I kept stopping by the store and would see boxes, cables, screens, and panels. I knew Andreas from Ultrabikex Studio was opening a Computrainer Studio and I couldn’t wait to get in there. He wouldn’t let me take pictures but it looked like a cable man’s nightmare. Alas, a few weeks later everything was set, computers installed, panels displayed, cables connected and it was my turn to try out what the new studio had to offer.
The first thought was to select a 10k time trial course, the one Ultrabikex Studio will be using in a showdown competition on June 22nd (see flyer below). Yet my training plan does not call for speed, it’s time to build strength and endurance. Add to this that my upcoming race in Portugal will have me riding through mountains and 14% inclines and we chose a different route. Andreas set up the bike course to San Francisco’s Escape From Alcatraz triathlon as my baptism to the Computrainer.
In case you don’t know, the Computrainer is regarded by many as one of the best training tools for cycling. I can absolutely understand why: it’s an indoor trainer with some seriously cool software. At the basic level you select a course to ride, and the software changes the resistance to your bike accordingly. So as you begin to go up hill, your bike will feel heavier and you will need to shift gears to continue pedaling. Some courses also have the benefit of video taped on the actual course during a race. This was the case with the Escape From Alcatraz bike course.
I “rode” through the hills of San Francisco and would look around at the scenery, places I remember from the years I lived in the area. To boot, the speed you go on the video changes as you speed up or slow down. Don’t ask me how they do it, I just know the experience is quite realistic and entertaining compared to my regular trainer workouts in my living room.
Also, while you are cycling this course on screen you see key statistics that can help you train more efficiently: inclination, speed, cadence, power, heart rate, distance and time are all there. You also have an inclination map with a moving ticker so that you can see what is coming up ahead.
The Computrainer really gives those of us who live in pancake flat Miami, a great training tool for hills. Most of us here use the Rickenbacker Bridge as our sole hill workout. Safety concerns apart, to give you an idea the bridge has about a 4% incline and you can make it up to the top between two to three minutes. However in order for you to build strength on the bike you need at least six-minute intervals of climbing and continuously steeper grades. So the workout you cannot get outside, you can get here at Ultrabikex Studio.
But beware: come prepared with a towel. This workout is much more demanding than what you would do on the road. Another aspect that makes the Computrainer an efficient training tool is that there is no coasting so you are working the entire time. You can’t “ride” downhill and get some “free mileage” with speed before heading up the next hill. There is also no soft-pedaling, you need to push through the pedal strokes the entire time you are on a bike. Going uphill? Pedal. Going downhill? Pedal. Drinking water? Pedal. There is no stopping. And if you slow down to catch your breath, the numbers on the screen begin dropping as if telling you “hey, wake up and pedal!”
So now that rainy season is here in Miami, a Computrainer workout might be just what the coach ordered; except that Computrainers costs thousands of dollars. If, like me, you don’t have that cash around to spend then Ultrabikex Studio has the perfect solution. For $25 a session of sixty to ninety minutes, you get a killer workout tailored to the actual workout you have scheduled for that day. You can also buy a package of ten sessions for $200 giving you a great discounted rate.
To book a session simply email Andreas at andreas@ultrabikex.net specifying a time between 10:00am -7:00pm you would like to come and what kind of training you need to do. He will confirm if there is availability and program a trainer for you.
Ultrabikex Studio is located on Key Biscayne at 61 Harbor Drive (next to the original Ultrabikex store and the 7-11).
If you are planning on training on a regular basis, it is suggested that your first session be an FTP test so you can measure your improvement over time. Even for someone like me who does not have a power meter on my bike, now when I train at Ultrabikex Studio I can train based on power as my FTP has been set.
If you want to check out the Studio before committing than come by on June 22 for an all-out-show-down time trial challenge. Test yourself against some of Miami’s best cyclists for your chance to win prizes.
