Really long rides and recovery?

freehub

Ok, so as with the other posts it's obvious I'm wanting to do more training for TT's.

I miss long rides, and I do want to get a few long rides in.

This Saturday I'm doing an audax, mostly flat to Hull, 150-160 miles, should not be hard at all, but there is another one I'd like to do because it's such a brilliant ride, that will be about 170-180 miles for me and it very hilly for around 100 miles in between, I'd be doing a 10 mile TT the day before.

Now I think if I took 1-2 days off totally after I'd feel fully recovered, but would I? I've got a TT on the coming Thursday after the ride, so would I end up doing that TT and despite feeling ok end up with a lower time due to the effect of this longer ride?

Basically, would it end up screwing me up for TT'ing for the rest of the season?

You could say I've not got my priorities right, but I really don't want to eliminate 100% of long rides.

sheffsimon

freehub wrote:

Ok, so as with the other posts it's obvious I'm wanting to do more training for TT's.

I miss long rides, and I do want to get a few long rides in.

This Saturday I'm doing an audax, mostly flat to Hull, 150-160 miles, should not be hard at all, but there is another one I'd like to do because it's such a brilliant ride, that will be about 170-180 miles for me and it very hilly for around 100 miles in between, I'd be doing a 10 mile TT the day before.

Now I think if I took 1-2 days off totally after I'd feel fully recovered, but would I? I've got a TT on the coming Thursday after the ride, so would I end up doing that TT and despite feeling ok end up with a lower time due to the effect of this longer ride?

Basically, would it end up screwing me up for TT'ing for the rest of the season?

You could say I've not got my priorities right, but I really don't want to eliminate 100% of long rides.

I would say if you enjoy doing both, do both and don't worry about it. Presumably you are riding the bike because of the enjoyment you derive from it?

I have got some of best road race results after monster training rides the day before. Not saying I wouldn't have done better if I had rested or whatever but WGAF?

SBezza

Will you should be fine with 1 or 2 days recovery, if you did mutliple days of that sort of mileage, then your body would need longer to get the benefits of it, but for a 1 off ride you will have no issues. You are fairly used to long rides and will get over them quicker, the other month I did a 105 mile ride during the day and then a 10 in the evening, still put out fairly good power for the 10, and was only 14 secs off my course PB at the time.

I do lots of long rides and yet still do fairly quick 10's . No doubt I would be quicker if I did more intervals, but I am not really interested in 10's. Doing a long ride each week is still good training IMO, just make sure it is quality and not just bimbling around and you will get benefit's from it that will help in all cycling disicplines.

The audax ride WILL NOT have any detremental impact on the rest of your season, unless you crash and injure yourself.

danowat

Audaxes are generally done at a slow(er) pace, therefore any recovery would need to be (IMO) pretty minimal.

I come from a running background, where recovery is much more (IMO) important, I am quickly finding that I need way, way less recovery than I thought I would, I can easily do back to back weekend TT's and 1- 2 club or open TT's in the week, and still continue to train / commute throughout the week.

I did my first 50 mile TT off the back of a new 10 mile PB, I did a course 10 PB, and an overall 25PB this weekend back to back (10 sat, 25 sun) following, the week before, 3 x 10s and a 50.

Ultimately, listen to your body, you won't know what you are capable of untill you try, if you feel ok, carry on, if you feel you need to rest, rest, you need to get in tune with your body.

SBezza

danowat wrote:

Audaxes are generally done at a slow(er) pace, therefore any recovery would need to be (IMO) pretty minimal.
.

That depends, the max average speed is 18 mph, and 160 miles at 18 mph average will be a challenging ride, especially if Will did it on his own. Then again if he did it in a group at a more modest pace, then yes recovery should be fairly quick, certainly be recovered by the Thursday TT.

danowat

Its just a different mentallity and mindset from a race, you can go at a pace to suit you (aslong as you get to the controls in time), and don't have to blitz it, infact, blitzing it goes against the whole idea of an audax (IMO)

amaferanga

danowat wrote:

Its just a different mentallity and mindset from a race, you can go at a pace to suit you (aslong as you get to the controls in time), and don't have to blitz it, infact, blitzing it goes against the whole idea of an audax (IMO)

Yeah but this is Will - you know he's going to be obsessing about his average speed so he won't just be taking it easy.

freehub

I'm not obsessed about average speed that much.

On long rides I do like to put in some efforts now and again cause they're fun and I've always like to push up hills.

This weekend though I'm doing 160 miles, and if I enter this one I'd like to do that it's 180 miles hilly next sunday.

I won't have anymore open TT's till 6th August where I'll do a 25 mile so I'll do club training rides and they end up around 80-90 miles for me at around 20mph cause it's 12 miles there and 12 miles back for me to the start.