Once I created an indoor training space that I could leave setup, the frequency of my indoor training went up tremendously. It made training so much easier, I just get up in the morning, make a water bottle and head downstairs to ride.

Much isn’t really needed to create your space for indoor workouts:

1. Your bike
2. Trainer
3. Metal Rear Skewer for your bike (most trainers come with this)
4. Riser block for the front wheel
5. Mat or towel for under your bike
6. Fan
7. Towel for you
8. TV or a music source
9. Workout videos
10. Rear Mount Computer
11. Heart Rate Monitor

It is important to keep indoor workouts fun and easy to make happen. Having a dedicated area with the above items is the first step.

Trainers work best on a solid surface. If the space you have is carpeted consider getting a sheet of plywood and placing your trainer on that. (I’ll cover the different trainer options in another post.)  Next you need a rubber mat for under the bike or a towel. I prefer the mat since it is easy to clean up and will protect your floor from any water from your water bottle or perspiration that might make it to the floor. A towel will accomplish the same thing as a mat but needs frequent cleaning.

The fan is the next important component of your indoor training space. Moving air across you will keep you cooler and more comfortable on the bike. You’ll be surprised how much of a difference it is to not have air moving by you as you ride.

The next component of the space is more of a personal preference. Do you prefer to work out listening to music? Or do you prefer to watch TV or a work out video. I tend to lean toward the TV option. I like to use the commercials as points in the work out for interval or sprints.

The rest of the components are fairly straight forward. So don’t delay, set up your training space today!

Here is a break up for the boredom!

Want to “ride along” with the pros? What follows is a break down of each of the stages for the Tours. Then next to it is a distance that is a percentage of each of the days stages. You can pick your corresponding distance for the day  and ride it either indoors or out.

Thanks for the help from my friend Nathan and also the write of the Maryland Bike Routes link to the right.