Subject: RE: 500km ride , 2 weeks before an HIM Agree in general with what has already been said. But I will add that there is a lot more factors than just distance. If I could hand pick 40 other people to ride with me, where we can ride 3-4 wide on really smooth roads, without any steep climbing, I'm pretty sure I could knock out 500 km in 3 days without causing any residual fatigue. The draft benefit can be huge in a big group...so much so that sitting in the pack can save you over 50% of the effort that the guy(s) at the front are putting out. I've done rides where we're cruising along at 25 mph, into a head wind (which I can't feel) where I'm barely in Z2. The guys up front are likely at threshold though...and rotating...but you can literally sit at the back and get a free ride if the group is big enough and you don't get dropped on any hills or rollers. On the other hand, if the group you're riding with is smaller, meaning you don't get as much of a draft benefit, and you have to do some share of the work...along with rough roads and climbs...then even a single 100 mile ride could be a lot to recover from. The good news though is that biking is non impact, and recovery time is a lot less than say running 100 km in 3 days. |