Just curious as to how many people who ride 3-4 times/week do this as a matter of course and do you find you find a week is enough or do you take longer?

I have been following a lengthy base building endurance phase for the last few months and during the Christmas week I did the Rapha 500 challenge. But I will be honest and say that I am bored of being on the bike for 14+ hours/week, grinding out the miles doing 5 hour back to back rides at the weekend just to try and build a good base for cycle touring. I Still enjoy the twice weekly gym strength sessions though, so not all bad.

The Cycling weekly programme mentions reducing volume every 4th week, but even that week still involves 2 gyms sessions and 2 rides, so not really a week off.

I can’t even comprehend it.

Yes, occasionally take a week or most of a week off, sometimes because I’m busy, sometimes because I’m knackered! (Never because I’m bored of it though!) Always feel better/fitter for it after.

What do you want to achieve with the break? Recovery, or just getting over being over it? I take an occasional break from riding and just heal up all teh wee scrapes and bumps and pulls and get really, really rested and tbh I always feel like a superhuman the first ride back…

But if you’re just bored of your routine then it’ll be no different after a week ime and could feel worse. Personally I ride to ride, no other reason so if I’m not into it I just do something else- you’ve got a specific purpose but maybe a change of routine alone could do it? Base building doesn’t have to be a joyless grind, that’s just the most efficient way.

I’ve taken this week off, apart from weeks when I’m away on holiday it’s the only week I take off all year.

I commute 20 miles each way on average 4 times a week and it’s hard going during December. I also ride at the weekend.

I was shattered last week as I had a beast of headwind every day riding home, ride home on Friday was a slog.

Looking forward to get back on it on Monday. As others have said I ride my bike because I enjoy riding, not because I have to. I wouldn’t ride if I found it boring, I love it.

Bear with me on this;

I used to be climbing the walls waiting for my next bike ride, missing my mid week ride was a major disappointment.

Then we got a dog last spring and I’m out the house twice a day walking him (we’re up to about an hour at a time now).

What I’ve found is that it wasn’t the bike ride that I was getting rattled about missing or looking forward to it – it was the ‘head space’ that the time out of the house just doing something different gave me.

So, my advice is don’t just cut out the bike ride/the gym for a week do something else that gets you out and about – stroll along the prom, by a riverbank or in the woods. Use the time to not think about much other than what you’re doing.

I think the mental space you gain will compensate for the lack of bike rides and your body will get some recovery time.

What do you want to achieve with the break? Recovery, or just getting over being over it?

That’s a good question. For me, I know that the hours and hours spent grinding out the base miles will add value when I bikepack, but it is maintaining that focus. I do wonder if I could be suffering from a bit of overtraining. Loss of motivation, constantly sore legs and feeling fatigued. Maybe that is why I don’t want to ride.

Loss of motivation, constantly sore legs and feeling fatigued. Maybe that is why I don’t want to ride.

Apart from the lack of motivation that was me pretty much through December, every ride apart from a couple was in the dark, it’s hard going, still enjoyed the rides but I was sore and tired.

Haven’t ridden since Friday evening, legs are starting to feel better and I can’t wait to ride again, was tempted to ride today but decided against it as the rest really will do me good.

For me, I know that the hours and hours spent grinding out the base miles will add value when I bikepack

as in, you know from previous experience, or you’ve read/been told/are assuming? Being constantly knackered doesn’t sound like the optimal way to increase fitness to me… surely you get fitter through recovery? Especially if you are doing 2x proper strength sessions per week (squats, etc) for me that would be way too much volume (from experience)

as in, you know from previous experience, or you’ve read/been told/are assuming? Being constantly knackered doesn’t sound like the optimal way to increase fitness to me… surely you get fitter through recovery? Especially if you are doing 2x proper strength sessions per week (squats, etc) for me that would be way too much volume (from experience)

Based on a common sense approach and reading articles. The assumption is that if you want to cycle back to back days for 7+ hours/day then you need to have a good base engine, otherwise, you’ll suffer.

