{"id":188533,"date":"2022-02-04T11:52:29","date_gmt":"2022-02-04T11:52:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=188533"},"modified":"2022-02-04T11:52:29","modified_gmt":"2022-02-04T11:52:29","slug":"the-differences-between-indoor-vs-outdoor-cycling-summarised","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2022\/02\/04\/the-differences-between-indoor-vs-outdoor-cycling-summarised\/","title":{"rendered":"The Differences Between Indoor vs Outdoor Cycling Summarised"},"content":{"rendered":"

Virtual platforms like Zwift are making indoor cycling more and more popular. They are turning something that used to be boring into an entertaining and competitive experience. You can get pretty close to an outdoors cycling experience on your home setup these days. But there are still several key differences, so let\u2019s compare indoor vs outdoor cycling.<\/strong><\/p>\n


\nWhether indoors or outdoors, you\u2019re still riding a bicycle. You can use the same cycling clothing, your legs are getting a great workout, and you can enjoy a lovely coffee<\/a> after! But everyone who has tried both knows that there are a few things you simply can\u2019t simulate, not even with a virtual training platform. It\u2019s important to be aware of these differences and adjust accordingly.<\/p>\n

\"Indoor<\/a>
While riding a new route outdoors can feel like an adventure, riding indoors often feels more like a chore. \u00a9 Profimedia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You need extra equipment for indoors<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s start with the obvious. If you\u2019re going to ride indoors and make use of something like Zwift, you need a smart trainer to mount your bicycle on. Thankfully, these have become much more affordable and capable in the past years. You can check out our guide to the best smart indoor trainers<\/a> of 2022 in our previous article.<\/p>\n

Indoor cycling is more time-efficient<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When cycling outdoors, it\u2019s normal to spend between 10% and 15% of your time coasting at 0 watts. This is typically due to downhills, traffic, and other interruptions. There is nothing like this holding you back when indoors. Generally, you should cut your usual training time roughly in half when cycling indoors to get the same training effect as outdoors. This means two things: cycling indoors is more intense but also more time-efficient. You can do your usual 2-hour ride<\/a> in just 1 hour.<\/p>\n

The higher intensity of indoor cycling puts more strain on your legs and your nervous system. It will take some time to adapt to this if you\u2019re new to indoor cycling. To avoid overtraining,<\/a> do no more than two intense indoor sessions per week.<\/p>\n

The 20-watt rule<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Research shows<\/a> that most riders are able to produce more power outdoors than indoors. The differences range from an increase of 11% up to 70% (Mieras, 2014). In a series of repeated 40-km time trials, competitive cyclists were able to produce between 11-23 watts more when they trained outside<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The rule that has been established says that for any indoor training session, you should take approximately 20 watts off of your usual outdoor training targets.<\/p>\n

Your sweat rate is lower outdoors<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Indoors, cooling through sweat is typically a lot lower because of reduced airflow. This can lead to an increased sweat rate, which accelerates dehydration. Increased dehydration results in a higher heart rate and that is one reason why indoor cycling feels more intense.<\/p>\n

\"Cyclist\"<\/a>
Your sweat rate is lower outdoors. \u00a9 Profimedia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Make sure to have the best airflow in your indoor cycling setup you can. If you can\u2019t place your training setup next to a window, it\u2019s OK \u2013 just invest in an extra fan. Pros often use more than one fan to keep themselves cool. It really makes a difference. Also, think about protecting your bicycle from the salty sweat drips. Put a towel or a special protective textile on your handlebars.<\/p>\n

Your body position is more limited indoors<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Outdoor, you are constantly making small adjustments in your body position to balance. You have to compensate for uneven roads, obstacles and changes in incline. This helps spread the load across a wide spectrum of muscles and some of the side-to-side motions can even increase leverage to produce more power. Indoors, you are locked in a very narrow range of body positions. This restricted range of motion often makes your main and stabilising muscles fatigue quicker.<\/p>\n

Cycling indoors feels harder<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The differences in airflow, increased sweat rate, and limited body position are among the main reasons why indoor cycling feels harder. But there\u2019s one more crucial factor that\u2019s often overlooked. It\u2019s your attention.<\/p>\n

Outdoors, you have more dissociative thoughts. Your attention is focused on daydreaming and observing the surrounding environment. Indoors, your environment is more conducive to associative thoughts. You\u2019re more likely to keep your attention on breathing, pedalling technique or the power meter.<\/p>\n

This increased awareness of your surroundings and training session details can lead to feelings of higher perceived exertion when riding indoors. It is also one of the reasons why online cycling platforms such as Zwift<\/a> are so popular. They offer a great avenue for dissociative thoughts that can lower feelings of effort.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a great time to get into indoor cycling<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Indoor cycling requires some extra equipment and it can feel harder than cycling outdoors. But the good news is that with virtual training platforms such as Zwift, you can overcome a lot of the downsides that indoor cycling used to have. You can now easily shift attention from the burning sensation in your legs to competing with other cyclists on the screen in front of you. Indoor training sessions like this are way more time-efficient too. We still love outdoor cycling but there has never been a better time to spice your off-season with some indoor cycling.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Virtual platforms like Zwift are making indoor cycling more and more popular. They are turning something that used to be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":188538,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[332],"tags":[3305,6098,4504,6097,3612],"global-categories":[3366],"class_list":["post-188533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-and-training","tag-cycling-training","tag-how-to-avoid-overtraining","tag-indoor-cycling","tag-indoor-vs-outdoor-cycling","tag-zwift","global-categories-cycling"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Differences Between Indoor vs Outdoor Cycling Summarised<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Indoor vs outdoor cycling \u2013 what are the most important differences and which is better for your cycling training? 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