We have been led to believe that how many watts we can push is all that matters. ERG mode uber alles! But that definitely isn’t the case. Cycling is a dynamic sport that is about more than just wattage. Your toolbox is a key part of becoming a better rider.
Today was a recovery day - meant to be an off day really - but I decided to ride and turn it into some active recovery. Check it out on Strava. As I wrote about before I am addicted to my bike, I couldn't resist!
The problem is that most riders wanting to do an “active recovery” day will make it too difficult. You don’t have to push any wattage and you still have plenty to work on.
Today I did 30-minutes, super easy at 124 watts (to make it relative, FTP at the moment is 290w). While going super easy I worked on two things: coordination and my respiration.
Coordination
The coordination side of things was done by riding at 100rpm. How comfortable are you at riding this high of a cadence? Can you even do it for a longer period? We want to have the ability to ride at both a high and low cadence. Ideally the metablic cost of riding at high or low cadence should be as low as possible. To get to this point takes practice.
This type of active recovery day is the perfect opportunity to work on that higher end cadence without creating any muscular fatigue. If you find the 100rpm challenging, maybe you do 5-minutes at 100rpm and 2-minutes comfortably - whatever it is, make the changes you need to to make this workout your own.
Respiration
On the respiration side of things I counted by breaths. Repeatedly. This is really about programming your brain. If you can make it automatic to breathe well indoors then you can go outside - where you are watching wheels, potholes, turns and cracks - and just do it without thinking. Breathe better and your ride will feel better!
I also added in the challenge of breathing in and out of my nose. Yes, uncomfortable at first, but something worth working on!
What I really want to share in this blog is that you don’t have to be pushing watts to derive benefit from a ride. There is lots to work on without having to push. Relax, enjoy the journey and develop all aspects of your riding.
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