Originally Posted by
rousseau
I don't know how to read my body's signals. Or maybe I'm no spring chicken anymore. Is that it?
It's probably not so much that you don't know how to read your body's signals as it's just that you're not listening. I know, because I have the same exact problem, but I'm getting better. One thing I've found to do is other activities, such as running, because I can control myself better during a run, but when I'm on a bike I go crazy and end up having to go through a very long recovery period...and yes I also get the dizzy feelings and increased resting HR. I swear if I were a professional cyclists I'd be a sprinter, just love it. The important thing is that you realize you are overtraining and start taking steps to reduce them.
The one good thing from my riding style is that when I do take it easy, not doing those crazy accelerations, I actually ride faster (once I've recovered) and I can ride a long time at those speeds. So in a way those have been some great anaerobic workouts, just need to learn how to back off a little.