I’d be interested to hear any experiences/thoughts on this. I’ll be going away for a couple weeks to do nothing but ride, eat, sleep, and read. I figure it’s going to be very hot during the day with virtually no shade anywhere. So, I’ll need to get up early to ride, but even if I did a 6 hour ride, starting at 5am, that leaves me with a lot of day to fill.
SAC has already stated, “if it worked the pros would be doing it.”
sojourn i have done lots of 2-a-days anytime i really wanted to get my sorry ass into some kinda shape. they work well in that, as much as anything can considering what i have to work with. in my case i find i can do two medium long, very hard rides in a day much better than i can one really long on at that intensity
not sure what the pro’s have to do with it.
first off i would be willing to bet dollars to donuts many, if not most did a few 2 a day rides back when they had to work for a living as well as ride. secondly, they are pro’s, and hence can do stuff i cain’t ( for example, true hi-quality 5-6 hour rides ). doing two super-good quality rides works better for me than one long-ass-but-half-ass one. i reckon it is more of a matter of what works for you, not a pro.
I do it all the time commuting to/from work. One way is easy, the other is a harder tempo ride and I usually add on 15-25 extra miles. Trying to go hard twice a day for too many days in a row would wipe me out. I like it, great way to get 40-60 miles a day in without stealing family time.
<< I’ll be going away for a couple weeks to do nothing but ride, eat, sleep, and read.
and that would be different from you life now in what way?? 
There used to be a pro that lived here in Carlsbad, name escapes me at the moment, but he used to ride for the Saturn team. I’d see him a lot because he lived around the corner from me at the time and he did a lot of two a day rides. He was putting in 700+ miles a week. he’d be out on the road at 7am for a long ride of 80 - 100 miles, then later in the day back out for another 30 - 40 miles. He didn’t do that every day, but most weekdays he did, and did single rides on the weekend.
Joe
Many elites train this way, 2x per day, one long one short with a break and lunch in between.
Interesting. Please elaborate.
Read Friel’s ‘cyclists training bible’, its in there. Explains scheduling twice a day workouts.
I train using Joe Friel’s and Dr. Arnie Baker’s methods, coached rides, training guidance.
-g
http://www.velonews.com/train/articles/2006.0.html
**A: How you go about planning two-a-days depends on what the purpose of doubling up is. In the Base period it is usually done to develop greater aerobic endurance in one ride and, perhaps, muscular endurance or force for climbing in the other. In the Build period the purpose is generally to maintain aerobic endurance while developing greater anaerobic endurance or power. I’d suggest when doing two-a-days for either of these combinations that the aerobic endurance ride come second in the day with the more intense ride first. It’s better to work on endurance when a bit fatigued than on any other aspect of fitness. – Joe
You just want to rack up more epic camp points, don’t you!