Katie Rides Bikes.com
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The antidote to chaos is consistency
We all experience periods of chaos, and the holiday season is particularly challenging on this front. For me, beginning this blog-venture was an exciting new project, and I was prolific in early November. It was so exciting! Then an avalanche of commitments barreled down on me with the holidays, travel, sickness, busy times at work,
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My second week of planned base training
Summary: It was a week of learning thanks to my fitness community and new connections. I’m going to continue using TrainerRoad (TR) and add a lot more easy hours of indoor cycling to my routine. Spending a bulk of my time on the bike at a lower heart rate will eventually adapt my body to
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Seek advice and take a long-range view
A theme in my foray into the cycling world is to continually seek guidance from the more experienced athletes in my community. That recently led my husband and I to the doorstep of fellow Green Mountain Community Fitness Masters swim and Central Vermont Runners members in Montpelier. These women are both retired professional road bicycle
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Address injuries early, friends!
The body’s ability to adapt is incredible, and it happens daily, whether we’re aware of the progression or not. We make all sorts of small changes throughout the day without thinking much about it: picking up heavy materials slightly differently because of a small lower back discomfort, favoring holding a toddler on one hip rather
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The practice of rest
“Having the energy to be extraordinary when it matters can only occur if we’re ordinary when it doesn’t.” I woke up grumpy and tired on a Monday morning. Between that and TrainerRoad suggesting either an endurance or rest day, I decided to take a second consecutive rest day. Normally that isn’t my play; I’ve historically
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My first week of planned base training
Summary: I had a stressful week emotionally and physically. I’ve previously written about testing the TR “aggressive” training plan for a few weeks, and if the second week has as many high intensity efforts during my “base” phase, I will rethink that approach. Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Strength: 0.75 hr TR Ride:
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Concept2’s SkiErg World Sprints Challenge
According to Concept2’s (“C2”) website, “the SkiErg offers a total body exercise that builds strength and endurance using the motions of cross-country skiing.” That description belies its true nature as a cardio weakness exposing piece of machinery fully equipped to make your lungs, core, and legs burrrrrn. When I started working on the Finance team
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Not recommended: a chaotic training pattern
When I started to consider cycling-specific training, in my mind’s eye, I copied and pasted what I know about endurance running onto an indoor trainer. My assumption was I’d ride 5 times a week, building up my time on the bike with one long ride on the weekend. Once I was three weeks in, I’d
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My indoor training plan experience with TrainerRoad
After signing up for a TrainerRoad (“TR”) subscription, I input my “A” races for the season. Working with their training plan builder on a PC was a better experience than a mobile device. My main goal is to peak while racing the Green Mountain Stage Race in early September 2026. Training in 12-week blocks also
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Choosing between TrainerRoad and Zwift
Many of my experienced cycling friends and mechanics at Vermont Bicycle Shop recommended using the app TrainerRoad to prepare for the 2026 season. Another option I’ve seen friends use on Strava is the app Zwift. My research into the two has distinguished these key differences: TrainerRoad can build a training plan with AI that automatically