Originally Posted by zimbo
Interesting. I hear all the stories about the guys who do 15-20 hours of training per week but I think most normal working stiffs don't have time for that much riding. I have about as much job flexibility as I can imagine and it's still pretty hard for me to spend more than about 10 hours per week on the bike, partly because I need two recovery days per week. I do try to get in one 3+ hour ride per week with an average wattage in the low tempo zone, though.
--Steve
12 hours is a long week for me... Average is probably 8-10. The longest of those rides is usually 3-3 1/2 hours on the weekend with the team. The vast majority of my riding during the week is 1-1 1/2 hours tops, and usually some type of interval workout or just recovery riding. And that was enough to finish near the front of the pack in the local 3/4 race last weekend. I think the key is targeting the training to the type of racing you do and just being smart about it. Sure, I could ride 20 hours a week and eventually stumble upon the training that I actually need to do, but I just don't have time for that. As I learned in a painful way last night, the Powertap keeps me working like I need to so I can be more effective in less time.