DaveLeeNC

I have pretty much come to the conclusion that at age 70 (soon, anyway) I need more than 1 rest day per week. Not that many years ago it seemed to be enough. Now it doesn't seem to matter how easy 'yesterday was' (within reason, and that is part of the question here), on the 6th (or even 4th) day my sense of things is that I am too fatigued to ride effectively (from either a training or performance perspective). So some questions.

1) If you try to 'ride' on a 'rest day' (or maybe just say ride an easy day such that you have pretty good recovery), just how easy and how long (as a percentage of your weekly mileage) do you go. Or does this just not work. Even on my easy days I tend toward the top of Z2 and maybe that is not easy enough

2) I am seriously considering (for the next month, anyway) a plan where I ride 2 days on, then rest (no riding), and repeat. I have a bigtime hilly century coming up in about 4 weeks, so I was going to change my current training 'plan' to that structure. I would probably keep my weekly mileage in the same 200-250 range that I have been in, FWIW. Anyone ever tried this or just have comments on that?

3) From what I can tell the Grand Tour cyclists typically have 2 rest days over a 3 week period, and it seems that they ride on those rest days. I am hardly at that level, but I am curious as to what those rides look like. And I seriously doubt that me mimic'ing them is a good idea, if anyone out there is thinking that I have gone mad

Thanks.

dave

TakingMyTime

My only advice is anecdotal. I've been pushing myself lately and for various reasons, mostly social, I really couldn't get on the bike and ride for 4 days. When I got back on after that much rest I was able to set my best MPH time this summer. The extended rest really seemed to help. My usual routine is Ride/Gym/Ride/Rest - Repeat.

I don't see how taking a couple of days off is going to be detrimental to your performance. Heck, you're already riding 800 - 1000 miles a month. Take a couple of days off.

redlude97

I would build your training schedule around 2-3 hard days a week, and 1 long easy ride. The rest of the days off the bike unless you know you're fresh. How are you keeping track of your efforts? HR? Power?

McNamara

I'm a bit younger at 38 but I need my rest days too. I schedule four rides and two gym days per week, with one day completely off. However, I go by feel and how hard I've gone lately, and if I feel overly fatigued (as I did today) I'll take a second rest day. I also keep an eye on the fatigue level Strava has estimated for me based on heart rate.

When I have an easy day/recovery ride planned, I do my best to stick to zone 1 or the low end of zone 2. It will also be a shorter ride comparatively. Two days on and one day off seems like a good plan for you. That rest day will help your body rebuild the damage you've done on the preceding days and come back better adapted.

canklecat

Hate to admit it but in my early 60s, recovering from thyroid issues and injuries last year, I need a lot more rest than I used to. Generally I would ride when I felt like it, which was most days. But I wasn't seeing any improvements. So this year I took a little more methodical approach.

I try to get 2-3 full rest days a week now, between moderate to high intensity workout rides. I don't cheat and ride for workouts at all on rest days. I might walk a mile or two at a very leisurely pace. But my only activity on rest days is stretching, range of motion exercises and some body weight strengthening exercises. If I ride at all on rest days, it's a 2 mile round trip to the grocery store, late at night after it's cooled off and the traffic is quiet. I don't rush.

I also try to sleep more. For years I rarely slept more than 6 hours a day and usually only 2-4 hours. In part that's because I was a full time caregiver for three consecutive older family members (my background was in nursing). So I always slept lightly in case there was an emergency, or someone fell. Now those folks are gone and I realized I don't need to do that anymore. So I try to sleep at least 8 hours. Sometimes I'll go back to bed after coffee and a snack. If I'm really tired I don't feel a bit guilty if I sleep 12 hours. And it really seems to help when I get back on the bike.

I got a HR monitor (Wahoo Tickr) to have a little more info to go on. One problem I've had is erratic BP and HR from a wonky endocrine system, combined with a pinched nerve in my neck from injuries, and possibly from a heart murmur worsening (I have medical appointments coming up the next couple of months to check on this stuff). Before the thyroid surgery to remove cancer, and getting on replacement meds, my resting pulse was usually around 80-90. Now it's 55-60 most of the time. And usually my BP is good. But for no apparent reason occasionally my resting HR won't drop below 90 and my BP will be around 140-160/90.

So instead of just winging it and going by how I feel, I also pay attention to my heart rate during rides and adjust my effort accordingly. Tuesday night I felt fantastic and set some of my fastest times on a familiar 30 mile route. My usual average on that roller coaster terrain is 16 mph, with around 1,400' elevation gain over lots of short, steep punchy climbs. But Tuesday night I hit 18 mph in neutral wind. Didn't even feel like I was going that speed, just an unusually good night. Probably helped that the temp was only in the low 80s, pretty cool for Texas in August.

