Indoor or Outdoor Cycling – Which is the best for training?
Recently, indoor training technology has transformed how endurance athletes approach their cycling training. Meanwhile, traditional outdoor riding offers unique physiological and psychological benefits that no virtual platform can fully replicate.
As coaches, we are often asked, "Should I be riding indoors or outdoors?" In this article, we highlight the opportunities and common pitfalls of both types of training locations and offer suggestions on the best form of training for different options.
Why Indoor Cycling is So Effective
Indoor cycling offers a controlled, focused environment that removes the variables associated with outdoor riding. It becomes a powerful tool for building specific adaptations and maintaining consistency when used correctly.
Key benefits:
Time efficiency: You can be in your bib shorts and wheels rolling within a few seconds of deciding to get on your bike! Sessions can be completed without the need for travel or route planning.
Controlled conditions: No weather, traffic, or terrain to interrupt intervals.
Repeatable, structured efforts: Indoor training can be perfect for interval training and performance testing.
Access to virtual training platforms: Tools like Zwift or TrainerRoad can simulate terrain, facilitate group sessions, and easily show metrics in real time.
Enhanced safety: Beneficial for those in urban areas or with limited access to quiet roads.Example: For a session like 5x3-minute VO₂ Max intervals, an indoor setup allows for highly controlled execution, ensuring the athlete is working in the correct intensity zone without disruption.
What Outdoor Riding Still Offers
Despite the technological advances in indoor training, outdoor cycling brings benefits that are not easily replicated in a virtual setting.
Key benefits:
Technical skill development: Bike handling, cornering, braking, and riding in varying conditions are critical race-day skills.
Adaptability to terrain: Outdoor riding requires continuous effort modulation, building stronger pacing instincts.
Exposure to real-world conditions: Athletes gain resilience by riding in wind, rain, or heat; these conditions require skills to excel in (as anyone will tell you who has tried to race in windy and wet conditions).
Intrinsic enjoyment: For many, the psychological lift of being outdoors remains a central motivator for training.
Example: Learning to manage effort on hills—climbing efficiently and descending safely—is a fundamental skill for triathletes preparing for non-flat courses.
When to Choose Indoor vs Outdoor Training
Rather than viewing indoor and outdoor cycling as opposing options, consider when each is most appropriate within your training plan:
Choose indoor cycling when:
You’re completing structured interval sessions that require focus and consistency.
You need to maximise time efficiency, especially during busy weeks or limited daylight.
You’re performing performance or aerobic efficiency testing, where environmental control matters.
You’re practising heat or nutrition strategies in a stable setting.
You want a safe training option during poor weather or when road conditions aren’t ideal.
Opt for outdoor cycling when:
You’re building endurance and want the physiological and technical adaptations of real terrain.
You must develop bike handling skills, such as cornering, braking, group riding, and adapting to changing surfaces.
You’re preparing for a race and must practice pacing in variable terrain and weather.
You want to maintain enjoyment, motivation, and connection with the outdoors.
Each environment offers distinct benefits—using both strategically ensures a more complete training experience.
Practical Recommendations for Athletes
To make the most of both environments, consider the following:
Set Up for Success Indoors: Ensure your indoor training area is well ventilated, easily accessible, and always ready. Use fans, prepare fluids, and check all devices before each session.
Protect Your Equipment: Indoor sessions produce considerable sweat, which can damage your bike over time. Use a sweat guard, clean your frame regularly, and dry all contact points after each session.
Avoid Over-Reliance on ERG Mode: While ERG mode can simplify training, it may reduce opportunities for self-pacing and decision-making. Consider doing longer steady rides or lower-intensity work without ERG to practise maintaining power independently.
Use Indoor Rides for Testing: The fixed environment allows for accurate monitoring of aerobic efficiency, heart rate trends, and fuelling strategies.
Don’t Neglect Outdoor Skills: Schedule regular outdoor sessions to practise bike handling, cornering, and pacing on variable terrain—especially as race season approaches.
Balancing the Psychological Load
Enjoyment is one often-overlooked aspect of training. Most athletes start cycling as kids and carry that sense of adventure and freedom into their adult cycling. Too much indoor training can risk turning sessions into chores. On the other hand, constantly riding outdoors in poor conditions can dampen motivation.
Striking the right psychological balance is as important as managing your training load. Include rides that remind you why you enjoy cycling—whether that’s a scenic outdoor loop or a social Zwift race with friends.
Philip is the founder of Tri Training Harder LLP. He’s a British Triathlon Level 3 coach, and has been coaching for over a decade and is involved with mentoring and developing other coaches.
Philip has coached athletes to European and World AG wins, elite racing, many Kona qualifications, IRONMAN podiums and AG wins.
Alongside the conventional development through many CPD courses, he has also been fortunate enough to work alongside experts in the fields of Physiotherapy, Strength and Conditioning, Nutrition, Psychology, Biomechanics, Sports Medicine. Putting this knowledge into practice he has worked with thousands of athletes to various degrees, from training camps in Portugal and around Europe, clinics in the UK and online coaching.
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