The Endless Winter of 2013-14

This has not been a good year for year-round cycling in the Eastern US. A cursory review of my ride log on RidewithGPS shows I rode 500 miles outside in January and February 2013. So far this year I have logged 13 outdoor rides for a grand total of 263 miles outdoors. The rest of my rides have been on the Kurt Kinetic Trainer.

Fun Times: Lancaster County roads, February 14th, 2014

The Kinetic fluid trainer is a solid base for indoor riding. The fluid resistance unit is the most realistic I've used. While it can permit variations in resistance (depending on how tightly you screw down the coupler to your back tire), it's worth that small variance.

Kurt Kinetic Road Machine Fluid trainer

I use my trainer in the living room with a mat underneath and a Cyclops riser. It's not the same as riding outside but I work on steady and fast cadence drills (90 RPM steady, up to 160 RPM sprints). I can handle an hour on the trainer, but after that I lose interest.

February 9th rush ride

I only had a short window Sunday morning before snow started flying in the afternoon, so I wheeled the Cannondale out and rode 21 miles under cloudy skies. It was still good to be outside but my hands were cold by the end of the ride -- 20 F can bite.

February 8th Ride

It was cold (18 F), but the sun was out and most of the roads were clear so I took advantage of a Saturday morning to actually ride on roads (as opposed to a stationary trainer).

I rode 21.1 miles and shuffled .2 on ice, but it was worth it. Soon (soon?) we will be enjoying warmth, sunshine, and green growing things. We're done with winter, thanks.