long or short rides

andy610

are long cycle rides better or short cycle rides ive just done a 62 mile ride this weekend it took me 4and a half hrs a few weeks back i did a 30mile ride it took me 2 hrs, i was wondering if long distances help or are say 30 miles better for fitness as it takes longer to recover from long distance, i started cycling last oct to work to keep fit 7 miles each way, i also did a 70 mile ride a few months back im 45 is 70 miles too far for me at 45 should i stick to say 30 miles

craiguk

Andy, it really depends on what your training for. Normally a good training program will be a combination of both long and short rides at varying pace. For example if you are training for track racing longer distances may be less useful than for road racing etc.

powenb

I always mix mine up, with some short (say hour and half) rides, doing some sprints or fast pace in the middle half hour.
Then another day i will do a long steady pace ride.

Mix it up, and keep it interesting.

LeighB

Listen to your body, if your over doing it and aching have a rest. I had a ride of about 85 miles on Saturday, felt ok so went out on Sunday and did 30 miles; today my legs are aching so I am sat at the computer having a night off. I am 39 and training for this event

http://www.3countieschallenge.co.uk/def ... x?pageId=1

SteveR_100Milers

I'd ask yourself what do you enjoy doing? 30 mile rides or 70+? Which give you the most satisfaction? Do you enjoy riding when you're out doing it? Sort out the answers to these basic questions, and I think you will find whats good for you.

nmcgann

I do both long and short rides (I'm 45 too).

e.g. My weekly training schedule has a fairly intense 35-40 mile ride, a slower 70-80 mile ride, a very intense 10mile club TT plus 2 x 1h-ish turbo sessions. These are designed to work on different parts of my overall cycling fitness, so they are all necessary.

Based on my experience before I started getting some training advice I'd say just doing long moderate rides will make you fitter, but it doesn't make you much faster, you need to add some (much) higher intensity on top to help develop a turn of speed.

Neil

phreak

I normally do some shorter rides during the week and then a long one on Saturday.

Mark Alexander

Mixing it up is most important . as is intensity.