The weather has been warm enough for riding outside most of the winter. However on days when it has been raining or to cold to train outside I have been using my Tacx trainer.  It is a very good way to train inside.  It’s three different modes allow you to control the way you train.

 In one mode it works like a normal trainer with a power measurement.  This mode allows you to monitor rpm, watts and heart rate on a dashboard on your computer screen.

In the next mode it provides a virtual world to ride in much like a video game.  The virtual terrain provides feedback to the trainer motor to mimic the effects the terrain would have on you just like riding outside.  This mode allows you to select various virtual environments to ride in. The effects of wind is also factored in. It also has other virtual riders that you can race against. My wife really likes this mode.

The third mode is called real video mode. In this mode you use various DVDs that have streaming video movies of actual cycling race courses or other places to ride.  As you play the DVD and display it on a computer monitor it provides feedback into the trainer motor. When the video is showing the road going up a hill the trainer makes the effort on your bike match the effort it actually takes to ride up the hill.  This mode is just like riding outside.  The DVDs have footage of many of the Tour de France routes,  scenic footage of various routes in Europe and the US.  In this mode I have ridden for over two hours inside without being bored.  This mode also lets you race against other riders previous times.  It allows you to race against yourself also.  If you need a trainer you should look into this one.