so it dawned on me that the hardest part of riding during the cold\wet weather is just getting out the door in the first place. after the initial shock of warming up it's really no big deal. but i hate the cold warmup.

it also dawned on me that i enjoy riding on the trainer until about 25-30 minutes. at which point i want to get off, but i still want to ride (just can't take it mentally). i hate the trainer after 30 minutes.

so, why don't i just ride on the trainer until i'm fully warmed up and sick of it, then head out the door? that way i don't have the shock of warming up, and i'm already motivated to ride...

anyone do this? i know its common during TT's and races, but how about for everyday training rides?

Sounds good, but there's one problem- clothes. I'm thinking riding on a trainer in tights would get pretty hot.

I don't know why, but I hate changing clothes. Changing clothes is one of the most annoying things in life (and putting on shoes might be #1 on the list). Maybe I'm just weird about that....

Put the trainer on the porch or in the garage with the door open, fan blowing on you, so at least you don't get a temp change shock and lessen the need to change clothes.

Al

i gotcha. and i think i have a solution. i have these waterproof sport pants i use over my riding shorts (good to about 20 degrees). i'll ride on the trainer in shorts and then just slip those on. they are tight enough not to flap in the wind and have a zipper on the leg so i don't have to take my shoes off. and the long sleeve jersey just slids on as well.

i'll use a beater bike on the trainer and then have the other bike ready to go so there is minimum transaction time. plus i have the same pedals on both bikes, so i don't have to worry about cleats. i'm thinking less than a mintue to switch over to the road bike...

Sounds like a pretty good solution. It's definitely something worth trying out.

i always warmed up and cool down on the trainer summer or winter. hot or cold.

i do 10min gentle pace followed by 1min sprint followed by 1min rest repeated 5 times fairly ligh resistance then go out for my ride.

then to cool down i do 3 to failure sprints recover, then 15min light spin.

then again im a mad man lol