How to Set Up Your Bike Training Space

This past weekend was a long one in Canada and we got Monday off. It is a newer holiday called Family Day and unfortunately, all of my family members were travelling in the US, so I decided to take their lead and headed to Michigan.

It was an amazing weekend of visiting friends and sharpening some skills for my upcoming adventure race. Guys – I leave in a week.

With spring hitting our area early, travel and some early races, I am not going to stick to my regular Monday – Wednesday – Friday posting for the next little while but I am busy out there collecting content!

Considering it IS workout Wednesday around here, I wanted to add the next portion to my bike series. Last week, I talked about picking the right bike trainer, this week, I wanted to talk about setting up your little training space.

I have heard a lot of people call it a pain cave; to be honest, I really don’t love that. My training space is not a pain cave, but a bit more of a happy place. I have my medals from my favourite races, my trophies from races I have placed in and I have my vision board on the wall where I can see it. My workout space is bright, full of inspiration and fun. I enjoy my workouts and look forward to them.

A few things that have really helped my workouts:

A bike phone mount

This has been huge for using my Trainer Road program (more on that next post) and for playing music for my ride.

A good pair of headphones

I listen to Above and Beyond’s weekly podcasts during my interval sessions and having solid quality headphones goes a long way to help ensure I am motivated.

A place where I can set up my nutrition

I use a little table that sits beside my bike. I load it up with water bottles and snacks that I eat throughout the ride.

A big TV

For easier rides where I don’t need to focus on power, I put on one of my favourite shows with subtitles. It helps pass the time if the ride is 2 hours or longer.

Storage box with towels

I have a whole little unit of bike specific towels near my set up. I just grab a new one for each workout and put the last workout’s towel on the floor to help catch sweat.

One thing I DO NOT have is a fan. I have this weird quirk where I love training in heat so I have no issues with overheating during the winter months and if I am training with someone else, I will crack open a door. Consider getting a fan if you are sensitive to heat.

And that’s a wrap for this week! If you are local and want to talk more about bikes and get involved with the women’s cycling community, consider coming out to to the Liv event at Ziggy’s tonight.

Bring a friend and be entered into a draw for a Liv prize. See you there!