Fast Talk, ep. 60: Rethinking the science of trainers with Ciaran O'Grady

In episode 60 we're discussing trainers. For those who hate them, we get it, but stay tuned, as we’ll tell you why you shouldn’t completely ignore them. For those who love them, we’re going to tell you why riding outside every once in a while is a really good thing. For those in between, today’s episode will offer a wealth of knowledge on how to get the very most out of trainer time. Now, one thing is certain: The days of staring at the basement wall while riding your clunky, loud trainer are behind us. Today’s smart trainers and online tools allow us to "game-ify" the experience and are making many re-consider how they feel about riding indoors, and importantly, the extent of the training benefits. In this episode, we'll talk about the science and experience of the trainer, including: (1) How riding on a trainer differs from riding on the road, including the experience, our interaction with the bike, the different inertia generated by the trainer, and its impact on our biomechanics. (2) What impact these differences have on our power and heart rate, and why we shouldn't use the same numbers inside and outside. (3) We’ll discuss situations where it’s good to use a trainer—and when it may be even better than riding on the road, such as when we’re doing neuromuscular work. (4) Likewise, we’ll talk about situations where you might want to avoid the trainer. You might know already… a five-hour, mind-numbing ride on the trainer is a sign of incredible dedication. Don't do it again. (5) The game-ification of trainers by tools like Zwift, Trainer Road, and Sufferfest, and how this is changing our perspective on trainers. It can be both good and bad. When to use rollers rather than a trainer. (6) And, finally, we'll talk about how much time to spend on the trainer, and alternatives even when there's snow outside. You're going to get a lot of different opinions in this podcast. None of us will go so far as to call the trainer Satan — though at times we'll come close — but you will hear a few guests give convincing evidence that the trainer has benefits you can't get on the road. Ultimately, it's going to be up to you to decide. Our primary guest today is Ciaran O'Grady who is a new coach and sports scientist at Team Dimension Data. Ciaran just finished his Ph.D. at Kent University with Dr. James Hopker, who conducted some of the definitive research on the biomechanical differences between riding on a trainer and the road. In addition, we'll talk with: Retired multi-time national cyclocross champion Tim Johnson. Having lived in the northeast for most of his life, Tim is very familiar with riding indoors and has a lot of good points to offer from two decades of experience. Trevor also caught up with Jacob Fraser from Zwift and Kevin Poulton who coaches Matt Hayman and Caleb Ewan, and works with Team Katusha. Kevin used Zwift to coach Matt to his 2016 Paris-Roubaix win and since then has integrated significant trainer time into his athletes' race preparation. And with that, get your fan ready, dial in your Zwift avatar — make sure you enter your weight correctly in Zwift now, no cheating. Let's make you fast!