I have been a regular daily rider for going on 4 years now. My biggest problem has been knowing when to say enough is enough and it is time to rest. I usually wait too long to take a day off and end up in a heap. How does one find the balance where you are getting enough rest but not staying off the bike too long?

It strikes me as odd, how many riders I see that are extremely fast yet never really ride all that much. Many of them only do the group ride once or twice a week and that is it, yet they are very strong on the bike.

I have found that I can make myself stronger by staying off the bike as well, but I am always concerned that I will stay off too long and lose fitness.

Well shoot you've just answered yourself.

rest is training. try increasing it and see how your body responds.

i've made more gains this year by taking 2 days off per week than i did last year riding all the time.

Yeah, there was a time where I tried to ride as much as I could. Then I tried to drink all the beer in St Louis, after that I tried to see all the porn on the Internet. Now, that I've done all that I feel restless and confused.

The reason so many guys that seldom ride seem fast - is proof of the the "law of diminishing returns." The "law" simply states that you get the most training benefit from a given volume of activity. The more you train, the less additional benefit you receive for the additional volume of stress. Eventually, there is NO return on investment. Guess what, -- "rest" works the same way, you get the most benefit from a fixed amount, but keep on resting for too long, and you get no additional benefit...........

Curiously, this "law" applies to beer-drinking and pornography viewing as well........

Oddly enough, this post makes a lot of sense to me. I'm a little on the obsessive side of just about anything i do.