So following on from the thread about long bikes and the value of riding 160-180km to see what it feels like.
Is it the distance that matters or the time? Is there the same value in 80km with 8500 feet of climbing as there is with a ride of a similar duration on the flat or rolling?
riding a hilly course on country roads is a lot slower, if you grind out 5 hours up dirt roads with names like Possum Hollow you’ll get the idea of what you’ll feel like in the race, no worries
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I do all of my long stuff (running and biking) based on time. I ride or run slightly slower than I would be racing at but work my way up to race “time” distance. Works for me.
I measure primarily by time because I swap between the road and the trainer and duration is a better neutral metric than distance for these two related activities. You body really only knows time and intensity. Distance covered is a product of the two.
Generally you never want to go beyond the duration of your event. So if you run a marathon in 3:30 never make your long run longer than 3:30.
With a bike it is less strain so you can go for more time without damage, buy why would you? If your IM estimate is 5:45 anything beyond 5:45 doesn’t provide any useful extension of “time in the saddle”.
I have always gone by time.
Don’t think it matters too much as long as you apply common sense and don’t get too hung up on the numbers. By common sense, I mean factor in intensity, weather, road surface, gradients, whether you’re riding in a group, etc. An 80km ride with 8500 feet of climbing is highly likely to represent a greater workload than a ride of similar duration on the flat. However, if you were riding a bike with a granny gear and spun gently up all the hills and coasted down them, and then did the entire flat ride at race effort, then obviously the flat ride is a lot more work.
I’ve been diving more and more into Coggan and Allen’s TSS over the past couple of years.
Instead of using time or distance with power meter athletes I’ve gone to TSS with the guidance of what zone I want them to work in primarily or mixed in intervals.
I’ve found that it tends to be easier mentally on them and they end up getting in the same work. It has proven useful.
I do everything by distance, my training goals are in K’s. My downloaded schedule is in hours, but I feel it doesnt get me comfortable with distances so I make up my own distances based on past performances.
I do look at the time it takes me for the distances and try to lower that or focus on finishing fresh of the bike. I wonder how time trainers ride 150K if they are only looking at the time. Do they finish after lets say 4 hours if they dont reach 150? Do they add an hour next time to reach it? How do they plan routes on lest say a 4-hour ride? Turn around after 2 hours? I find its easier to plan routes/laps based on K’s. Make it on a map, then ride it. Set time goals along the way.
Good topic, I wondered about this but never asked.
I factor in time, distance, KJs and TSS. I like to map out routes so I’m going by distance a lot, but how many miles I ride has to do with how long I want to ride.
I am going to say that i am completely time orientated, however the reason for that is I do nothing outside - its all done on the treadmill or turbo and therefore times the deal.
I will have 9 days of outside riding at the end of April and all my rides need to be out and back as its a valley with only 3 roads in / out and one is shut to bikes anyway, so wherever you go you have to come back the same way. The obvious problem with this is, that one of the rides has a 16km 7% downhill to the 40k mark. I am guessing that it will take a little longer to go back up that than it did to get down it, so it can’t be a 2 hours out 2 hours back sort of gig.
dirt roads with names like Possum Hollow
The “Possum Hollow” road near me is paved, but kinda bumpy, so I haven’t ridden it yet.
I do time and distance depending on the workout. Probably more mental than anything. Last Saturday I wanted to get in 4 hours, whatever distance that meant. I know later on, I’ll want to get in 100 miles, whatever that time is.
Pros never bike longer than their expected bike times. A pro never does a bike ride longer than 5 hrs. Lol
I also go by time. Mainly as a better translation to trainer rides.