Seven things I love about TrainerRoad

I started using TrainerRoad to power by bike training one month ago. Here are seven reasons I will never bike train with out it:

1. Time efficient: I have two small kids, a busy job and a loving (and very understanding) wife who I also want to spend some time with. I also have to squeeze in run and swim training. It is not an option for me to go for countless long rides, leave the family behind for 3-4 hours or head out and not know when I return. I need my training to be snappy, efficient and within a defined period. With TrainerRoad I hop on my bike in my study and know I am riding for 60, 75, 90 or 120 minutes. My wife knows also and can plan around it. And when I ride I don’t have to stop for traffic lights, worry about weather or get stuck chatting at the coffee shop.
2. Safety: I’m not a life long rider and my bike confidence is not great. My hometown of Melbourne in Australia is not particularly bike friendly. While I know I need to ride on the road to improve my handling, I love the safety that comes from training on the trainer and not having to worry as much.
3. Variety: The prepared plans are a thing of beauty. It’s like having a cycling coach for less than $10 a month. I can do high intensity/low volume or low intensity/high volume and I know what order to do it in to maximise the return and not damage my body. Every workout comes with a TSS score and an Intensity Factor (IF) rating so I know in advance how hard each workout will be, meaning if I’ve done a hard run session I might opt for a lower intensity ride, or vice versa.
4. Ease of use: I have a Computrainer, a Garmin 310XT and a Garmin cadence and speed sensor. I install the software, plug in the Computrainer and my ANT+ dongle and off I go. It’s just a case of logging on, choosing session and ride.
5. User interface: The interface is clean, clear and crisp. It tells me how long I’ve ridden, how long to go on each set, my power, target power, heart rate and cadence. And a nice graphical representation for good measure. In addition, I love changing between full screen for a focused session or the horizontal option which places the data in a bar along the bottom of the screen while I watch a movie or YouTube clips on the rest of the screen. Nothing better than a long ride with re-runs of past Tour de France’s or Ironman World Championships!
6. Data recording and history: Like most triathletes, I’m a numbers geek. I love my data and analysing every aspect. TrainerRoad lets me review all past rides from the program, website or app. And it allows me to easily transfer the data across to Training Peaks. What more could you ask for?!
7. It works: In just one month I have seen increases in power, speed and cadence. It gets me riding more often and improving my results. I used to be happy with an average speed of 30k/hr – in my most recent rides I am now averaging more than 37 k/hr! For my half-ironman race, this equates improving from a 3:00 ride to 2:25! Now it’s no given that will be the end result on race day, but this improvement is repeating itself and I have TrainerRoad to thank for that!