If you are following any of the British Cycling Training Plans, at some stage, it is likely that the weather or other commitments means that getting out on your bike is either undesirable or impossible. If you have got an indoor trainer, can you do the ride on it instead?

Is the weather really that bad?

We are not suggesting you go out if the conditions are dangerous but, if it is just a bit of rain, with modern kit and clothing, you can stay surprisingly comfortable in poor conditions. If you don’t fancy the road, what about having a play in the mud on your mountain bike?

Choose your sessions

Almost all of the midweek workouts specified in the British Cycling Training Plans are either indoor trainer workouts or can easily be adapted to an indoor trainer. If it’s a hill session, increase the resistance on your trainer and adjust your gears to mimic the demands of hill climbing.

Longer weekend rides are less suited to indoor trainers but, with platforms such as Zwift offering virtual worlds to ride in, group rides and races, are far more tolerable than in the past.

British Cycling Members can claim exclusive British Cycling Member Kit and a 7-day free trial on Zwift.

An endurance focused interval session, such as 2X20 minutes or Under/Over, could also be a good substitute if time is short.

Making it tolerable

If you are going to be putting some hours in on your indoor trainer, make sure you follow our advice for making the most of your indoor trainer, avoiding saddle soreness and keeping hydrated.

Don’t become an indoor only rider

Indoor trainers are brilliant training tools but are no substitute for getting out on the roads or trails for real. You might be able to build a brilliant engine by just riding indoors but you will find that your lack of bike handling skills will let you down massively when you do finally venture outdoors. If you can’t avoid a long stretch of indoor training, consider learning to ride rollers to keep your bike handling skills topped up.

What about spinning classes?

Group cycling classes can be a good option especially if you struggle to get motivated to train on your own. Look for a class that is led by a cyclist and try to adjust the bike to mimic your road set-up as closely as possible. Also, take your pedals and clipless shoes along, as doing these classes in flexible soled trainers can be stressful on your feet. It is unlikely that the class will address the same areas of cycling fitness that the outdoor session you are skipping would but something is always better than nothing.