Yesterday I decided to go and check out The VeloLab Cycling Studio. I've been anxious to try this out since I first heard about it. I met the owner (Tim Harbeson) and his wife (Michelle) earlier this year at the Tour de Pork ride. I cut my ride short due to the pouring and cold rain and decided to enjoy the food and warm up. I sat next to Michelle and we squeezed together to make room for others as well as keep warm. Tim, Michelle, and I started chatting about our ride that morning and one conversation led to another. I was already thinking about how awesome his VeloLab is going to be, what a great training tool, and I know lots of people that would enjoy this! It took me awhile to try this out because the weather was so nice so I rode outdoors any chance I could. My coach scheduled a bike ride for me yesterday but it was too cold for me. I can run in freezing temps but riding a bike is different. This would be a perfect day to check out this new place!
So as promised here is my review of The VeloLab.
222 W 7th Street
New Albany, IN
(502) 295-1289
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| The VeloLab will help improve the fitness and performance of cyclists whether they are triathletes, competitive cyclists, or just someone that rides for fun. It's equipped with 10 KICKR trainers from Wahoo fitness with plenty of room for expansion in the future. You bring your own bike for each training session but for a small fee you do have the option to store your bike there. These KICKR trainers have a built in power meter and it syncs with different videos and software. I've only been on a CompuTrainer once and these were different. I don't know all the differences, but I had to adjust my own resistance instead of it doing it automatically. Tim will do a FREE test to measure your Functional Threshold Power (FTP). This will give you a baseline of where you're starting from and something you can compare to later on. Having your FTP programmed in will let you know how hard you SHOULD BE working. Let's face it, when riding at home how many times are you sitting up and taking a drink or checking your phone when you should be sprinting or climbing? I'm guilty! Well during the ride here there is a bar displayed on the TV screen that gives you your power % and it lets you know when to push harder or back off. You can see other people's info as well so if you want to unleash that "inner cockroach" you can push yourself against other riders. Ideally you want your bar to stay in the green zone- you're working in the correct zone with the program. If it's yellow you need to work a little harder, and if you're in the red then you're pushing it (not always a bad thing). Afterwards your workout data can be emailed to you or automatically uploaded to Strava, TrainingPeaks, and other websites. I didn't bring my Garmin or heart rate (HR) monitor with me, but your HR will be displayed if you're wearing one. I will bring mine along next time along with my 510 so I can see my cadence. |
Here's my Stealth Bomber hooked up to the KICKR. It was odd to remove the rear wheel, but I was impressed how SMOOTH and REAL this felt. I hit my rear brake to stop the wheel (I'm used to my CycleOps trainer at home where the back wheel is moving) and I freaked for just a split second because my brake was out! I felt dumb for a moment since Tim was standing right there, but I'm not the only one that has done that. I added a climbing block to the front wheel to level it out more. There's plenty of fans but be sure to bring a towel because you will need it.
This was taken after the ride, but I was still playing with different gears and how they felt. Tim is at the computer getting all my data saved under my name.
I was pretty tired but I felt great! You can see a table against the wall with local information and a variety snacks available for purchase. There is also a small refrigerator with water and various sports drinks for sale as well in case you forget to bring your own. You can freshen up in the bathroom after the ride if you need to. The walls are blank for now, but a Sufferfest Flag is on it's way to add more style. I know the guys probably couldn't care less, but us ladies have a sense of style and we can't help it. As you can see in the photo there is plenty of room between riders so you don't have to deal with other people's sweat dripping on you.
The VeloLab is an official Sufferfest studio and the only one in the area. If you're not familiar with The Sufferfest it's an online website where you can purchase and download awesome cycling videos. You can check out The Sufferfest website here and get more information and watch a few video samples. Anyone can download them but you must have special permission to use these in a group setting. They will kick your ass. period. I have several downloads that I use at home and they're great, but having that power display and riding with others WILL PUSH YOU HARDER. I want to become a "Dame of Sufferlandria" someday, but you have to ride 10 videos back to back. That's insane but so is riding 112 miles after swimming 2.4 miles then running 26.2 miles... there is something wrong with these people right? I'm not sure how long all the videos are, but I'm not anywhere close to being able to handle that much time in the saddle and I have other priorities right now.
