Monday, January 6, 2014

Endurance Film's 'RIDES: Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains' Indoor Trainer Video


Late last week I got my copy of RIDES: Virginia, Blue Ridge Mountains. I watched it once from my couch (which felt like the equivalent of watching Biggest Loser while eating ice cream) so I was excited to officially fire it up from the bike trainer, as intended. My in-house IT specialists (coincidentally, also my offspring) waved their wands and via the wonders of AirPlay and AppleTV, RIDES: Virginia was conjured magically upon the wall. Very cool. I put on my Runwell kit (but did forgo the Rudy Project helmet that I love and wear all the time for outdoor cycling) and settled in for some work.

Endurance Films has gotten quite a bit of feedback from athletes remarking this is the toughest RIDES cycling workout yet. And as a member of the "peloton" that was in the video (see blog post on filming RIDES: Virginia), I can attest to the difficulty of the ascending intervals and tough pushes out of the saddle. The expressions on our faces in the video tell the tale. But misery -- and this was gooood, productive, strength and endurance enhancing misery -- loves company. That is the point of the RIDES series. It's to be a part of a group pushing their boundaries so you will push yours. You can see it in the body language, the eyes, the movement of the bikes, and you are inspired to work a little bit harder, to hold those watts a little longer, to rev that heart rate, and to keep cadence up long past when the mind says WHOA! Then in the warmup, rest periods, and cooldown, you are treated to some of the most beautiful scenery that the region has to offer. I would know, I ride these roads almost weekly and never tire of them.



If you are looking for a productive change-up to your indoor trainer workouts and want to be treated to scenery and routes from around the US, check out the RIDES series, and of course my favorite, Virginia :-)

The cat found my pedal stroke fascinating until it bonked her on the head....

 ...at which point she turned  her attention to systematically
disassembling a LEGO plane knowing I would not interfere while cycling

...which wore her out requiring a nap.
Which is what the RIDES video made me want to do.

...because this was me when I finished.