Originally Posted by
gtrob
Its not to say ignore the fine details, especially as you get to the top of your game. But people new to the sport, really need to just worry about the 20% for a while and its all they need to progress and enjoy the sport.
I think there's something to this.
Someone I know is returning to cycling after a 6-year hiatus. She had maybe a season and a half before that hiatus. During the hiatus, she still rode her bike regularly but mostly as a commuter. And, she just had an extremely full season back in race mode - tons of crits, track, and cx. She had a killer season - hard at first, but just constant gains in fitness. It's not because she's training with great precision or anything - it's just the regularity of racing and training provides this huge, initial platform for adaptation.
I've seen this happen with a lot of newbies, too - especially ones who are already athletic. Riders like this get gains from just doing what they do. Simply riding and racing a lot leads to the greatest gains. Getting more involved is great, but it's not necessary to make those initial gains.
I wouldn't describe the rule as 80/20, but there is something to be said for the fact that big,
intitial gains can come simply. I guess the important part is knowing that there's a point at which that will change, and continuing to make gains is going to get a lot harder.