Do those extra miles help your cycling performance?

Do I need those long 4-6 hours endurance rides ?

Are they part of the old school of training ? Is it better to focus on shorter but high intensity workouts?

Here, in USA it's common belief that if you race mainly criterium you do not need to ride longer than 2 hours. In Italy when you register for a Granfondo (90-200 km) the first thing they ask is "Do you have 7,000-8,000 km (4,000-5,000 miles) in your legs?". If your answer is no, you don't want to experience that "look mixed with disappointment and disapproval" that you will get.

Who's right? Again, depends on your goals.
If you participate in road racing (60-80 miles) , which means 2.5-4 hours races with some climbing, for sure you need those long 4-6 hours endurance rides.
You need to be able to ride with comfort 4-5 hours, in order to be able to race 2.5-3.5 hours.
If you are able just to ride at endurance level for 3 hours, after 1 hour of racing you will bonk.

Do you remember from my post back in April? For Events/races longer than 3 hours

• 7-12 hours/week if you just want to finish the race
  15-25 hours/week for high performance and place yourself in the race

Why? The bigger and stronger is your aerobic system, longer will be the period you will be able to ride at high intensity in racing still using your aerobic system and consequently before you accumulate lactic acid and you fatigue.

You cannot rely for too long time on your anaerobic system..... especially if you cannot recover much between high intensity efforts. You max can sustain 20 min at your threshold or 2-3 min a time in your anaerobic zone.

Now. Does this mean that your training should focus only on long endurance rides? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Otherwise you will have the opposite problem. You will never improve or get faster, because your body is not used and trained to clear lactic acid or tolerate lactic acid and you will fatigue as soon as you hit that intensity...

I will come back on this later in specific, but latest studies show that the majority of the physical adaptions that will influence your performance occur if you train at a specific high intensity!

I recommend that during the week you keep your short and intense workouts, but do at least one long endurance ride during the weekend.

These are my 1 million dollar TIPS:

1. Have 2 groups to ride with. Use the group with riders stronger than you for shorter (70-80% of the length of your races) group rides where you can simulate racing environment and where you can push yourself beyond the point you go during a training session by yourself. Use a group with riders at your level or lower for that weekly long endurance ride (120% -130% longer than your races). In this way you will not feel the pressure, and you will be able to keep that comfort pace for long period.


2. Now, endurance does not mean "recovery". Include in your long endurance rides, climbs or efforts where you stay at 75-80% of your max for longer periods, 2-3 times during the ride.

TESTIMONIAL - Incredible but true (incredibile ma vero)!

While I was writing this post, I got an email from one of my athletes in Italy. This is the 1st year I am coaching him.

Today he placed himself in the top 10% of his category (39 on 353 ) and this is what he wrote:
" I do not have comparison with last year for this race, since they changed route, however, I finished after 4 hours and 15 min still fresh while the previous years I was already exhausted after 3 hours and 30 min for the same race with a shorter route and with less climbing..This year I felt good and I could still push all the way until the end" (Massimo Marinozzi, Verona, Italy).