QUESTION: It appears that the strongest cyclists on our club rides are those who do the most miles before the official start. Some guys show up after already riding 20 or 30 miles. Do I worry too much about resting so I get to the ride fresh? — Dino A.
ROAD BIKE RIDER REPLIES: That’s interesting. I don’t think the rider who does more miles that day (in total) wins the last sprint simply because of the miles.
If doing lots of miles were the deciding factor, then it would escalate to where Race Across America riders who had ridden maybe 330 miles since the previous midnight would win a sprint at 6 p.m. Obviously, that’s not going to happen.
Instead, the big-mileage folks win because they’re capable of doing extra miles and still having power at the end of the club ride. I suspect they regularly do more miles, giving them the ability to ride longer and still have snap. Their overall training has made them fitter and stronger. There’s no magic in their extra miles before the club ride goes off.
However, there is a limit to how much sheer mileage can help you improve. At some point, probably between 150 and 200 miles per week, just riding more isn’t enough.
You have to add substantial doses of intensity, too. Once you reach 8-10 hours per week of riding, improvement slows dramatically or even reverses unless intervals, fast climbs or other hard efforts are included in the mix.
Some people simply have the ability to exercise more hours per week than others. Those people thrive on 300-mile weeks, or even longer.
The rest of us find our bodies breaking down if we try to put in huge miles, week after week. I’ve been there and done that.
The ability to train mega miles is one of the properties that separates an elite endurance athlete from a merely good endurance athlete.
If mega miles don’t work for you, be strategic in your training. As the coach says, interval training, hard hill climbs and other hard training techniques are what build strength and endurance. And you can incorporate such workouts in a fairly short ride. Warm up for 20 minutes, then assign yourself some hill sprints, phone pole sprints, and other kinds of speedplay. If you’re with another rider, you can do some leadouts. And you’re back home to cut the grass within 60-80 minutes.
One last thought: On race day, it’s better to be slightly undertrained that bedraggled and overtrained. Let that give you a psychological edge!
Another benefit from being a multi-mile-rider is knowing how much energy output is needed for various terrain, simply by being out there doing the miles.
Again, and I agree, if time or physical limitations are present for you, there are so many ways to reap benefits with lower overall miles. Experiment – which is in itself completely fun!