Fit in my 40s: safe at home, I can cycle a tour and listen to the whole of Hamilton | Zoe Williams

With a turbo trainer I can join cycling groups or races, add music and hit the virtual road

Cycling is one of those in-the-moment pursuits, when you’re outdoors, going nowhere, quite fast, for the hell of it, with a breeze in your hair, and you can’t imagine doing it any other way, least of all in a gym. (Except when it’s raining, and you do need a gym.) But in the absence of gyms, people went crazy for the turbo trainer. The one I borrowed for a week was the Zwift Tacx Neo 2T, which has its downsides (mainly cost) but also many qualities: principally, even the biggest idiot in the world can affix it to their bike – remove your back wheel, attach the trainer at the sprocket and you’re set.

And this is where modernity actually makes life more interesting, rather than just harder: riding indoors on your own is boring. Riding with Zwift – an app which has tailored programs, races with other users from all over the world, grand tours through CGI scenery – is not boring. I’ve actually done it before, but only at its London HQ, and it’s hard to get truly enthusiastic when you’re politely feigning immediate enthusiasm.

Continue reading...
Share on Google Plus
    Blogger Comment
    Facebook Comment

0 comments :

Post a Comment