I agree with the getting fitter with recovery, but struggling to grasp that one. I wouldn’t say my gym sessions are very heavy going as I am only barbell squatting 50kg an deadlifting the same. The legs do feel fatigued for 2 days after mind, but given most people put in 2 gym sessions and ride their bike I struggle to get why I find it tough to recover. Frustration is playing a part as well. Average speed on my bike (loaded with panniers) is a pathetic 13.5 mph.

Even though I have been putting in all of the effort at the gym and on the bike I will openly admit I don’t feel like I have made a single gain after many months. Average speed when compared with HR has pretty much stayed static …

You’re on about racing, not bikepacking. Try not to conflate the two.

FWIW I had an entry for the HT550 a couple of years ago but grew bored of “having” to ride my bike, at a minimum speed, and missing everything. I decided to pull out and enjoy riding for ridings sake.

I try to do the downtime every now and again (45). Doesn’t seem to do anything negative or positive for me. If anything I try and time it when there’s a bad weather front in.

All the decent riders I know seem to press on no matter what.

Different for everyone I guess.

Based on you comments you need to find something else to occupy the ‘free’ time you’ve got.

Wife, kids, dog, doing bu99er all, watching telly or even mtb-ing (with a social group)? 😉

You’re on about racing, not bikepacking. Try not to conflate the two.

yes and no. Have flights booked to do TA 2017 in mid Feb, but struggling to see how I can do the required 67 miles/day average I need to do to finish within my 30 day timeframe. So yes, it’s not racing, but have a timeframe. That is also adding to the stress of it all. The poor recovery I seem to be plagued with is making me stress and constantly think “HTF am I going to average 66 miles/day whilst ‘trying’ to sleep in a tent)”

Every day at the moment is a “cancel flights not going, yes I’m going” panic.

5 months for me.

But, a week? Yes on occasion, nothing to do with fitness, more like boredom (certainly when stuck in Town)

I’ve had a month off. Had the cold before Christmas and also broke my bike and never got round to fixing it cos getting parts was a faff
First ride in to work this morning – 15 miles. Dark and cold start, and my legs are definitely not as strong but I enjoyed the break and once I got warmed up enjoyed my ride.
Might even go for a ride for fun at the weekend instead of just commuting

I had a full week off in August just because I was tired and I don’t get enough sleep.

I commute 40 miles a day 5 days a week with occasional extras, and if I do want to go out when I’m off work I have to get up and out for 6am so decided to leave it for a week.

It was hard going, but I felt better for it. You need a bit of down time now and then.

OK, it was only for 10 days of 100 road miles, but my LEJOG experience (and other multi-day trips I’ve done) is that you need only worry about day 3. Get over that and your body goes into auto-pilot. And you’ll sleep if you’re tired. In fact it might even be more useful getting used to sleeping in a tent than knocking in all those miles.

Sounds like there’s too much training and not enough joy to me, not that I know much about training to be honest! Some proper rest every now and then sounds like a good idea, and 13.5mph on a loaded bike sounds alright to me.

Also, if your goal is long multi-day bikepacking, have you got in your training plan lots of bikepacking of various lengths? Surely that will be more interesting than just lot of training?

I did the Rapha 500 challenge

plus

Loss of motivation, constantly sore legs and feeling fatigued

equals

suffering from a bit of overtraining

Certainly take a week off, probably 10-14 days after doing 500mi in a week.
1 hour easy spin every 3rd day until you get your mojo back.

I had two weeks off in early december and then have rode for fun since then. Before then I was sick of it, ill, tired and unmotivated after racing all year in xc and cx.

In the two weeks off the bike I surfed and ran a tiny bit, but mostly drank beer and ate cake. It was great 😀

Over christmas I’ve been on loads of social rides, but specifically they haven’t been training, I’ve cruised around enjoying the act of being on a bike, not the act of going fast.

The emotional toll of training is way worse for me than the physical toll. I feel completely reinvigorated now and excited to ride. However I’ve enjoyed it so much I’m not sure how much training is going to get done this year 😆

but given most people put in 2 gym sessions and ride their bike I struggle to get why I find it tough to recover.

