One full week off & a great ride today

♠ChumBucket♠

Been cycling since April & did my longest solo (all mine are solo ) ride last Sunday of 50 odd miles, a route with some real hills in it & I still managed an average of 15.6mph, I'm on a mountain bike too!

Anyhow, for the first time, on that ride I could REALY feel my legs weakening over the last 8 miles or so. I normally have 2 mid-week rides of approx 17 miles each but this week I haven't had the chance to get out so it's a full week with no riding & if I'm being totally honest I think I actually needed it after that 50 odd miler.

Went out this morning for 26 miles & felt strong as an ox!!! Man-pistons pumping away like a fiddler's elbow! Didn't suffer from my usual 6 mile warming up period or anything either!

So, is a short break from riding a good thing every so often?

Secteur

I have been thinking about this a lot lately, and I can definitively say that for me, a lack of mid-week rides significantly hamper my weekend performance.

OK, maybe not "significantly", but there is a noticeable difference in perceived effort, average speed and most noticeably heart rate on my long weekend rides when I havent been out during the week.

Hence, I always try to get in at least one good turbo-recovery ride in zone one, and a 20 mile leg stretcher on Tuesday & Thursdays. Alternatively I do a long ride on my Wednesday afternoon half day. Either way, I find I need something.

pinarellokid

just spent the week off from riding in Anglesey and came back today and did i 30 miler

still same time to complete just, but a little slower average speed,,

but i suffered all the way round,, found it really tough going,,

guess i need the midweeks too

saprkzz

In training programs you can find on the internet etc.. when hard training they say every 12 weeks take a 5 day break to let you body recover. I go from 6 days to 3 days, and this seems enough to give me ole legs their strength back.

Mikey23

ive just done a lot of miles on holiday in the new forest and am looking for a few days rest, tapering towards next sportive. listen to your body, everyone is different

dazzlers82

i can only ride every other week due to being on call an i feel i struggle again at the beginning of my week i can ride perhaps ill try do more on the turbo when im at home even if it is 5 minutes or an hour.

nickellis

I've just had a enforced 10 day break due to a dreadful throat infection, been on soup and bread because I couldn't open my mouth more that 10mm. Anyway I've lost at least 3kg as a side effect, and I'm expecting tomorrows commute to work to be epically fast because of the lower weight and replenished legs.