Sara Harper, MS
Bicycling is often considered a warm weather activity however there are ways to continue riding even during the winter months.
Indoor bicycling facilities are located up all around the United States and are perfect for mountain biking, BMX and track riding. Many of these facilities offer bike rentals options and spectator friendly viewing.
Mountain biking and BMX
Some of these facilities include The Wheel Mill in Pittsburgh, PA, Ray's Indoor Bike Park in Cleveland, OH and Milwaukee, WI, Cranx Indoor and Outdoor Bike and Sports Park in Syracuse, NY, Mega Underground Bike Park in Louisville, KY, and Lumberyard Bike Park in Portland, OR. These indoor parks all offer opportunities to enjoy bicycling during cold winter months.
Indoor Track Cycling
Currently the United States, Velo Sports Center is the only indoor velodrome track located near Los Angeles, CA with open training sessions all year long.
Stationary Indoor Riding
More commonly, indoor cycling is associated with spinning® or cycling classes. Spinning® classes typically introduce high-intensity interval training while riding a stationary bike. Spinning is considered a high-intensity exercise mode. Though healthy for those who are moderately active, individuals who are sedentary should be aware of their exercise intensity and monitor their heart rate and rating of perceived exertion to stay in an appropriate exercise intensity.
Indoor cycling classes can incorporate riding your own bicycle supported by a stationary trainer device to bicycle indoors. Bike trainers such as CycleOps can be found online or at your local bicycle shop. These can be great training tools for group indoor cycling sessions and for home training use.
The winter off-season is a perfect time of year to build a strong aerobic base and make smart nutritional choices. Research has shown that women who participated in either indoor cycling, indoor cycling + low-calorie diet or low-calorie diet for 12 weeks with three sessions/week had improvements in body mass, fat percentage and body mass index (BMI). Another 12-week indoor cycling protocol with women who participated in a three sessions per week program; saw a reduction in body weight without food restriction and improvements in cardiovascular-respiratory fitness.
Implementing these changes can help make you a stronger rider for the upcoming season.
Article's Resources:
Battista, R. A., Foster, C., Andrew, J., Wright, G., Lucia, A., & Porcari, J. P. (2008). Physiologic responses during indoor cycling. J Strength Cond Res, 22(4), 1236-1241. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e318173dbc4
Bianco, A., Bellafiore, M., Battaglia, G., Paoli, A., Caramazza, G., Farina, F., & Palma, A. (2010). The effects of indoor cycling training in sedentary overweight women. J Sports Med Phys Fitness, 50(2), 159-165.
Magazine, B. (2013). Best Indoor Bike Parks, 2015
USAC. (2015). USA Cycling Velodromes
Valle, V. S., Mello, D. B., Fortes Mde, S., Dantas, E. H., & Mattos, M. A. (2010). Effect of diet and indoor cycling on body composition and serum lipid. Arq Bras Cardiol, 95(2), 173-178.