The question we often hear is, “What sort of wind trainer should I get?”
Smart? Or not?
Honestly, I think the answer is pretty simple if you just ask yourself a few key questions.
But before we do that, I’d like to share a quote from Eliud Kipchoge. When asked what he meant by self-discipline, he said:
“For self-discipline, you need three things. First, you need to inject yourself with Vitamin N.”
He went on to explain that the “N” in Vitamin N stands for ‘No’- the ability to say no to the easy option and no to the temptation to veer away from what you know you need to do.
“Secondly, you need to set your priorities right, and thirdly, to avoid complaining.”
He concluded with:
“The disciplined ones are free in life.”
So, What Does This Have to Do With Wind Trainers?
When you race, you only have YOU to rely on. YOU to advise yourself, YOU to drive yourself forward, and YOU to get the best out of yourself. All your gadgets are of little use – it’s your mind, your heart, and your soul that truly matter.
I’ve said before, the greatest improvements come from above our shoulders, not below. But if I had to pick one combination of training tools that has helped me become a better competitor, it would be the wind trainer (WT), combined with a heart rate monitor (HRM).
The WT has helped me:
✅ Recover from injury
✅ Rekindle my motivation
✅ Warm up for championship races
✅ Train when the weather is prohibitive
✅ Get in efficient, structured sessions
It’s portable, simple, adaptable, time-efficient… and brutal.
You see, it’s not what the “gadget” puts into you – it’s what YOU put into the gadget!
If you expect your new computer, power meter, or smart trainer to magically make you a better athlete, you’re barking up the wrong tree. Improvement has to come from YOU. The gadget is merely a vehicle for progress and, to a degree, a measuring stick.
Heart Rate & RPE Before Power Meters
Your heart rate is a physiological measurement – it tells you what your body is doing to achieve a certain level of output, whether that’s power, speed, or endurance.
So, before you go investing in a power meter, learn how to use your HRM properly. Please! After that, start considering Rate of Perceived Effort (RPE) and take control of your training tools, rather than letting them control you.
What Do You Actually Need?
If I were starting out in triathlon or cycling, apart from the basic equipment needed to compete, here’s what I’d get:
1️⃣ A heart rate monitor
2️⃣ A regular, wheel-on, non-smart wind trainer (you can get a good one for under $200)
That’s it!
There’s nothing you can do with a smart trainer that you can’t do with a regular one – but there are things you can do with a regular one that a smart trainer isn’t practical for.
A timer is handy too, but that will likely be incorporated into your HRM. A cadence meter is useful, but as I’ve taught you all in WT sessions, you can easily calculate cadence using your timer and your knee!
What About Bike Wear & Tear?
Some people argue that a wheel-on trainer puts more stress on your wheel and tyre.
But once you’ve decided you’re committed to the sport, you’ll eventually have spare wheels – or even more than one bike! Use your older wheels or training setup on the WT and keep your race bike ready to go.
Speaking of warm-ups – if you’re at an event, warming up on a WT is perfect. You can have your training bike on the WT and your race bike ready to roll just before start time.
Let’s Talk About Zwift…
Alright, let’s address Zwift.
Zwift became hugely popular during COVID, when riding on the road wasn’t an option. Smart trainers and virtual riding boomed, and for many, it felt like the next best thing.
You got a pretty screen. A computer told you how great you were and how much you’d improved. You rode up virtual Alps and passed virtual people.
SIGH.
Then we got back out on the road, and suddenly, people had spent a fortune on a tool that became less and less useful.
And here’s what we started hearing:
🗣 “I rode indoors today!”
❌ No, you didn’t.
✅ You did a session on a trainer (and probably a not particularly useful one).
A properly structured wind trainer session, with a coach and a good program, is an amazing training session.
But it is NOT a substitute for a road ride.
Why? Because Training Should Match Your Event
On the road, you have to deal with:
🌬 Wind, rain, road surfaces, potholes, cars, traffic lights, sun, pedestrians, dogs, bumps (maybe even eleven in a row, SA!), water, riders around you…
🚴♂️ You have to balance the bike, corner properly, brake when necessary, and adapt to your surroundings.
None of this happens on Zwift.
The reality is, your training should be appropriate for the event you’re training for.
For example, if you’re training for a triathlon and will swim wearing a swim cap, then you should train with a swim cap on.
But I’m getting side-tracked (unusual, I know).
Back to Eliud Kipchoge…
He was talking about self-discipline – having the fortitude to say NO to the easy option.
So, the next time you make a decision about how you’re going to train, ask yourself:
“Am I taking the easy option?”
Be honest with yourself. No excuses, no complaints. Set your priorities right.
“The disciplined ones are free in life.”
Beautiful.
Gaz
