Cold enough for Costner?
Now that the holidays are over, we’re beginning the dark, cold ages of January and February. Which raises the question—is it counterproductive to train in the cold? Are we better off indoors? How cold is too cold? And how many times can you stand to watch "American Flyers"? For me, the answer to that question is 1/2—that film is absolutely loathsome.
american flyers is loathsome? you are insane!
It would have been better if the bikes were time machines, and by pedaling at over 450 watts in LT for 20 minutes they could have generated the necessary 1.21 gigawatts to go back in time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7JwCUIY3Qo
truly awful. anybody who likes that movie probably has a bento box affixed to his top tube. the only movie you need to own is breaking away…and any other movies with jackie earle haley.
Yeah, Breaking Away is a much more “realistic” cycling movie. Pee Wee’s Big Adventure is the most realistic cycling movie. Who wouldn’t chase their stolen bike ‘cross coutry only to find out that the Alamo has no basement?
The permutations were endless.
People under 30 probably like American Flyers better, people over 30 like Breaking Away more, Pervs like Pee Wee more.
Key Exchange? Rad? Quicksilver? The list goes on…until you get to The Bicycle Thief (Italian)…
i m certainly not calling breaking away realistic, but, for its time, it was a good movie- it won an oscar for best screen play. it is a little dated, but its significance within the cycling world can’t be overlooked. at the time cycling was such a cult sport- i can’t imagine how it must have been for the bike geeks to have their cult sport, and it really was a cult sport in the u.s. at the time, showcased in a major movie. i m sure some of the old codgers could shine some light on that.
wikipedia also tells me there was a tv show but it only ran about 8 episodes.
american flyers is just a cheesy 80s movie. besides, ted danson is my sworn enemy.
i love training in the cold. makes me feel like rocky training to fight drago. i like both moves
It’s not everyday you hear that you’re responsible for 3 billion deaths.
Ted Danson?
And how can you discredit a movie where Steve Van Zandt is cast as a “cyclist”?
cycling movie over one with singing chipmunks.
Can I get an amen!!
That wasn’t Ted Danson. That was Luca Bercovici.
Ugh, I’m still not over the trauma of the “Squeakquel”
Ricci (Papa), “You live and suffer”
still the best, no matter how many times i’ve seen it.
I totally loogied on that good, dead me!
i f’ing hate the cold. hate it. you never warm up, and if you do you’re overdressed and roasting in one are while still freezing somewhere else. doubt it’s counterproductive if you don’t go too hard but it sure isn’t fun.
schmalz, that picture makes me smile
Mom: He was very sickly until he started riding around on that bicycle.
Dad: Yeah… well… now his body’s fine, but his mind is gone.
Refund?!?!
i dont mind riding in the cold but the combination of darkness + ice patches make it impossible.
Btw- What was the name of robert townsend’s character in american flyers?
cold sucks. indoor training sucks. sadly, YOU will suck if you can’t deal with at least a little bit of both, unless you are able to avoid winter entirely like the “pro” riders out in arizona.
it’s nice and warm in my living room. netflix is my riding partner. we can ride for hours!
10:11
“Jerome”
this times different marty… you’ve got to lick my balls.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbTlK3perdI
That film is great but you have no perspective. C’est la vie!!!!!!! nemesis
ps, keep it lame, it seems to work for you!!
Too cold?? HTFU! http://cyclocosm.com/2010/01/calculate-your-jens-factor/
Yay! I have a troll!
Anything under 50 is super cold, burrr…
A more realistic biking movie is “Les triplettes de Belleville”, sure its in French but there’s no words spoken so you’ll be fine watching it (no subtitles) as well as any kid in the house. It shows the dark side of cycling.
i found that pert plus gives me higher volume without the intensity. vidal sassoon, not so much.
Sunday in Hell.
wow. it really isnt ted danson. looks just like him. my bad. regardless, i still am enemies with ted danson.
Any critiques on “Sweet Spot Training”?
Shorter workouts(1.5-2 hours) on the trainer but with higher intensity(2-3×20 min intervals in the upper tempo/sub thresh range) in loo of the traditional 3-4 hour “endurance” sessions in a dark, cold park seem like the way to go. You can still fit in the good 3-4 + hour rides on the weekends too.
