What does “Recovery Ride” mean to you?
02-20-23, 05:59 PM
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What does “Recovery Ride” mean to you?
Had a great 75 mile Ride Saturday with a good time and worked on my form, very nice ride. So today I intend to do a recovery ride ( whatever that means) and end up doing 50 miles with 2300’ climbing though it was at a more relaxed pace.
So it got me to thinking : what is a recovery ride exactly or what is it to you? Probably a very wide open question but I’ve never really thought about it before.
So it got me to thinking : what is a recovery ride exactly or what is it to you? Probably a very wide open question but I’ve never really thought about it before.
02-20-23, 06:12 PM
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A flat ride at zone 1-2 pace, probably with a coffee stop in the middle. No longer than 2 hours (usually).
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02-20-23, 10:14 PM
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Generally a recovery ride is an easy ride to keep you pedaling but not put out a ton of effort. Something to keep my limber and stretched but nothing very taxing on the body. Usually much shorter then the previous days ride(s). Maybe it is a more fun ride but at the very least it is not a hard strenuous ride. Sitting and doing nothing isn't great after a big ride so the recovery ride helps ease the body either into not riding as much or to help keep you going enough so you can go hard again.
02-20-23, 10:35 PM
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For me a recovery ride is not 50 miles... Ha
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02-21-23, 12:18 AM
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I don't have a defined speed/effort/distance/time.
It's what I feel like at the time.
It's been a 60min ride with my wife at 13mph.
It's been a 2hr ride with kids at 15mph.
It's been a 90min solo ride at 17mph.
It's been a 40min ride to get ice cream with my youngest at 11mph.
It's what I feel like at the time.
It's been a 60min ride with my wife at 13mph.
It's been a 2hr ride with kids at 15mph.
It's been a 90min solo ride at 17mph.
It's been a 40min ride to get ice cream with my youngest at 11mph.
02-21-23, 12:37 AM
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An easy ride the day after a hard effort which provides some movement in the legs.
The evening after a marathon, I go to the gym and rotate sitting in the pool and hottub. The next day i get on a stationary and do an easy spin for 30 minutes with little resistance. Do the same thing for a couple more days. Good to go after that.
The evening after a marathon, I go to the gym and rotate sitting in the pool and hottub. The next day i get on a stationary and do an easy spin for 30 minutes with little resistance. Do the same thing for a couple more days. Good to go after that.
02-21-23, 12:38 AM
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A "Recovery Ride" is a full-on race ride where the people who raced hard on the weekend and didn't win try to sandbag everybody by claiming "It's just a recovery ride .... my legs are wrecked" but the sand gets dumped about a mile out and pretty soon the whole peloton is blasting along .....
What it is Supposed to be, someone told me (maybe one of the many voices in my head) is a mild active period on the bike where you do not exert your muscles but just move them, as the increased blood flow helps clear out dead and damaged cells and brings more food more quickly to repairing and growing and new cells, thus speeding the regrowth period .... less soreness, faster recovery.
Sitting is great, but increased blood flow is better ... but if you actually work your muscles much, then you are using less muscle (because more is damaged from the prior hard effort) to do the same work which damages more muscle, which actually extends the recovery period.
I don't advise others to listen to the voices in my head.
What it is Supposed to be, someone told me (maybe one of the many voices in my head) is a mild active period on the bike where you do not exert your muscles but just move them, as the increased blood flow helps clear out dead and damaged cells and brings more food more quickly to repairing and growing and new cells, thus speeding the regrowth period .... less soreness, faster recovery.
Sitting is great, but increased blood flow is better ... but if you actually work your muscles much, then you are using less muscle (because more is damaged from the prior hard effort) to do the same work which damages more muscle, which actually extends the recovery period.
I don't advise others to listen to the voices in my head.
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02-21-23, 01:11 AM
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When I was racing, my trainer said zone 1 (don't go anaerobic) for about an hour or two. The local club seems to disagree and instead defines it as trying to rip each other's legs off.
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02-21-23, 05:07 AM
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Zone 1 - 30-45 min max, just to flush out the crap. Thats my understanding of a recovery ride.
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02-21-23, 06:28 AM
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As above, 30-45 mins of very easy Z1 pedalling, ideally at a fairly high cadence. It requires serious discipline if another cyclist should pass you!
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02-21-23, 06:31 AM
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For me it's a full glass of water a 30 minute wait then a 20 to 30 minute ride at minimal effort to loosen-up and hydrate the legs, back and core. Longer or shorter if I feel it necessary.
02-21-23, 06:33 AM
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Trying a recovery ride on a new bike is hard. I apparently lack discipline.
.
.
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02-21-23, 08:13 AM
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A recovery ride is only declared after being dropped on club ride on the big climb.
02-21-23, 08:40 AM
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02-21-23, 12:23 PM
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"Gotta limit the power, I'm on a taper."
"I really shouldn't be here at all, this is supposed to be a rest day."
Etc.
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02-21-23, 02:31 PM
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Since this is in General Cycling, I'm going to feel free to respond "absolutely nothing". Some days I ride faster than others, and I vary the distances a lot. A few years ago, my summer routine weekend was 150 miles on Saturday, 50 on Sunday. Monday was recovery day, I just didn't ride. Now my summer routine is 150 miles total for the weekend. I do several 25 mile rides after work during the week, but I try to make those pretty fast.
02-21-23, 03:16 PM
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Active recovery ride (for me) hovers around an hour, flat terrain ride, power strictly Z1 where possible, 25-35 TSS.
A full recovery day I tend not to ride at all.
A full recovery day I tend not to ride at all.
02-21-23, 06:22 PM
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I drive down to the beach and take a casual walk down there, 2 to 3 miles in length. I'll stop on the way down and get a large cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll to eat, too (carbo replacement).
Even during my youthful days running middle and long distance the typical recovery was to do something different (like a bicycle ride), emphasis on using different muscle groups.
Even during my youthful days running middle and long distance the typical recovery was to do something different (like a bicycle ride), emphasis on using different muscle groups.
02-21-23, 06:31 PM
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As an alternate, I sometimes join the local recovery group ride where we ride an easy 16-18mph double pace line for the flat first half, then try to make each other bleed out of our eyeballs in the hilly second half. Then, we get coffee.
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02-21-23, 06:38 PM
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My recovery ride is 4 miles on my favorite bike, in nice weather, recovering from a hard day at work, with a Recovery Beverage waiting for me at home
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02-21-23, 08:23 PM
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These days, it’s the ride I do when I ran the day before. Probably an hour or so and keeping HR in zone 1 and 2. Just fun. I usually do my own rides so there is no issue with keeping up with anyone. And just as likely it would be a walk.
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02-21-23, 10:36 PM
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There's putzing level, which is conversational but still putting in some effort. Maybe putzing with a buddy you might get into a thing where his front wheel is just in front of yours so you speed up, and next thing you know you've set a PR on some obscure segment. That's not a recovery ride, that's junk miles, which can be fun but are not helpful for training purposes.
Then there's sub putzing level, which is moving. Spin in a low gear, and don't shift up for any reason. When you finish, you feel fresher than when you started. That's a recovery ride.
Then there's sub putzing level, which is moving. Spin in a low gear, and don't shift up for any reason. When you finish, you feel fresher than when you started. That's a recovery ride.
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02-21-23, 10:42 PM
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beer.
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