Originally Posted by
Eric F
After Zwift, I can't imagine using a stationary trainer without the visual component, even for just a short interval session.
Yeah, that was one problem I had with Wahoo SYSTM - there were visuals, but they weren't tied to my pedaling. I used to ride without visuals apart from cadence and HR on my head unit, using a dumb trainer, but I could barely last 40 minutes, and that was with loud rock music on earbuds (B52s have a nice fast beat for 90+ cadence).
Then I set up at home with my laptop running YouTube videos through the TV in the garage, and that made a big difference. I could ride a lot longer with less concentration. One set of videos I found showed the gradient, which allowed me to mimic it with gear changes. I also found a local rider's videos, taken on a number of roads I ride all the time. Since I know what each segment feels like, I adjusted my gears and effort to match.
Then I got on Zwift, initially with the dumb trainer and ZPower, but later with a smart trainer and that's WAY better. So much more like riding IRL. I've done 2+ hours on Zwift without significant distress. Mind you, my cousin's kid (Kid? He's in his 40s!) did a Century on Zwift.