Spin Class & the time constrained cyclist

It's no secret that you have to ride your bicycle a lot, no matter what your discipline, to be good. In the world of athletics, training can't be cheated (legally) and Hail Mary's/other acts of desperation only work in Football. Time is the number one constraint on collegiate cyclists from achieving glory. Quite a few of us regularly attend spin classes at the Student Rec. Center for this reason.

Spin Class Analyzed.

Pros:

Time flexible, as several classes are offered each day at varying times.

On campus.

Shower/changing facilities available on site.

More motivational than sitting on a trainer alone.

The view. (Lets face it, the girls who regular spin aren't bad to look at)

Cons:

It's only a 50 minute workout.

It has the potential to teach bad habits in form.

For guys, It seems very female oriented.

No subtle bike movements. Hell, no movement at all. You're vertically and horizontally stationary.

No wind in your face.

No escape.

Compared to riding outdoors, spin class sucks. A mongoloid could figure that out. No one disputes it. For the time constrained, however, Spin helps make competition possible by supplementing the gaps class and homework place in our training.

So as much as I have to, I'll swallow my pride and spin w/ the ladies. Come race day, it's much better to be in the peloton--or chasing after it at a reasonable distance--than sitting on the couch.

Some won't agree with my strategy. That's fine. For better or worse, let the racing be the judge.