Originally Posted by 5kdad

I once remember hearing someone talk about your fitness level might be indicated by how long it takes your heart rate to get back to a "normal" range after you ride. Or put another way, if your heart rate is still up a certain percentage after a few hours after you ride, then you might want to backing off a bit on your time or intensity.
Anyone familiar with those figures? The rate of increase and the amount of time after a ride? Today was a rainy day here, so I turned on the Vuelta a Espaņa, and spent two hours on my Airdyne bike. Four hours later, my heart rate was still a bit above 100. My normal rate is in the 70's.