I’ve found that doing a bit shorter, but more intensity, rides during the early winter months, then swithching to higher volume (with less intensity) in april is not only more bearable, but actually more effective.
Dad: He’s never tired. He’s never miserable.
Mom: He’s young.
Dad: When I was young I was tired and miserable
I want some American food G’damnit, I want some FRENCH FRIES!
Don’t forget to punch (in) the clock!
4 fingers, 5 fingers, 5 + 1 fingers….gets ticket!
Tall dork clapping alone to himslef after the Cutters win…foretelling his role in “Home Alone” series…whcich means only that Mac Caulkin will be recast as Dave’s father!!!
Only instead of “refund”, he will scream….(guess what?)
1. My son doped!
2. My son loves cancer?!?!
3. Goes to I-taly and becomes (Mike Neel) directing his son (Andy Hamspten) to win in Giro Dee’Italia!!!
Cyril: Hey! Are you really gonna shave your legs?
Dave: Certo! All the Italians do it.
Mike: Ah. Some country. The women don’t shave theirs.
Smallie,
Calling me a troll is like calling Lance critics “cancerlovers” I said you hating the film is because you have no perspective. You would rathther spend years bashing Lance. That is your perspective on bike racing.
good day
a feature length mcdonald’s commercial with bikes, except the characters weren’t quite as developed or believable.
american flyers is pure corn, just bad. breaking away may be kind of dated, but it is a far better film
come on guys, you know you loved watching alexandra paul in american flyers. just think, not much later she became a baywatch hottie.
Shake n Bake!
Davie, NOOO! Stupid attack…
Once you get it up…Keep it up!!!
(Good Times Dad as Director of Phys Ed, w/obese son…)
Rae Dawn Chong…first modern cycling groupie/slut/soigneuse!
Best Cycling movie….
“Nasu: Summer in Andalucia” a stage in the Vuelta
http://www.anime-movie-site.com/Nasu-Summer-in-Andalusia
Disney/Pixer can’t make it this GOOD!
…and it’s even got Toto chowing down in the break. 🙂
Kept going outside and freezing various appendages off. Now below freezing = trainer all the way.
Super efficient workout. No stopping, cars or anyone sniggering at my slow speed.
Madmen, Weeds, The Wire and Glee: BONUS.
i think simon ergo hit the nail on the head. besides, its almost impossible to ride outside during the weekdays unless you are a student or want to get ride around in the dark. it seems like over the years more people have bought into riding indoors. i assume that this is based on the use of powermeters and/or heart rate monitors to gauge progress. as long as you have specific training goals, training indoors can actually be kinda fun. i dont understand these people who would rather ride four hours freezing their as–es off, and not even getting in a good training session just because they hate trainers.
My troll hates basic grammar!
4 hours? who the hell rides 4 hours?
I ride 4 hours indoors, no hands, no problem.
slap chop.
I’m in Northern New Jersey (Essex County) and am still trying to get outside for long, slow endurance rides. I can’t stand being on the trainer for more than an hour to and hour and a half. I rode 2 hours this morning in 30 degree weather and it wasn’t too bad once I got moving. I do think it is counter-productive, though, to do anything more than a light effort outside in this weather.
Foeshizzle!
Marcus let go of the van! I just washed it and Your brain is going to explode all over it!
If you have any sort of life, during the week you’re going to be riding either 1) at night or 2) indoors.
On the weekend, MAN UP and just ride outside. Seriously. You don’t need to blow money on expensive clothes. Get good gloves and shoe covers, buy some hand warmers, and go to work. You don’t need to stay out there for five hours, but at least pretend you love riding for one day.
It takes longer to get dressed. Once dressed you will either feel too hot or start out cold. Thanks to all those layers you feel constricted. Once out on the bike, it’s not too bad. But getting motivated to go through the hassle of getting out there is not easy. I live in a small NYC apt, so making the space to set up a trainer is not easy. Even when I get on the trainer, more than an hour is difficult. It’s too damn boring. At least when you go outside there are things to see that make the time pass faster.
Ugh. American Flyers. That may have been my first peep at boobs on screen.
Call me crazy, but I’m all about hardcore porn while riding the rollers. It keeps me focused.
http://www.vimeo.com/5812465
the Bike Porn 3: Cycle Bound trailer! available in select cities this spring! http://www.BikeSmut.com
Hey Andy, working the Somers brothers into a Toto would be quite entertaining… just sayin.
