What are you trying to achieve?
Whenever I work with riders, one of the key questions I try to get them thinking about is – “What are you trying to achieve from this ride?”
For a “recovery ride”, the answer may seems obvious, it’s to enhance or facilitate recovery but, for a recovery ride to be worthwhile, it’s also about what it shouldn’t do and that’s to add any additional fatigue.
This is where many riders go wrong and, if they’re really being honest with themselves about what they’re trying to achieve from the ride, it’s actually just about logging a few extra kilometres or chalking another ride up on Strava.
Can a recovery ride ever be useful?
A genuine recovery ride is do-able and can serve a definite purpose. There’s no doubt that, after a long day’s travelling or the day after a big ride, a gentle spin can put a bit of life back in your legs. To achieve this though without adding unnecessary fatigue and/or junk miles does take a surprising amount of discipline and often some ego management.
What should a recovery ride be like?
It should be 30-60 minutes long and has to be super-easy. That means pancake flat and strict Zone 1 for both heart-rate and power. You should be imagining that your cranks are made out of glass and, if you push them too hard, they’ll snap. Grannies on shopping bikes should be overtaking you and you should be spinning your legs in the small chainring.