Elite Summer Performance

by Robert Thorpe & Larisa Chinces

ELITE SUMMER RIDING
Larisa & Robert examine how pre-spring & summer indoor cycling increases outdoor enjoyment

Okay, so to a large extent we’re athletes and ex-athletes anyway here at Pedalnorth. However, trust us when we say that once the cold and damp weather comes, and the snow falls too, it becomes harder and harder to carry out cycle specific training indoors. Yes, we can get out a set of rollers or on a turbo, but how has it benefitted our lead editors, Larisa and Robert here at Pedalnorth by having the very best interactive trainers from Elite – let’s find out. They come from either end of the cycling spectrum, with Larisa still racing and a young and dynamic athlete, and Robert being well, a mamil and former athlete who now feels more comfortable stopping for coffee than racing past a good cafe opportunity 😉 – so it’s a full spectrum analysis!

One of the great things about cycling, and something that we constantly talk about here at Pedalnorth, is that cycling gets you into the mountains. For Larisa, that’s the wild and remote beauty of the Carpathians in Transylvania, whilst Robert rides in the rolling steep hills of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Both areas are tough and yet beautiful beyond measure. The hills climb steeply and are unrelenting, on both tarmac and trail, requiring regular riding to keep in tune with them. Poor weather, be it rain or snow makes it impossible to get out, and so having a realistic alternative has to be good.

Normally, as spring moves on into summer, we’re just about adjusting to having been outdoors again, and we’re both slowly beginning to show the necessary improvements that bring smiles to the long cycling miles. However, before the smiles comes the pain and tired and aching legs, as the reality of the roads bites and attacks our post-hibernation bodies. Cycling is about adventure and it ought to be fun; we’re out in the amazing countryside and so maximising our time and our pleasure is important, and it’s in this area that we’ve both benefitted from using the Elite interactive trainers over winter and early spring.

Like all of you reading this, when the warmth of the spring sun comes, we want to be outdoors again, and so yes, more often that not the rollers and the trainer are redundant and used for race warm up (Larisa), or a wet weather backup plan (Larisa & Robert) – the truth being that we both prefer riding outside than inside. What we’ve both noticed though, is the level of our cycling performance in early spring as we’ve moved back outside regularly, and how that early season performance has continued.

Looking specifically at Robert first of all, he’s now a 55 year old former athlete, with family responsibilities and lots of other things that have happened, especially in relation to the pandemic; and so yes, his time for cycling, either indoors or outdoors has suffered. He should have been below par when he stepped across his bike and took on the steep climbs of Coverdale for the first time this spring – but no, he’s been consistently out-performing previous years, depsite having always used indoor rollers before. He’s simply not used rollers that allow him to alter the resistance, to measure performance, or to use interactive trainers like the Elite Suito, which when used in conjunction with the ‘My E-Training’ app from Elite, allow him to ride his usual roads and to experience the climbs, all from the comfort of his home 🙂

Turning to Larisa and her overall performance starting the outdoor cycling season, as she said recently: ‘having used this app a lot and the Elite Nero interactive rollers, I’ve seen a good general improvement in my aerobic resistance and my endurance. Going back outside for early spring, it felt good, with less muscle soreness than usual at this early time of the season – even on longer rides of 70 km and longer. It definitely was a sign of improvement for me and I was enjoying the riding more, which is important and a nice feeling. Best of all, this improvement has put me ahead for the early season and has meant that I can enjoy myself more on challenging rides, as this improvement has continued into early summer.’

Cycling is a sport yes – but it’s also a lifestyle and a culture. We’re connected to the hills emotionally and physically. We feel a drive to be out there exploring and we want to make the most of it. Thankfully, having the Elite Nero Rollers and the Direto XR interactive trainer allows this. Yes, these training devices aren’t necessarily cheap, but the technology that has gone into them and the benefit that they are clearly showing to Robert and me is proof of their value.

We all love being outdoors and having fun on our bikes, and we”ll be doing so all summer long and into autumn. Thankfully, Elite have got our backs, and are a great insurance policy for wet and cold weather, and they’re already proving to be a great asset for both of us – just ask Strava and our cycling friends 😉

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Elite Summer Performance

ELITE SUMMER RIDING

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