When I stopped racing cyclocross, I made a pledge to myself - never again on the trainer! No Zwift, no intervals, no nothing. If it was raining outside I was going to just not ride. But events in the last weeks put things into perspective (like, say, the fragility of the global economy, or our social safety nets), including my very deeply-rooted dislike of riding on trainers. A lot of people out there are still thumbing their nose at all these quarantine rules, but surely if they are cancelling the PARIS FUCKING ROUBAIX, you can abstain from social contact. And if you haven’t ridden on those cobbles, well, 55km of those are a lot more painful than staying inside a couple weeks.
I don’t know if where you live cycling is allowed or discouraged - where I am it’s prohibited. The reasoning is: if you crash and go to the ER, you’re taking resources that are already very thin. At first I laughed at this - honestly, how many cyclists crash and go to the hospital any given day? But it’s about doing your part, and making sure you don’t go to the hospital. Suck it up. And as with any laborious task, a wicked soundtrack makes it so much easier. So today was a Black Sabbath day. Volume 4. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. And yes even Ronny James Dio. Heaven and Hell. Don’t you dare talk shit about RJD.
So, in short, repeat: #staythefuckinside - and let’s make sure that come July we’re watching a real Tour de France and not some online simulated trainer version of it. We even threw together a little metal playlist if you decide to hop on the trainer (and like metal).