6 mountain bike pros on their relationships with indoor trainers

Love ’em or hate ’em, trainers are a necessary evil for those of us living in the snow-affected regions of Canada. Yes the pros get to travel a bunch to avoid said torture devices, but even they end up riding indoors now and then. We asked some Canadian pros about their thoughts on trainers.

Jenn Jackson

Do you ride indoors?

Yes, in the winter when the weather is tough I’ll often ride a couple days per week on the training using Zwift. It keeps it fairly entertaining, but most importantly I can do high-quality workouts without having to battle the elements outdoors everyday. I’ll still try to ride outside with good rain gear and thermals as much as reasonably possible. But the trainer is a tool that can’t be overlooked. The interactive element many platforms offer now is cool, and the direct-drive style trainers are actually pretty nice to pedal.

Emilly Johnston

Do you ride indoors?

I ride indoors only when absolutely necessary. I’m not a fan, I get quite bored quite quickly but sometimes it’s better than being a popsicle or risk getting sick!

Andrew L’Esperance

Do you ride indoors?

The indoor trainer is an awesome tool for getting work done in the winter and during the shoulder seasons. I love it because it is a little insurance policy that allows me to always get the training in no matter the weather outside. I use the Wahoo system. I am lucky to have space to keep it set up all the time. So it is just super easy to get on the bike and get that work in. I do use it strategically. I am aware that I have a personal limit in how much I can do on it before it becomes too much to handle mentally. I aim for no more than three-to-four sessions a week throughout the winter. I try to get outside for all the other stuff. Part of the reason I ride bikes is that it gets me outside in nature. That’s not possible on the trainer. If I am indoors on the trainer and cannot ride outside, I will at least aim to get outside for a walk and fresh air in nature at some point during the day.

Remy Metailler

Do you ride indoors?

I do not. Boring. But I should.

Geza Rodgers

I do a lot of work on the trainer actually! I pair Zwift with my Training Peaks platform and my workouts upload right onto Zwift. I usually Zwift when I have very specific intervals that would be challenging to do outside, or if I have fitness testing such as FTP test. If the weather is terrible there have been times where I’ll attempt an endurance ride on the trainer, which is…