InvertedMP 

So I got into cycling in Feb- March timeframe when I bought a Peloton, then shortly after started buying bikes because I wanted to get into road biking. Been having a lot of fun riding and have seen a huge improvement in my health, as well as improvements in fitness. I feel a bit now like I have plateaued with a lack of structured training and I am unsure where to go from here. I sold my Peloton several months ago and went the whole Kickr/Zwift route. I have really struggled to get back into indoor cycling as I have been riding exclusively outdoors since buying my bikes. I have been considering going the Trainingpeaks route to get some outdoor workouts and more structured riding, instead of just winging it. Do you guys have recommendations on what I should do? I am not trying to go super hardcore, but I do want to improve my speed and power output.

Seattle Forrest

Not what you're asking, but since you said you're struggling to get back into riding indoors, I used to drag a cheap trainer outside on cold days or when rain was coming and I didn't want to get caught out. I couldn't get myself to use it indoors and could do an hour with the sky overhead and fresh air. It's a pain in the ass and I don't know what would be involved with a Kickr, but if you just can't motivate it maybe try it once.

downtube42

Buy some wool, rain gear, and lights, and ride outside. If you pick the right clothing, only the first ten minutes suck. You earn instant badass points. Shorter rides, high intensity internals, hill repeats. Once a month, put in a long ride.

rivers

My friends and I all cycle together on zwift, and chat on discord. We are usually doing some sort of workout (some are mid zwift training plan, and some of us are working with a coach). We create a meet-up, and just get on with our ride. As we're all on discord, if someone has a hard interval, the rest of us give them words of encouragement.ng is It does help make the time go by more quickly. Or, if there are any coaches offering zoom turbo (or similar), buy a block of those and give that a go. And still go outside to ride you bike a few times a week. It shouldn't all be about the turbo. I am being coached at the minute, and he insists I get outside for a sociable ride at least once a week with my friends (if weather is pants, it does become a sociable free ride on zwift because it's winter in the UK). Because riding is supposed to be fun.

rubiksoval

Trainerroad, Sufferfest, and even Zwift all have workouts and training plans. Just depends on what exactly you find gets you going.

Sy Reene

I think the OP is asking for advice of whether he needs or should be going indoors for training. He's in the Bay Area supposedly, so no temperature-related reason he has to be inside (aside from greater chances of rain). IOW, how to adopt and run training plans for outdoor riding? However, I can't speak to how well Trainerroad works with outdoor riding or what else there is.

Carbonfiberboy 

I've been using TrainingPeaks for some years and like it very much. I do both indoor and outdoor riding using a Garmin from which I upload my data to TP. Indoor or outdoor doesn't matter to TP, especially if you are using power, which I'm guessing you are. TrainingPeaks includes many inexpensive training plans, tailored for various purposes and riders. TP has helped me understand the affect various training routines have on my fitness and readiness to train more. I mostly create my own plans there, though I have used TP plans also. One needs to have a premium account. The free one doesn't do much other than give one a place to record rides. There's other good software out there which does much the same thing.

For outdoor riding, I think cadence and speed sensors are a good idea.

Carbonfiberboy 

Togetherness: https://help.trainingpeaks.com/hc/en...-TrainingPeaks

Iride01 

<grin> Road Cycling forum seems like and odd place to want sympathy and ideas to get back into indoor training.

How do you ride now? Do you do intervals? They should help both on the road and on the indoor trainer. They don't even have to be structured unless you need the absolute fastest results in the shortest of time.

InvertedMP 

I am not looking for sympathy, I am looking for the best structured training app.

ericcox

It's a little late now as you sold yours, but my family got a Peloton in early October. I find the power zone classes (particularly Matt Willers, Christine D'Ercole, and Dennis Morton, as well as the old Christian Vandevelde classes, to be very good. I was skeptical that I would enjoy it / find it useful, but it has really helped. I've already noticed gains from it. I got a PM for my bike around the same time which also helps translate from road to Peloton and back again.

bruce19

Trainer Road. Find vids on youtube.

I like these guys. And, Amber Pierce.

sfrider 

It's pretty normal for progress to fall off as you get in shape. As long as you make progress you're good, and you may need to use PMs and check rides, like a local TT you can repeat once a month to see how it's progressing. The risk with ramping up too much too fast is that you burn out, and then progress will definitely end. Training is for the long haul, and you need to enjoy it to stay motivated; once it becomes a chore it's not going to last.