Recovery ride...something to tell the missus???

[Easytigers]

I ask as it tends to be stock excuse for when I want to go for a ride at the weekend but have spent the week complaining that I'm knackered and my legs are sore. I do go a bit slower (or try to unless I know there's a segment!!!) but this is more down to wanting to look at the different views etc that make a nice change from my regular commute.
So...do recovery rides actually exist and if so what benefit do they have and how should they be ridden?
Thanks

 

[hobbitonabike]

I regularly use recovery runs when running. They do help alleviate the heavy leg feeling. Only new to cycling so not really done recovery rides yet but I would imagine it works on the same principle.

 

[mark c]

I know if i go on one it usualy last a mile or two then the hammer goes down, so for me i would have to leave the computer off, and disconect the gears in a low ratio

 

[Rob3rt]

I ask as it tends to be stock excuse for when I want to go for a ride at the weekend but have spent the week complaining that I'm knackered and my legs are sore. I do go a bit slower (or try to unless I know there's a segment!!!) but this is more down to wanting to look at the different views etc that make a nice change from my regular commute.
So...do recovery rides actually exist and if so what benefit do they have and how should they be ridden?
Thanks

I'll say this again (I seem to make this post regularly), recovery rides are only of tangible benefit if your training load is high enough and if done correctly.

Most of the time people will do a "recovery" ride, but are simply wasting their time. If you go for a recovery ride but don't ride very easily (probably embarrassingly slow), twiddling away in the small ring then you will not be encouraging recovery, likely you will be riding somewhere in no man's land where you are going too hard to be promoting recovery and not hard enough to be stimulating training adaptation, i.e. unless you are just using "recovery" ride as an excuse to get out to enjoy riding some more, you are simply wasting your time because you are getting nothing from it.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

What's with the "excuse" bit?

 

[Easytigers]

What's with the "excuse" bit?

It's the reply... to 'Don't you spend enough time on that bloody bike already?'

Also, thank you Rob3rt...I obviously need to do some more research. I've see the phrase 'recovery ride' a lot as tags to rides etc and I guess this is built into the riders' training programs. I have no program as such...ride to work...ride at weekend if not knackered (and if the wife will let me!!!)...is the closest I get. Although I do moan at the wife when she says that I'm going out for a 'bike ride'...I tell her it's training (although she makes the very good point that I'm not actually 'training' for anything!)

 

[thegravestoneman]

My recovery rides are usually the recovery from the drink the night before. A good blast always gets rid of the groggy hangover feeling for me about 20 miles in and my legs will be my own again.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

I just ride, sometimes it's harder which helps increase fitness ect.. never do a recovery ride, don't ever feel the need for one.
If short of time I will try and sprint (used loosely) a local loop with a couple of inclines I have to work at, the rest is used to try and maintain a higher cadence, which seems to be working for me. Longer rides I try to work at maintain a cadence toward the 90 mark though I can spin at 90-100 the upper part doesn't feel good yet, maybe some tweaking needed on the saddle. The gears I use to spin at these speeds is gradually increasing last Aug I could avg 80rpm with 56" gear this last week 63" at 82rpm. Over 189.54 miles with 8931ft of elevation or 47ft/mile.

 

[ColinJ]

It's the reply... to 'Don't you spend enough time on that bloody bike already?'

I think the answer should be "Would you prefer a slim, fit husband to grow old with, or would you prefer me to get fat, die prematurely and make you into a young grieving widow?", or something like that!

I had similar problems in the past - long hours at work during the week left me desperate to get out on the bike at weekends. I tried to get my g/f and stepdaughter into cycling but they didn't like riding up the local hills. Even cycling ahead, putting my bike down, running back down the hills and pushing their bikes up the hills for them didn't work, so in the end we just started going walking without the bikes ...

 

[SpokeyDokey]

I think the answer should be "Would you prefer a slim, fit husband to grow old with, or would you prefer me to get fat, die prematurely and make you into a young grieving widow?", or something like that!

For maximum effect this should be accompanied by a patronising slap on the bum as you say it....

.

 

[thegravestoneman]

I daren't ask that I don't know if I would like the answer.

 

[ColinJ]

I daren't ask that I don't know if I would like the answer.

I got my answer ... she moved on!

 

[Easytigers]

Hmmm...me thinks I'll pass on the advice if that's ok!!! I once took the advice of a colleague who said that I should go home and 'Tell her how it is!'...It was almost a divorce!!!

 

[Deleted member 1258]

If a Sunday ride has been longer and harder than usual I'll make the commute on Monday even slower and easier than normal.