My second point, which perhaps should have been a separate paragraph, is that I cannot grasp how there is any real benefit to say 5 x 30 minutes of exercise. Roughly speaking that would be 5-6 minutes warm up and warm down which gives 18-20 minutes actually exercising.
I appreciate the science shows it's beneficial, I don't argue with it, but I struggle to understand how so little makes an impact. I exercise for around 900 minutes a week and know plenty of people fitter and stronger than me.
For 9 of the 28 weeks so far this year I have only done 3 rides, each of 30 minutes duration. 19 of the 28 weeks have involved only 3 or 4 rides and less than 5 hours cycling. I am still getting fitter as the year progresses, and not just when I do longer, harder rides.
The 30 minute rides are
very beneficial. I do them in one gear - it used to be 52/19 but now it is an almost identical 42/15, approximately 72 gear inches. That means I am overgeared for any climbing that I do, and I seek out little hills in Todmorden that are a real effort in that 72" gear so I rapidly switch between hard climbing, easy spinning, and downhill freewheeling. It means that I am effectively doing intervals.
Most of those rides are the long way round to the local shops. I could walk to Aldi in 5 minutes but I do this loop instead. I carry a pannier and a heavy D-lock on the way out and the pannier is full of shopping on the way back.
I can assure you that doing the little climbs on this loop in a 72" gear with extra weight on the bike feels tough.
Shopping ride route:
I had not done very much more than those little rides before going down to Devon at the end of the winter. I had no problem going out there and doing a 70 km forum ride with significant Devon hilliness on the route. And I haven't had any problem stepping up to longer, harder routes either.