Everyone is different though, plus you’ve no way of knowing how these other people feel, how hard they’re working or whether they’re actually getting any fitter. The fact that you’ve been training for months yet not made any noticeable improvement would tell me I needed to make a change, never mind the fact that you’re also getting bored of it!

Never mind a week off, I’ve only been on a bike two or three times in the last month. Now that I’ve got used to riding in properly warm, dry conditions all summer, most of the time I can’t be bothered dragging round through shitty wet slop in the cold and wind. At this time of year I think that I prefer walking to riding – less gear to wash, easier to keep dry and, as my wife enjoys walking, it’s more sociable (well, for her anyway).

If we do get dry, sunny, gale-free days I’m usually working too, just to make matters worse.

after doing 500mi in a week

The Rapha Festive 500 is 500km, not miles.

I have enforced weeks off due to travelling with work, absence really does make the heart grow stronger for me 🙂

If you’d had cold/flu then taking a week off would have been wise – the fact is that with a huge training base, you’ll probably barely notice after a day or so. I did 7 straight days of training over the hols – I had scheduled to do another day, but a small, niggly problem would probably just have been made worse so took 3 days off – I’ve got a 5-day race in the arctic in 6 weeks and TBH just staying healthy and injury-free is my main priority. If you’re feeling constantly tired and de-motivated is a good sign that your body is telling you to take a break. Maybe building some periodization and recovery into your training might help?

I am bored of being on the bike for 14+ hours/week

I just mix up the bikes. Fixed, geared, recumbent, cross, and occasionally mtb. Never bored.

What you have to think about is what is your training plan and what do you want to achieve? If you are training for something specific then you should generally have a “recovery” week every 4th week, this simply means either dropping the intensity or the volume, depending on what you are up to. So when I trained for Ironman the recovery week was simply a little less intensity and also only 2 hours less in training. You need to learn and figure out your body and what works/doesn’t work. I have never had a whole week of doing nothing I just can’t and it doesn’t help me.

So I did Festive 500 and I felt broken and battered after it, this week I’m having a recovery week. I had 2 days of complete rest (i.e. no training) then I swam this morning I will probably do a light steady run tomorrow then back to commuting (15 miles each way Friday) short high intensity run Sat and a steady bike on Sunday. so 2 gym sessions and 2 rides sounds like a recovery week.

However if you don’t want to ride your bike don’t! Only you can tell whether it is you being lazy and trying to avoid it or you’re properly sick of riding and if you are the break will do you good. I”m already looking forward to riding my bike again on Friday after a week away from it.

It’s good to have a break once in a while just make sure it isn’t too long and you don’t eat too much crap whilst you’re off the bike!

Good luck

So I did Festive 500 and I felt broken and battered after it

Nice to know I wasn’t alone in that regard. Decided, that I am not going to stress about not riding. I’ll have my PT session tomorrow evening and then see. I suspect, come next week I’ll be keen for it again.

I tend to have a week off after my last race of the road racing season and then around 3-4 week’s off over December and start riding again in earnest Jan 2nd.

The week after the race season is a ‘just because I’ve earnt it’ thing, I’m not really sure of any performance pro’s or con’s. The Christmas break, I just do to catch up with family and friends, as cycling means I probably don’t do that as I should in the summer months. I probably put on about about 2-3kg in this time, but as I went into the break at 65kg, I don’t worry about it. I always feel really strong, if not quite as speedy when I start back. But since Jan 2nd, I have done three Road rides covering 44, 107 and 27 miles, things will soon be back in order. I can’t say I get bored of cycling at any point, and during my break will still have the odd social ride, and will use my hack for riding into town etc.

Blimey, I knew it had been a while, bar a couple of ~5 minute rides around the block that don’t really count…

It’s been 7 hours and 15 days weeks since you took your love away I last commuted, according to Strava! 😯

Excuses include…
A week away visiting family
38T chainring needed replacing
A stonking cold leading up to Xmas (which has finally stopped making me feeling “chesty” the last few days)
Pants weather
Not so much fun cycling in pitch black at 0600
etc.

I need to stop making excuses, especially on my days off work like today, to venture outside on two wheels!