Indoor vs outdoor cycling training - what are the differences?
For anyone just starting out cycling, the question of indoor vs outdoor cycling inevitably pops up on group ride conversations. However much some old timers might brag about never missing a ride outside, most of us have obligations and time constraints that can make outdoor riding not always an option.
There are differences between riding indoors versus riding outdoors, but that doesn’t mean indoor riding isn’t a viable option. Both types of cycling are beneficial and have a place in the training program of all cyclists.
Indoor cycling on a stationary trainer
Riding your bike on the indoor trainer can be a huge help when the weather is terrible, or work and family obligations limit the number of hours you have during the day to spend on the bike. You can purchase a trainer for your bike for very little money, so it can also be quite cost effective.
However, if you plan on spending extended periods of time on the indoor trainer, investing in a high quality smart trainer that can help your pedaling feel more like riding the road and that can connect to one of the many virtual training apps that exist like Zwift, Rouvy, Training Peaks and others, then your indoor training can become more effective, easier to track and keep you motivated to push harder.
Indoor training benefits
Whether you lay-out a lot of cash on your training set-up, or keep things basic, you will certainly enjoy many of the benefits cycling on an indoor trainer offers. Riding indoors is super safe. You won’t have to worry about road traffic at all. And women riders won’t need to deal with aggressive or obnoxious male riders. Riding the indoor trainer can also be a great way to rebuild fitness after a long time off the bike due to illness, or injury, or just not having had the time to ride.
Riding indoors can be more time effective too. If you have a very limited amount of time to ride in a day, and especially if you have to fit rides in early in the morning or late in the evening when there might not be enough daylight to ride safely, then being able to hop on the indoor trainer and do a pointed workout that lasts 30 to 45 minutes can be a huge boost to your fitness with a minimal amount of time commitment.
Indoor training can also help your training be much more precise. If you have a set of intervals that you want to get through, it is much easier to do on the indoor trainer where you won’t have to face traffic situations that might impede whatever interval set you have planned. Not stop lights or children’s strollers to get in the way and force you to let up.
This often means that you can get more accomplished in less time. And keep in mind, if you are getting ready for a ride in winter, it can take an extra chunk of time to layer up your cold weather clothing, which bites into your ride time. When you do the trainer in winter, you just need to put on your warm weather bibs and jersey, and then you’re ready to go. Recovery time can be shorter too since the cold hasn’t had a chance to add that extra level of fatigue that your body can feel after a couple hours fighting the cold.
The biggest downside to indoor training is that it can get boring. Some riders look at this as an opportunity to test their mental focus. Others will just have to hope that a virtual cycling app will help liven up the time, especially those options that give you the chance to meet and even ride with friends who use the same app.
Cycling training outdoors
The feeling of cycling outdoors is probably what we all first fell in love with bikes. The freedom, the proximity to nature, the feeling that we’re getting stronger each ride, all those things and more help make riding your bike outdoors a special activity. Cycling outside is not only a great way to get exercise, but also an environmentally friendly mode of transportation. The benefits of riding outside are almost too numerous to list. But when comparing indoor vs outdoor cycling training, there are some special differences that standout.
Benefits of riding outdoors
The most obvious difference between riding inside and outside is that when you are riding outside, you are out in nature – unless you are inner city commuting – and benefiting from all that implies: fresh air, sunlight on your skin, being disconnected from constant mobile phone use, etc. Riding outside is an amazing way to remove yourself from the pressures of normal work and home life. You can clear your head and cultivate the talent of freeing your brain from the cares of the day.
Riding outdoors also gives you access to a whole community of cyclists. You can join group rides of all experience and intensity levels. Meeting people who also love to ride bikes will enhance every training ride. Feeling a part of a community encourages a sense of belonging. It also helps to add to the feeling of safety since you’ll have a support system, especially on no-drop group rides. And who doesn’t love the mid-ride coffee and cake stop with friends? That’s certainly not something you can experience inside on Zwift.
Though you can definitely get a very serious workout on one of the many indoor training apps, it is generally true that you can never quite get the same level of workout inside as you can outside. Cycling outdoors does offer the better overall workout, not only because it is easier to get motivated for your next sprint intervals if you are on one of your favorite cycling routes, but when you are on a stationary trainer, you aren’t actually using all the same muscles you would when on your bike outside. Things like muscles that help you balance are not as engaged on a stationary trainer.
Check out our other article, if you want to know more about what muscles does cycling workout!
Conclusion - cycling training indoor vs outdoor
If you have spent any time in the comments section of cycling websites discussing the advantages of indoor versus outdoor riding, you almost certainly have come across at least one person saying “toughen the f*#k up and ride outside no matter the conditions.” Well, we’re here to tell you that that attitude is nonsense. Riding indoors offers many advantages compared to riding outside. Anyone who has limited time, terrible weather, or limited daylight will definitely appreciate having the chance to use an indoor trainer. What’s the point in riding outside in winter, for instance, if you are risking crashing on ice or contending with car traffic after dark.
The point of cycling, whether indoors or outdoors, is to get the health benefits, mental and physical, that cycling can offer. Whether that means you are riding indoors during the week and outdoors at the weekend, or some mixture of the two, you will be much better off than not riding at all. We fully agree with the great Eddy Merckx when he said: “Ride as much or as little, or as long or as short as you feel. But ride.”