But during Thursday afternoon's club ride I felt drained even after a full day's rest Wednesday, and my BP spiked to 140 as soon as I got on the bike and stayed around 150-167 even with only moderate felt effort. Another rider in the group was also feeling blah (we have similar medical issues), so we both slowed way down and chattered, since conversation helps regulate an appropriate moderate effort. We both felt better after letting the rest of the group go and just going our own pace. It was hot and humid so that was a factor.

I'm still riding about 400-500 miles a month, but I don't set any distance goals. My goals are improving specific areas that have thwarted me for the past couple of years, especially climbing speed. So I usually do a couple of workouts on more hilly terrain, around 20-30 miles, which I can handle at a sustained fairly hard (for me) pace. And I'll do one or two group rides a week at a more moderate pace, usually finishing with 40-60 miles.

I'd like to do longer rides but chronic neck pain from old injuries usually limits my distance to around 50-60 miles. I can ride farther some days but only if I go my own pace and stop to stretch when necessary. That usually means solo rides, although a couple of friends don't mind accommodating my preferences for rest breaks and those are pleasant longer rides.

What I need to do to improve the neck thing is more physical therapy off the bike, which I've neglected the past couple of weeks after doing two months of structure PT at a clinic 2-3 days a week. It helped but I haven't kept up with it at home.

Seattle Forrest

On rest days I'll go for rides sometimes, but try to keep below 100w. I can't do it for long, it's boring. I don't need to push hard to enjoy myself, but I do need to keep the bike moving. I have a < 10 mile lol this works for, almost completely flat. Some days it does nothing for me, some days I feel better afterwards.

DaveLeeNC

Although I have HR data available on most rides, Power is my primary measurement (along with RPE, of course). Your suggestion would be more along the lines of riding every other day. I don't think that I need that much rest at this point - but cannot be sure.

dave

Carbonfiberboy 

This is a specific question, not a general one. This is what still works for me at 74. At 4 weeks out, this is not general cycling training anymore. You're done with that. During this time, I schedule one really serious ride a week. It would be worth it to drive to the mountains for this ride. I do. I start my taper 10 days out, so that would be starting Tuesday the 18th.

This is already Friday, so a big ride this week is problematic due to traffic. Maybe a long local ride. Then you'll have time for 2 big mountain rides. I make the first of those about 1/2 my proposed riding time, distance, and gain for the event. The next week's ride, 3/4 the riding time, distance, and gain. If you can manage a 3rd mountain ride in the next few days from now, make it another 1/2 distance ride. I take 2 days off before these training rides. I ride them all out, to exhaustion. The day after these hard rides, I either do a long zone 1 ride or just 30' of recovery on my rollers, depending on how I feel. A long Z1 (up to 3-4 hours) ride would be preferable if one didn't sense damage from it, but it's critical that one stay in Z1. No hills! I'll take a day off after that recovery ride.

Between that day off and the 2 days off before the next hard ride, I'll do some little stuff. A fave is a Z1 ride with one or more 90" full gas intervals, 5 minutes between if doing more than one. 30' to 1 hour for these, no more. So 2 rides, with a day off between them. If you feel great, leave out that day off.

I taper by using a straight line decrease in my CTL during my 10-day taper. I want it to drop, but not too far. I want my TSB to be about 15 the day of the event. Most of my taper is using the previously described long Z1 and Z1 + interval rides. Again, 2 days off before the event. Hopefully you're using TrainingPeaks or Strava Summit or similar so that you can get your stress level just right for the event. I've never done it by feel, only by the numbers.

I have had good success with the above for many years. On my event this year, I finished far ahead of anyone close to my age and I'm not a strong rider, just well prepared.

DaveLeeNC

Carbonfiberboy, thanks for the details and your experience - very helpful.

I do have my data in WK0+ (3.0 - old version). So I will take a closer look at that and see what of your past fits for me. FWIW, my next 'big thing' is an organized century (Tour de Moore) on Monday. Lots of rolling stuff (4K of climbing maybe) but nothing that really counts as a climb. So it is more just miles and a long training ride in my case.

dave

Carbonfiberboy 

Perfect. Ride the heck out of it! Ride it as a TT, short stops, steady, strong pressure. If you have anything left at about 80, leave it all on the road. The last 3 miles, pick it up, simulate a lead-out, sprint the finish, but finishing that a couple hundred yards out. No need to scare the children.

After that, ride, but watch your TSB. You'll want it to be a little positive by your next long ride.