The video we used yesterday was titled "There Is No Try". It was perfect since I've been on a Star Wars kick for the last week. Below is the profile of the ride. It had a nice long warm up then lots of intervals of climbing or sprinting with each one getting a little harder then a nice cool down. It lasted about 56 minutes and I will ride this one again for sure. These videos have great music and lots of funny cues along with great footage. I cracked up a few times at the different sayings and I pushed harder when Master Yoda said one of his famous quotes "Do or Do Not...There is NO TRY". The VeloLab also has a great sound system. One bit of advice is IF you're nearsighted you may want to ride in the front row. I couldn't read all my info on the screen, but I was able to see my power bar and my power percentage to know where I needed to be.
This ride can look intimidating, but don't let it be. ANYONE can do these rides, all you have to do is pedal. You are riding for YOURSELF and working to improve YOUR FITNESS. You can take a break anytime you need to and there will others that can help you if you struggle. This is a great place to ride together and make the time pass quickly and still get in a great ride.
The VeloLab has lots of video options and some longer ones are on the way. You can talk to Tim and discuss what you're wanting to do as far as a workout- speed, intervals, climbing power. If it's a small group you can probably pick your workout if everyone agrees.
They are open everyday except Sunday for now. Monday through Friday they have rides at 5:30pm and 7pm. Saturday they offer rides at 9am. 11am, and 1pm. If you would like to see more details check out their website here or visit their Facebook page. The first ride is FREE along with a FTP test to get a baseline. You can purchase a 10 ride package for $160.
I will admit I thought $16-18 each session was a little pricey, but if you look at other options in the area it's a good deal. You don't have to spend $800-$2000 for a power meter and another $350-$2000 or more for a really nice trainer. You don't have to purchase the videos and you get to ride with other people and get printed results so you can SEE how much you're improving.
I can't give a review of the FTP test I mentioned above because I haven't done one lately. I didn't do one at The VeloLab because I already had some data from a previous test this year. BarryS Coaching did a test on me to measure my power and figure out my heart rate training zones for cycling back in January this year. I gave that info to Tim to program into the trainer and see where I'm at. I knew I would be stronger since that test was back in the beginning of the year, but I didn't expect to CRUSH the workout like I did. I was already riding in the red zone most of the ride and I still had more to push. At one point my power was somewhere around 285%. That just means I am stronger and fitter and need a new FTP test. My next ride will be more accurate and not as easy for me after the test.
Another really IMPORTANT thing I must add to my increased power is the difference in my bike fit. This doesn't go with the review of VeloLab but I wanted to point out the importance of a fit because it will help your performance all around no matter where you choose to ride. I had my "bike fit" done at the same place I purchased my bike the day I picked it up in January. I wasn't pleased with it at all and was so uncomfortable (an around negative experience). Coaches Barry and Mike tested me later that month and we went from there with the data. Since then I've had several bike fits and probably 5 different saddles. My road bike was fitted perfect earlier this year, but I never could get my tri bike just right and figured I just needed to ride more, lose more weight, and suck it up buttercup. WRONG!! I recently had an AMAZING bike fit by Rick Smith at Cycle Smith's and I can really tell the difference. My bike is dialed in perfectly to fit me and I have so much more power and much less discomfort. I'm still breaking in that new seat, but having your bike fit YOU makes a huge difference all around.
Okay, back on track now! I will certainly be returning to The VeloLab for more riding and "Sufferfests". Misery loves company so you should contact The VeloLab and check it out sometime now that it's getting cold outside. I would love to round up all my cycling gals (well I can only grab 9 others) and we can book The VeloLab to ourselves....THAT WOULD BE AWESOME!
LET'S DO THAT!! WHO'S IN??
