s Cycling and Fitness every Tuesday and Thursday, 6:30pm with no charge – that’s a deal!!

Take a day trip to Ray’s indoor mtb park in Milwaukee, WI to keep up and build some new ride skills. Indoor bmx parks are scattered about too. Another Google search found an indoor skate park in La Crosse you might be able to rally on your mountain bike if you asked nicely… Maybe you have a barn and can build your own indoor course! Do things that make you smile and keep you pedaling at the same time!

Riding the trainer is a fantastic way to build and maintain ride fitness but adding diversity to your winter training options will keep you mentally fresh and motivated to ride more.

Lastly, one of the nicest ways to get off the trainer, is to fly south with your bike, someplace warm and dry like Tucson for a training camp.