Originally Posted by
cyclezen
I try to do a 'recovery' ride, pace and distance to be determined by the legs and some extent, general overall feel. Recovery ride goes until the legs start feeling 'normal' again. Which these days usually is somewhere around 20 to 25 mi., with very, very light climbing requirements.
Then the day after 'recovery ride' usually has me feeling good.
That sounds very familiar. My 'recovery' ride is also mostly flat and lasts 1.5-2 hours (with a mid-ride coffee stop), but I don't stay in zone 1 as is commonly recommended. I'll spend most of the time in zone 2, with a higher than typical cadence for the effort.
When I do a decent 'recovery' ride, the next day's ride almost always goes well. Far better than if I didn't ride at all.