Team Solo Flyer Presented by Redtube
I’ve found that people’s opinions about cold weather training (or training in general) are usually self-serving.
Someone who doesn’t get out on a certain day for one reason or another will claim that there is no training benefit to being outdoors in those conditions. However, that same person may go out and train on a different day under identical conditions and then extol the virtues of being a “hardmanâ€.
I’ve trained outdoors over the winter for a few years, and have had no issue riding outdoors when below freezing when appropriately dressed, and other factors (i.e. wind chill, precipitation, road conditions) are “saneâ€. I’ve also been out on questionable days, where either light precip. started to freeze on cold roadways or wind chills put temps in the single digits – and have admittedly regretted even attempting to ride, even though I managed to get home without incident.
There is a happy balance out there, depending on your individual tolerance, and appropriate use of better judgment. Just because it’s below 40 deg doesn’t mean everyone should be destined to stay indoors. The “ride outdoors under any conditions†mentality can be equally shallow.
when i’m outside riding in the coldz, my weenie freezies lolz.
The New Yorker’s Lament …
It takes longer
you will either feel too hot
or start out cold
you feel constricted
the hassle of getting out there is not easy
I live in a small NYC apt
making the space to set up a trainer is not easy
more than an hour is difficult
It’s too damn boring
That, my friend, is “can’t do” language. Knowing that there people out there thinking this way is all the more motivation to do the work … both inside and out.
who the hell are you, matt foley, motivational speaker?
go back to your van down by the river, will ya?
well put, brent. you’re a dork, morgan.
true dat.
morgan, who the fuck do you think you are?
you either are or you are not…
do or do not, there is no try…
fo shizzle my nizzle, have a sip of syrizzle…
… You love me you hate me you know me and then
You can’t figure out the bag l’m in…
Went out today for an hour and a half Surge and Recover session in a 23F wind chilly day… 30+ mph added to the fun.
surge and recover, the ol’ winter staple. now you’re all set for the crit next week.
http://www.bikerumor.com/2010/01/07/how-to-make-indoor-trainer-riding-even-more-miserable-er-productive/
Le Velo de Ghislain Lambert! The scene in which Ghislain takes amphetamines and rides all crazy… ah, never mind.
what the hell is that indoor trainer gear reduction thing? does it seriously enable one to “ride” their stationary trainer, i.e., make the thing roll?
Provenzano @ 10:17 on Wed re: the bicycle thief:
This particular mis-translation (cf thief) is significant. The movie is “Ladri di Biciclette” – appropriately rendered in English as “The Bicycle Thieves.” Fans of the movie should realize that the distinction makes all the difference.
I ride at 5am-so outside isn’t really an option-cold and dark not thank you. Inside I have my own little training space under the stairs complete with a 26 inch Sony lcd and 5 fans controlled individually with a single remote. Netflix, my Ipod, and Slipknot’s Disasterpieces will hold me over until the SS starts.
Brings back good memories as the Coors race was shot in Grand Junction, CO up at the state memorial road. I road it in in 2005. Beautiful switchbacks and views.
Btw. If it’s below 40 degress me no likey the outside.
You are what you eat 😀
“I have a double major in Eastern philosphy and cowboy movies. The yin, the yang, and the bang-bang.”
The only decent line in the movie.
that is the stupidest thing i’ve ever seen. Who the hell would want to ride a bike, rigged up to a trainer, at 5mph?
I liked the comment “the answer to a question no one asked”
Honestly this time of year just do a four day lemon cleanse, drop 10 lbs — that’ll help you much more than some donkey drills on the trainer.
Everyone’s quibbling, but actually, the workout regimen and diet that I follow over the winter are the only ones that have been proven to get you to the precise level of fitness that I’ll have in March.
Why do we not see more of these on the roads when the temperature drops?
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5324059.pdf
that’s better than the trainer
Man it sucked to day, I had to take my arm warmers off and since its winter I had not sunblock and I got sunburn on my arms… ugh. Who turned up the heat to 74? And left the sun out all day…
die
how is it that no one knows it was kevin costner in american fliers? also, our very own ny resident brian serchinger(sp) was the bearded russian nemesis.
who doesn’t know it was kevin costner?