X: My Softride Won't Just Pedal Itself

The cardio floor supervisor at my gym asked how I can possibly do six-hour rides inside on my trainer. This guy looks fit and has a nice, flat stomach and all, but his question tells me he lacks mental strength. First of all, what else am I supposed to do when the temperature drops below 50 degrees? My Softride isn't just gonna pedal itself at Ironman Korea next August. You do what you gotta do. Secondly, even if I'm only going for a few hours, riding on my Cyclops is a great way to get in an epic workout in a short time—especially when I'm using my PowerCranks.

SportsCenter helps pass the time. College basketball games are cool, as are action movies with lots of chases and explosions. If nothing else is on, I pop in my Friends DVD. I make a game out of it by doing things like shiftng to a big gear when Ross is being extra dopey, hammering a one-minute sprint when Chandler cracks me up, or by going extra hard when Rachel and/or Monica are on screen. Phoebe…well, she's just Phoebe. I do allow myself one-minute breaks on the hour to use the bathroom, refill my bottles with Endurox, and to check my email to see if Coach Buzz has sent next week's workout.

Problems? Well, the carpet under my bike is stained. Geez, my landlord can't expect me to be perfect. I try to ride when my downstairs neighbor is gone, but it can be tough to find a six-hour window and she has pretty much stopped complaining, anyway. Oh, yeah: Those cheap headphones that came with my iPod seem to be broken and I can't be 100 percent certain sweat wasn't the cause. That's a small price to pay. - Racer X