My goal going into the 2016 professional road season is to make it through the Michigan winter with very little time spent on the trainer.
Being a professional cyclist living in Michigan is not ideal, but I’ve made it work since 2010. What many might not understand and what makes this difficult is as a cyclist is that the bulk of our volume and training happens in the months of November, December, and January. These months in Michigan don’t have the ideal weather or road conditions for road cyclist.
I do enjoy winter and winter sports like cross country skiing, which has helped build my fitness in past winters. I’ve also spent MANY hours on an indoor trainer. I’m not talking an hour a day because that wouldn’t have prepared me for Paris-Roubaix. We’re talking a minimum of 2 hours but many days 3-4 hours. Although the trainer would kill me physically and mentally it was great preparation.
The 2013 winter going into 2014 I went from the trainer in early February to the Sun Tour in Australia back to the trainer then to Tour of Langkawi in Malaysia were I won stage 5 of the 10 stage 2.HC race back to the trainer to the Queen of the Classics Paris-Roubaix.
Throughout my winter training in Michigan I’ve always been one to get outside and train whenever possible. Last year I spent a little time on the fat bike mixed in with cross country skiing and the trainer. This winter I plan to be exclusively outside so that means more fat bike. Over the past two years I’ve enjoyed the fat bike, where it can take me and the workout I can get even in the worst of weather.
This year I plan on sharing with you my adventures and training. It’s a lot of alone time so it’ll be nice feeling like I have others joining me. Hope we can hook up out on the road together! Although I taught 6th grade I don’t claim to be a good writer so I hope to bring you more photos and videos then writing. I also will be posting on Strava, Instagram, and Twitter if you want to follow there too.
Instagram: bwcycling
Twitter: bwcycling
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