Pistons Then Pedals

The forecast for the next week is rough. High temperatures in Phoenix are over 110 degrees with low temperatures hovering around 90 degrees. With our urban heat island, the city doesn’t cool down as much as it used to overnight.

These temperatures aren’t unusual for this time of year, but hot is hot. I’ve lived here for my entire life and I know summertime is our indoor season. I kept riding for as long as I could outdoors. When it’s still hot at 4am, it’s tough to be motivated. Some of my cycling friends are more hardcore than I am. They continuously move their rides earlier and earlier with some rides beginning around 3:00 am.

Bringing the Road Bike Indoors: Using the Garmin Tacx Indoor Trainer

For the next few weeks, I’ll be riding indoors on the Tacx trainer. My Tacx is a Flux S model, which can simulate up to a 10% incline and handle 1,500 watts of power. This model is no longer in production as it looks like Garmin has shrunk their indoor trainer line. The closest current option is the Flux 2, which can handle steeper inclines and more power, but is also more expensive (Garmin Tacx Official Website: Flux 2).

My parents gifted me an old TV from their house, which I mounted to the wall and connected to my gaming PC. The Tacx smart trainer automatically adjusts resistance from the training software. Then, since my road bike’s drivetrain is directly engaged to the Tacx, I’m able to shift like normal. This makes for a more engaging experience.

Opting for a Different Virtual Riding Experience: Rouvy

For software, there are few popular options. I’m giving Rouvy (Official Website: Rouvy) a try for something different. Zwift is probably the most popular option and it is a great platform. I just wanted to try something different.

Rather than a game-like experience, Rouvy prioritizes actual ride videos which overlays virtual riders. This allows you to consider concepts like pacing, drafting, and what it’s like to ride in a group. Rouvy offers routes and workouts through virtual courses across the globe.

Like most trainers, a heads-up display provides metrics like speed, heart rate, cadence, remaining distance, terrain profile, and other stats.

I’m paying $19.99 a month for the monthly subscription. At sign-up, it offered an incentive to take 50% off the first month by opting out of the free trial. If you pay annually, the price goes down, but I’ll only be using the software for the next two months.

Productive, But Not A Replacement For Real World Cycling

With our house’s new Bosch air conditioner set to 77 degrees, my earbuds set to an Alok playlist on Apple Music, and some gummy bears in my stomach, I hopped on the trainer for about 40 minutes this morning.

I got to pretend that I was riding in the Canary Islands as I sweated profusely and listened to dance music. Garmin says I burned 360 calories, climbed 784 feet, and covered nearly 13 miles. Then, I did a 7 minute cool-down effort afterwards.

Time on the trainer will never be as good as riding outdoors, but I felt productive. I can’t wait for autumn, but this will help me mitigate my annual summertime fitness loss.