then gain it again?
I heard you start losing fitness after a couple of weeks of not riding...
Anyone agree?
About 2 weeks in my experience then about 6 to get it back
2 weeks sounds right. I went on hols for 2 weeks and was definitely slower on my return. Conversely it's taken me 2 weeks of riding about 4 times a week to get back to where I was.
6 weeks to get it back!???
Crikey...I better get my ass in gear
Yes 2 weeks is right, I just went for my first ride after 2 weeks off and really struggled to stay with the pack 🙁
However a few days off after a hard week will do you wonders and you'll be proper strong
The time between deciding to go for a ride (where I feel great) and the first 100m of riding (where I feel completely sh@fted).
I've lost my "fitness" in the first 5 miles of a ride the gained it back in the last 50.
May my rib heal soon 🙁
I reckon it depends on how (un)fit you were in the first place.
I think I lose it in the time it takes to drive home!
It's hard to make a comeback when you've never been anywhere
They say for every week off the bike you loose 3 weeks fitness.
So Steve_b77's 2:6 ratio is about right.
For me to completely lose all fitness takes about as long as it takes for my knee to stop hurting after a ride..
To regain it again always takes about 2 or three weeks longer than it takes for my knee to start hurting again.. 🙁
Whereas for me a couple of weeks off & I can feel a loss of fitness, but in a couple of rides it comes back again. Don't know If I've an 'inherent fitness' thing built in after 23 years of riding. ❓
FYI I'm 56 & about 3 stone heavier than I'd like!
Due to all this heat I have not ridden for 2 weeks and have found it really hard to get back on pace.
Before my break I had just pulled 700+ miles in a month (offroad) and did my first century with ease, yesterday I did my short 15 mile loop and was 4 minutes off my pace which wasn't too bad but slogging up the long climbs on my SS which I normally fly up I was getting very slightly out of breath 🙁
sucks man
They say for every week off the bike you loose 3 weeks fitness.
So Steve_b77's 2:6 ratio is about right
So if I ride once a week like I normally do I am then 3 months un-fitter in a month????
i recently had my arm pinned in place and was off the bike for 4 months, when doing physio i asked how long it would take for my fitness to come back and they stated for every week you lose it takes 4 weeks to gain back :/
Too many variables to say.
Your not really going to loose it in 2 weeks you may drop a little but you'll not be at the point of pushing up the hills. Even myself who barely ride these days have noticed just by riding almost once a month 😳 and managing twice this month I've noticed an improvement. I know if I was to stick in I'd get a reasonable base within a few weeks.
Coped with almost 4k feet of climbing in about 23 miles on Friday there was a few silly steep sections that I know have done in the past I had to push on though which is frustrating.
everybody is different and it depends on the level of fitness you have in the first place. I've been for months in the past taking hardly any physical exercise then when I get back on the bike I'm all of ten minutes slower over say a 15mile cross country ride. Building quick recovery times back up definitley takes more than a few weeks though.
it depends how often you ride, if you have been riding for 10-15 hours a week for years, two weeks off will make no difference and may have a positive effect if you didnt eat and drink yourself silly that is.. 😉
The longer you take to build fitness, the slower you lose it. What you lose over a few weeks is some cardio capacity or top-end ability, but leg strength tends to remain for longer. If you have good base-miles fitness your ability to ride a century etc won't fade that fast at all, but your pop up the hills may feel lacking, that's more about the mystery of form than fitness I think?
If you ride a lot, a week or 2 rest can do wonders. Much depends on what you call fitness - 2 hr XC pace or 12hr+ endurance pace.
If we're talking about holidays I think it depends where you go - A week pottering about in Paris will be fine - A week getting smashed in Faliraki - forget it, you wont be able to balance let alone pedal.
Depends. After a week off from hard riding I was stronger.
Two weeks off, IME takes a few steady and one hard ride to get it back.
Also depends what you do in the weeks off, putting on a few pounds will set you back loads.
10/20/30/40 years of cycling isn't going to just disappear.
Edit; I notice that some of my ex club mates go on a training bender after being on holiday/drinking/eating bender. They put on a few pounds and plan silly training schedules to loose it again, schedules they can't keep and end up ****ing themselves.
