Rest and Capability

meanredspider

Something I've noticed during my time doing 30 mile round trip commutes 4 days a week is that I expected, after having rested the weekend, Monday to be my "best" day for speed and capability but Tuesday morning is often better.

Any ideas why this is?

Richard

Bronzie

Once your body gets used to regular (daily) doses of cycling, it can throw it a bit to have a few days of doing nothing at all.

It's not uncommon to have "wooden legs" after a few days of complete rest. This is why the pros ride on their rest days in the 3 week tours (albeit a light couple of hours spinning the pedals).

neeb

I find the same thing, if I've rested for a few days the day I start again is not so good, but the next day is way better and usually better than before I rested. So the rest is beneficial over all, but it takes a day to get the legs working properly again.

meanredspider

Good to know there's some logic to it and that I'm not the only one. Maybe worth me putting in a few gentle miles on a Sunday to make Monday better - or at least seeing if it does. It's just that 7-8 hours a week on a bike is really all I want to be doing so that it doesn't become a chore.

neeb

For me I think it makes a difference even doing any form of gentle exercise on days I'm not cycling, e.g. just walking briskly a mile or two to the shops or whatever. Anything that gets the legs working a little!

amaferanga

You're not racing, so why does it matter if you're a bit slower on Monday than you are on Tuesday?

Hudster

amaferanga wrote:

You're not racing, so why does it matter if you're a bit slower on Monday than you are on Tuesday?

I take it you don't clock in then?

meanredspider

amaferanga wrote:

You're not racing, so why does it matter if you're a bit slower on Monday than you are on Tuesday?

Why does it matter how fast I am on any day....?

For all those reasons, it matters how fast I am on Mondays